Laconia Motorcycle Week

Laconia Motorcycle Week
Line-up of motorcycles at Weirs Beach during the 2007 event
GenreMotorcycle rally
DatesHistorically 9 days in June, ending on Father's Day
Location(s)Laconia, New Hampshire, U.S.
Founded1916
Attendance375,000 (2004)[1]
c. 188,000 (2010)[2]
Patron(s)Laconia Motorcycle Rally and Race Association
Websitewww.laconiamcweek.com

Laconia Motorcycle Week is an annual motorcycle rally held in Laconia, New Hampshire, United States. The rally originated as a motorcycle Gypsy tour in 1916 as, the New Hampshire Lakes Region became a popular riding destination for early motorcycle enthusiasts from New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Montreal.[3][4] The popularity of the rally led to the formation of the Loudon Classic motorcycle race in 1934 which, became one of the most prestigious races in American motorcycle racing, second only to the Daytona 200.[4] The scheduled events included races, shows and a motorcycle hill climb competition.[5] The rally traditionally takes place over nine days in June, always the 2nd and 3rd full weekend. The rally was the largest annual gathering of North American motorcyclists until it was overtaken by the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally during the 1970s.[3]

  1. ^ N.H. Bike Week roars to a close, Associated Press, June 22, 2008, retrieved 2010-06-21
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference unionleader was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "Archives: The Origins of the Laconia Classic". cyclenews.com. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Archives: The Loudon Classic". cyclenews.com. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  5. ^ St. Clair, Charlie; Anderson, Jennifer (2008), Laconia Motorcycle Week, Arcadia Publishing, ISBN 978-0-7385-5473-0, retrieved 2010-06-12