Everybody loves a good holiday. While we are all familiar with common holidays like President’s Day, the 4th of July and Thanksgiving, there’s always more holidays to put on our calendars and give us an excuse to celebrate. Including motorcycle holidays! Here’s a list of those to add to your annual calendar as an excuse to go for a ride.
International Female Ride Day is the first Saturday in May
This holiday came about thanks to Vicki Gray, founder of MOTORESS, an online magazine geared towards female riders. The next occurrence is Saturday, 3 May 2025.
National Ride To Work Day is the third Monday in June
This holiday came about thanks to Andy Goldfine, founder of Aerostich. It has been promoted by the Congressional Motorcycle Safety Caucus and is a worldwide celebration, with NRWD rides taking place in the USA, Australia, the UK, Germany, France, Israel, Turkey, Argentina and many other nations. The next occurrence is Monday, 16 June 2025.
World Motorcycling Day is the 21st of June every year
This holiday came about in 2012 thanks to the folks at RideToWork.org (i.e. Andy Goldfine again). The summer solstice provides riders with the most amount of sunlight in a 24-hour period all year long, so it’s a natural day to celebrate motorcycles.
National Motorcycle Day is the second Friday of July
This holiday came about as a commercial promotion by Dairyland Insurance. The next occurrence is 11 July 2025. National Motorcycle Ride Day is the second Saturday of October This holiday came about thanks to Chad Geer, who worked at Dunlop Motorcycle Tires in 2015 when he thought of this holiday. He established it as a way to celebrate John B. Dunlop, inventor of the pneumatic tire that revolutionized vehicle travel in 1887. The next occurrence is Saturday, 12 October 2025.
Evel Knievel Day is 17 October every year
OK, so this isn’t an official motorcycle holiday, but given Knievel’s status as the most famous motorcycle stunt rider ever, it should be! Gather with your friends to celebrate the daredevil who famously broke every bone in his body at one time or another while trying to jump his motorcycles over huge distances. Robert Craig “Evel” Knievel was born in 1938 and died on 30 November 2007. If single-day holidays aren’t enough for you, here’s a short and very much not comprehensive list of longer events happening throughout the year across the United States.
Daytona Bike Week happens the first week of March every year
This event rose up around the races in Daytona Beach, Florida, that traditionally kick off the motorcycling season for most of the USA. The next occurrence is 28 February through 9 March 2025.
The Handbuilt Motorcycle Show happens in late March every year
Coinciding with the MotoGP races taking place at the Circuit of the Americas outside Austin, Texas, Handbuilt came about thanks to Alan Stulberg, founder of custom builder Revival Cycles. The next occurrence is 28-30 March 2025.
Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month is May every year
This effort to attract attention to motorcycles and those who ride them came about thanks to the National Safety Council and marks the end of spring and the beginning of summer, which in the northern hemisphere marks a decided increase in motorcycle riding.
Myrtle Beach Bike Week happens twice a year, in May and October
Thanks to a distinctly Sturgis-flavored 10-day spring rally, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, transforms twice a year on the shoulders of riding season. The fall rally is shorter and more laid back in tone. The next occurrence is 9-18 May 2025, with the fall rally following from 26 September to 5 October 2025.
The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride happens on the third Sunday of May every year
Despite the name, the DGR is not only for men – but it does support Movember, a men’s cancer charity, and programs to support men’s mental health and suicide prevention. Dress dapper, throw a leg over your favorite classic bike and help raise funds for a rider in need. Find out more at gentlemansride.com.
The MOA National Rally happens in mid-June every year
Since the early 1970s, members of the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America and their friends, guests and riding buddies have gathered somewhere in North America (usually the United States) to celebrate riding and BMW motorcycles. The next occurrence is 19-21 June 2025 in Lebanon, Tennessee.
Laconia Motorcycle Week happens in mid-June every year
Thought to be the oldest motorcycle rally in North America, LMW celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023. It grew in significance on riders’ calendars in 1938 thanks to the efforts of Fritzie Baer, who brought the Gypsy Tour Race from Maine to New Hampshire. The next occurrence is 14-22 June 2025 in Laconia, New Hampshire.
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally happens the first week of August every year
The Sturgis rally started small on 14 August 1938, with only a few dozen riders in attendance for some informal races. Now, the tiny town of Sturgis, South Dakota, and its surroundings host about 500,000 riders nearly two full weeks every year, bringing in close to a million dollars in revenue in the process. The next occurrence is 1-10 August 2025v
Biketoberfest happens in mid-October every year
Thanks to more races at Daytona, riders have an excuse to return to northeastern Florida to celebrate the traditional end of the motorcycling season in the USA. The next occurrence is 16-19 October 2025.
