Killarney for Ireland BikeFest
All roads lead to Killarney this June Bank Holiday weekend as the town gears up for the return of Ireland BikeFest – the country’s largest, free motorcycle festival.
Headquartered at the purpose-built Bike Village located on the grounds of The Gleneagle Hotel, Ireland BikeFest kicks off on Friday, June 2 and runs throughout the bank holiday weekend. Bikers in their thousands from around the world are currently enroute to the picturesque town.
Festival highlights include guided ride-outs along Kerry’s most famous touring routes including the Ring of Kerry, the Skellig Ring, Caragh Lake and the Dingle Peninsula, marshalled by H.O.G.™ UK and Ireland chapters Celtic Thunder Chapter Waterford, Gaelic Chapter Dublin and Belfast Chapter Northern Ireland. There’s plenty of activity at the Bike Village too, including retail stands and traders, merchandise, the Harley-Davidson® Experiential Zone, the best festival food and lots of family fun. Grab a drink and kick back at the popular Harley® Bar, or simply sit and listen to the incredible line-up of live bands on three stages over the course of the weekend.
One of the biggest attractions, the custom bike show and awards ceremony, is set to take place on Sunday, June 4. All makes and models are invited to take part. Categories include the best bike in the show, the people’s choice, best chopper, best radical, best trike, best classic, best special build, best paint and best adventure bike.
Over in the Harley-Davidson® Experiential Zone, if you’ve never jumped on a Harley® before and want to experience the thrill, you’re in luck and don’t even need a motorcycle licence! Harley-Davidson® are bringing their JumpStart™motorcycle simulator to Ireland BikeFest this weekend. Here aspiring bikers can learn the basics of throttle control, balance and weight distribution on a fully equipped, road-going Harley-Davidson® motorcycle. You’ll climb on, start the bike up, locate your feet on the pegs, and get a feel for the bike without actually moving. It’s the perfect way to feel the thrill of riding a Harley®. Harley-Davidson® also has a full fleet of demo bikes for you to try out. If you have a full licence, you can test drive a range of Harley-Davidson® bikes including the Nightster™ 975, the Sportster® S, the award-winning Pan America™ 1250, the classic Softails® and more.
The ultimate spectacle is the Sunday morning parade where hundreds of all-brand motorcycles rumble through the streets of Killarney before returning to the Bike Village for an afternoon of live entertainment and more festivities.
Ciara Sugrue, Head of Festivals at Fáilte Ireland said: “Festivals and events are a key element of the tourism offering in Ireland, and Fáilte Ireland is pleased to support this year’s Ireland BikeFest Killarney, which will showcase the very best of Irish arts, heritage and culture to domestic and international visitors. Developing unique and immersive visitor experiences, BikeFest plays an important role in the recovery of the tourism sector for the county and the wider Wild Atlantic Way region. Festivals like Ireland BikeFest Killarney create new and compelling reasons for visitors to explore Ireland and experience first-hand our world-famous arts and culture. They have the ability to drive footfall for local businesses, which in turn generates revenue and supports jobs in communities and revenue generation.”
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