115th Anniversary in Prague
110,000 fans rock Harley-Davidson’s 115th Anniversary in Prague!
- This is H-D’s 115th year: 1903-2018 and celebrations were held in Prague
- 110,000 people took part – 10% more than expected – with 67,500 bikes making the trip
- The Parade was a highlight, with 4,000 Harleys thundering to the city centre
- The Rolling Stones kicked it all off, playing through No Filter
- Full H-D history was on display at the Expo with over 150 machines
- Plus the Custom Bike Showdown, Dark Custom Arena and H.O.G. village
- Test rides of the 2018 Harley-Davidson range were available from the Demo Truck
- The Muay Thai All Stars Boxing Championship added plenty of high-octane action
- Jeep® were also on site, offering test drives from the Jeep Touring Zone
Harley-Davidson’s 115th Anniversary celebration in Prague was one hell of a party. The event, held over four days between the 5th - 8th July kicked off with the Rolling stones on the night of the 4th and didn’t stop rocking hard from there.
100,000 people were expected, 110,000 came from 77 different countries. And they really came from all over; the Ride-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 4,000 Harleys took part in the Parade (one of many highlights). And over 3,500 accreditations were issued for people working or performing at the event.
One of the biggest attractions was the Harley-Davidson Historic display, which took event-goers on an interactive tour of over 150 classic and iconic machines. The Custom Bike show was as popular as ever, likewise the opportunity to demo ride the 2018 H-D range – including the new Forty-Eight Special and 1200 Iron – 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 on Harley-Davidsons individually, with recommended routes on the official website or mobile app. Thousands of them 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.
And 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 mainly 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.
The Jeep® brand – a key partner and official sponsor of selected Harley-Davidson events – were in attendance throughout with the Jeep Touring Zone, offering the opportunity to get behind the wheel of one of the iconic brand’s products.
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, 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: "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.”
Trevor Barton, Harley-Davidson Customer Care Manager was equally a very happy man as the event wrapped up: "It was amazing to see Harley fans from 77 countries across the globe have fun together at the Hošovice Exhibition Grounds. 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.”