MILWAUKEE — Harley-Davidson just wrapped up its big 120th-anniversary homecoming event in Milwaukee.
The celebration that’s been held every five years is making a major pivot moving forward. The company says it will now be an annual event.
Let’s go in-depth on the change and the impact it will have on the city of festivals.
From Columbia to Milwaukee, Claudia Near and her husband rode their Harley nearly 3,000 miles to fulfill a dream.
"In Colombia, Harley-Davidson is very important,” she said.
Harley riders, representing dozens of states and countries, came to Brew City to take part in Harley-Davidson’s beloved homecoming event that’s full of parades, charity rides, and concerts along the lakefront.
"It draws people from around the world,” said Claire Koenig with VISIT Milwaukee. "It helps with Milwaukee's name recognition."
Koenig says economic impact figures from the weekend are still being calculated, but the last Harley event five years ago brought area businesses and hotels $95 million. That’s significantly more than a decade ago when the homecoming pumped an estimated $20 million into the local economy.
"I certainly think there's been an increased demand for an event like this after what everyone has been through considering the pandemic,” she said.
Harley isn’t waiting another five years to celebrate its brand and loyal customers. The company announced it’s moving to an annual event starting next year. Next summer is already packed with a full slate of festivals and the Republican National Convention in downtown Milwaukee.
"Years like that, they don't happen all that often so we just want to make sure we are maximizing the impact to the community at every turn,” Koenig said.
Harley fans can already start booking their trips back to Milwaukee for next year’s event. It’s scheduled for July 25-28, 2024.
Harley-Davidson issued a statement breaking down the festival after its conclusion:
MILWAUKEE, July 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Harley-Davidson® Homecoming™ Festival, the biggest music-and-moto event to hit Milwaukee this summer, took place from July 13-16 at venues across the Milwaukee area. Moto enthusiasts from all over the world enjoyed the festivities celebrating the rich, 120- year history of the world's most-desirable motorcycle brand, Harley-Davidson. The Company also announced next year's Harley-Davidson Homecoming will be July 25-28, 2024.
Some key highlights of the 2023 Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival included:
Veterans Park on the Milwaukee Lakefront – Performances by Green Day and Foo FightersOn Friday and Saturday night at Veterans Park, music headliners Green Day (July 14) and Foo Fighters (July 15) performed to massive crowds on the Milwaukee lakefront. The shows gathered more than 80,000 moto and music enthusiasts throughout the weekend. Leading up to the headlining acts at the Veterans Park venue, key performances on July 14 included Abby Jeanne, KennyHoopla, Phantogram, and The Cult. On July 15, performances included Ghost Hounds, White Reaper, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and Cody Jinks. In addition, Nitro Circus, the most explosive crew in action sports, provided an action-packed freestyle motocross show, plus the exhilarating stunts of the Ives Brothers Wall of Death & Ball of Steel, food and beverage vendors, and special merchandise added to the family-friendly entertainment. Matty Matheson hosted a Burger Build Off, where legendary chef, actor, author, and restaurateur Matty Matheson created the ultimate, show-stopping burger in a head-to-head cookoff.
Harley-Davidson Museum – MilwaukeeActivities kicked off at the Harley-Davidson Museum grounds on Thursday with Bike Night and continued through the weekend. 73,000 bikes lined the museum grounds and Sixth Street over the four days. 130,000 attendees enjoyed food trucks, Flat Out Friday Boonie Bike races, motorcycle displays and demo ride opportunities with LiveWire®, and Stacyc® electric vehicles, the Division BMX Stunt Show, custom and vintage motorcycle shows, and evening musical entertainment. The music line-up included headliners Hairball, The Jimmys and The Now Band, Rust Bucket Road Trip, and The Toys and Rebel Grace.
Harley-Davidson Powertrain Operations – Menomonee FallsThe Harley-Davidson Powertrain Operations in Milwaukee suburb, Menomonee Falls, hosted demos of 2023 Harley-Davidson motorcycles, factory tours, and Police Skills Riding Demonstrations.
Harley-Davidson 120th Anniversary Motorcycle Parade – Downtown MilwaukeeThe 2023 Homecoming event concluded on Sunday with the Harley-Davidson 120th Anniversary Parade, winding through Wisconsin Avenue to the heart of downtown Milwaukee, ending at Veterans Park on the lakefront. 7,000 motorcycles participated in the parade to the cheers and waves from crowds gathered along the route.
Ride In RoutesAll roads led to Milwaukee as Harley-Davidson plotted six exciting Ride In routes, each starting from the furthest reaches of North America and leading to Milwaukee, to arrive for Homecoming festivities. This provided an opportunity for riders to join at any point and ride at their own pace while mingling with fellow H-D riders. Each daily Ride In segment began and ended at an authorized Harley-Davidson dealership, with a mid-day stop also at a H-D dealership, to meet other riders, chat with local staff, eat at local food trucks, and conduct bike maintenance, as needed.
New 2023 Custom Vehicle Operations™ (CVO™) MotorcyclesHomecoming weekend was also the official consumer debut of the new 2023 CVO™ Street Glide® and CVO™ Road Glide® models showcasing advanced technology, enhanced rider comfort, and dynamic performance propelled by the powerful new Milwaukee-Eight® VVT 121 engine, with a technical display in the Harley-Davidson Museum Garage area and demos at the Company's Powertrain Operations facility.
Harley-Davidson Dealership EventsSix Milwaukee-area Harley-Davidson dealerships hosted events and entertainment. Dealerships that participated included House of Harley-Davidson (Greenfield), Milwaukee Harley-Davidson (Milwaukee), Suburban Motors Harley-Davidson (Thiensville), Uke's Harley-Davidson (Kenosha), West Bend Harley-Davidson (West Bend), and Wisconsin Harley-Davidson (Oconomowoc).
Assets from throughout the weekend can be found at [email.prnewswire.com]https://h-dmediakit.com/us/h-d-homecoming.html [email.prnewswire.com]
About Harley-DavidsonHarley-Davidson, Inc. is the parent company of Harley-Davidson Motor Company and Harley-Davidson Financial Services. Our vision: Building our legend and leading our industry through innovation, evolution and emotion. Our mission: More than building machines, we stand for the timeless pursuit of adventure. Freedom for the soul. Since 1903, Harley-Davidson has defined motorcycle culture with an expanding range of leading-edge, distinctive and customizable motorcycles in addition to riding experiences and exceptional motorcycle accessories, riding gear and apparel. Harley-Davidson Financial Services provides financing, insurance and other programs to help get Harley-Davidson riders on the road. Learn more at www.harley-davidson.com [email.prnewswire.com].
SOURCE Harley-Davidson, Inc.
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