Review - Harley-Davidson Euro Festival Saint Tropez

Review - Harley-Davidson Euro Festival Saint Tropez

This route along the Mediterranean coast is one of the most beautiful that France has to offer, and the tour to the event alone is an experience. On the side roads, it feels as if you are riding through a herb garden, with the spicy smell of Provence wafting through your nose.

This year, for the first time, the Harley meetup on the Cote d'Azur on the road map. Via Switzerland along the Cote d'Azur through Monaco, Nice and finally arriving in Saint Tropez.

I was expecting a small event taking place somewhere on a campsite with a few simple huts. The whole area was supposed to be a place reserved only for the rich and beautiful of this earth, with high prices and expensive accommodation and only French-speaking French people.

The new date is from June 07 to 10, 2018!

Of these expectations, only one thing was right in the end, the thing with the language and the French, when they realize that you're from Germany, you get the feeling that they're going to turn off.

But nevertheless it is a great country and there are also many friendly French people. 80% of the visitors come from France, a large part from Belgium, Switzerland and Italy, then I would first see the Germans, they are there, but there are not very many yet, but that will certainly change in the future.

But the real surprise was the Harley-Davidson Euro Festival I had already heard a lot about it, but I had no idea how beautiful it really is there. For me, it's one of the top Harley events in Europe and by no means a small event.

In terms of numbers, the Harleys are certainly not on a par with the Lake Faak comparable, but the whole area is set up for the Harley meeting, a special highlight is the bike show from the Euro Festival in Grimaud, which takes place in a small old town near Saint Tropez.

Great cafés, small alleyways and a quaint market square where the bike show presents everything that Europe's customizers have to offer - it really is a special atmosphere. Big names such as Asso, Kodlin, Krugger and Augustin can be found here.

This year, over 20,000 Harley riders arrived at the event site in Port Grimaud. The event kicked off on Thursday and there was plenty on offer for visitors.

Die Vorstellung der neuen Harley-Davidson Street Rod fand im Bereich der Dark Custom Zone statt, wo auch andere coole, teils ältere Modelle standen. Ein Relax Bereich mit Harley No. 1 Liegestühlen zum entspannen und der Fahrsimulator waren sehr gefragt und dementsprechend oft belegt.

„A fantastic beach atmosphere - the stage is right next to the beach bar!“ 

3 days of live music at its very best, the big stage right on the beach and everything in the large beach bar area, simply fantastic. The cappuccino for €3.50 is really not too expensive for this area, but the beer costs a bit more.

But you can be prepared for this, the prices are generally normal, there are of course places where you can spend your money, it is always recommended to check the menu on the notice board beforehand. Four scoops of ice cream at the port of Saint Tropez for €6.50, but that's enough to fill you up.

There is also reasonably priced accommodation, but maybe you should think about what you want, it's just beautiful here and certainly the wrong place for savers and people who can't handle spending money.

The German Harley rider is known to be reluctant to pay admission for anything and that's where the problems start. You can get access to the grounds for three days for €125, as an H.O.G. member you save €25, in my opinion this should definitely be included in your budget.

„The festival site“

I can only say that this place has a Caribbean flair, palm trees everywhere and it is immediately noticeable that the colonial theme has also been visually picked up here. the so-called huts are small wooden houses that can accommodate four to six people. They are available in three different designs.

The Harley can be parked directly in front of the house, sea sand, palm trees and wooden houses, some painted in the proper style, in the middle of the event area.

You can practically walk straight from the party on the beach into the house. The houses are well-equipped, all versions have air conditioning, and you don't even have to do without a dishwasher or fridge.

There are large areas of traders displaying their wares and, of course, well-known exhibitors such as „S2S Steel to Silver“ here on site. Some even show their craft directly on the stand, which is very interesting, especially because there are also exhibitors who are not yet familiar from our events.

There are also various parking spaces and plenty of security on the site, as well as a store for everyday items and nice restaurants. Nobody has to go hungry here, regardless of whether they have a big or small wallet.

The parade

Over 2500 Harley's took part in the parade, unlike here, the parade only starts in the late afternoon at 16:00 and lasts about 2 hours. It's incomparable, you've just been riding on a wide road and suddenly you find yourself in the narrow streets of Grimaud, plus a little detour into the beautiful mountainous surroundings of Saint Tropez, simply fantastic.

At the port of Saint Tropez, visitors were already waiting for the Harley convoy, which made its way through the narrow shopping street to the port. The convoy continued into the rural surroundings, where the welcome was no less friendly.

The parade concluded at the Jeep Adventure Area. It was also announced at the Euro Festival that Harley-Davidson and Jeep are to strengthen their relationship and that the Jeep brand will continue to be an official sponsor of the major Harley-Davidson events in Europe.

For H.O.G. members there is a limited offer with preferential prices, if you would like to buy a Jeep, you should inform yourself immediately.

Dies ist im Frühjahr das Erste aufregende Harley Event Ereignis in Europa – und das kann mit Begeisterung gefeiert werden. In St Tropez gibt es ein traumhaftes Areal mit Karibik Flair, Live-Musik, geführte Touren um die Var Region zu entdecken, Dark Custom Zone, Jeep Test Ride, ein Harley Dealer Area und ein großer Händlerbereich, wo viel Zubehör, Schmuck und viele andere Artikel angeboten werden.

Auch die große Harley-Davidson Probefahrt Aktion war auf dem Euro Festival präsent, die neuesten Modelle, einschließlich der neu vorgestellten Street Rod konnten probe gefahren werden.

The event gets the rating: “Absolutely worth seeing!“

You will find further information about the 2018 event in good time in the event calendar. Booking of the houses in the event area will only be possible from December when the prices for the 2018 season are announced.