110,000 visitors celebrate Harley’s 115th Anniversary
Harley-Davidson have celebrated their 115th Anniversary with a party in Prague, with 110,000 visitors turning up to enjoy the numerous activities and attractions held between July 5-8, which kicked off with the Rolling Stones the night of the 4th.
Visitors from 77 different countries were welcomed to the event by Bill and Karen Davidson, and the Rides-In – sponsored by Dunlop – had over 100 H-D dealers participating from as far afield as Moscow, Lisbon, Naples and Trondheim.
67,500 motorcycles flooded Prague and 4000 Harleys took part in the Parade (one of many highlights). And over 3500 accreditations were issued for people working or performing at the event.
Trevor Barton – EMEA Harley-Davidson Customer Experience Manager
“It was amazing to see Harley fans from 77 countries across the globe come together to celebrate 115 years of Harley-Davidson in Prague. Everybody had a great time and we really surpassed our expectations on attendance – by 10%! All motorcyclists were welcome and it was four days of fun, music and riding in and around beautiful Prague. What a great feeling.”
One of the biggest attractions was the Harley-Davidson Historic display, which took event-goers on an interactive 115-year tour of iconic machines and memorabilia.
The Custom Gallery was an extremely popular attraction that saw 45 stunning custom bikes from Europe’s best bike builder beautifully displayed, likewise the opportunity to demo ride the 2018 H-D range – including the new Forty-Eight Special and Iron 1200 – and visit the H.O.G Village.
There was also the chance to explore the Central Bohemian region with local guide riders and the over-subscribed excursions took in Kutná Hora, Křivoklát, Český Štemberk or Konopiště.
The Central Bohemian region also helped riders with recommended routes on the official website or mobile app. Thousands travelled around Central Bohemia and participated in the Czech Bohemia Challenge, a tour of the most beautiful places in the region. The first thousand received commemorative coins from a special limited series.
As an extra treat the 115th Anniversary in Prague coincided with the European Championship in Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) and a series of major title matches, sponsored by the Czech Muay Thai Association, sanctioned by the Thai governing body and featuring Thai superstar Buakaw Benchamek, culminated at H-D’s Gala Muay Thai Party on the Friday.
Sunday’s action centred in Holešovice for families with children; the organisers reserved one special day to celebrate the 115th Harley-Davidson Anniversary for even the smallest fan, and admission for locals was free on presentation of an ID card.
All event-goers were greeted by the sight of a stunning all-new Jeep Wrangler displayed on a striking raised structure at the main entrance and were offered the unique chance of test driving the new generation of the iconic Jeep vehicle. The undisputed off-road champion which is equally at ease on city streets also opened the Parade in the heart of Prague that played a key part in the celebrations, alongside the new 2019 Renegade.
The new Jeep Cherokee – the most recent version of the Jeep mid-size SUV offering a refreshed style, advanced connectivity and premium technology – was also on display in the Jeep/Touring Zone.
H-D has a 100-year history with Czechoslovakia and Prague itself is home to the world’s oldest H-D club – Harley-Davidson Club Praha, has been in existence for 90 years – a fact that was celebrated at Czechoslovak Island.
Martin Heřmanský, EMEA Harley-Davidson Managing Director of Strategic Growth Markets was pleased to show off the area, saying “The biggest attraction for the public was Saturday’s ride of 4,000 Harley-Davidsons to the centre of Prague. And around the Central Bohemian Region seven organised excursions and countless individual trips took place.”
Jarda Vavrina – Harley-Davidson Prague
“The feedback from the local community has been fantastic! Everybody has welcomed Harley riders with open arms, so much so that the most popular question from our international visitors is – when can we come back.”
To find out more about the beautiful scenery, delicious food and drink, cities, villages and amazing experiences the Czech Republic has to offer visit: https://czechandslovakcentury.com/en
