On Wednesday evening, September 9, 2020, the Daytona Beach City Commission voted on the fate of the upcoming Biketoberfest event, held annually in Daytona Beach. The commission had concerns over whether or not to allow the event to be held this year, due to COVID-19.

According to Biketoberfest.org, “Biketoberfest is not one event, but a collection of activities that take place at venues and businesses in cities throughout Volusia County and beyond. While some of the things that traditionally take place during Biketoberfest® will not happen this year, our local hotels and businesses are open. Our parks and beaches are open for visitors to enjoy the area’s beautiful October weather and scenic rides. Safety is paramount. We ask all our visitors who do decide to travel to please visit responsibly.”

Will Biketoberfest 2020 be held this Year in Daytona Beach?

In an official statement from the city of Daytona Beach, posted to Facebook on September 10, 2020, the city announced the following:

In an effort to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, Daytona Beach’s City Commission voted against (1-6) issuing permits for this year’s Biketoberfest planned for Oct. 15-18 at last night’s meeting.

Local hotels, restaurants, shops and other businesses remain open, and the area has many places bikers can enjoy a scenic ride should they visit the area for this annual event.

All visitors are asked to be vigilant in helping to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by social distancing and washing their hands frequently.

In addition, the city has a mandate that requires people to wear a face covering when indoors and social distancing is not possible.

While this does not mean that the city has banned or disallowed the annual event, they have decided to not issue permits which are needed for large outdoor events and gatherings, hoping to limit the size of crowds.

A similar move was made by the commission regarding Bike Week back in March, however the vote was made while Bike Week was already in progress and only took affect in the event’s final weekend.

Biketoberfest will be held from October 15 – 18, 2020.

For those planning farther ahead, the 2021 Daytona Bike Week 80^th Anniversary is scheduled for March 5-14, 2021, and Biketoberfest 2021 is scheduled for October 14-17, 2021.

Biketoberfest Welcome Center

Visitor Information Center is at Daytona International Speedway and pass holders can pick up their collective pins here too:

1801 West International Speedway Boulevard, Daytona Beach, 32114

Hours:

• Thursday, October 15 – Saturday, October 17: open from Noon – 5:00 pm
• Sunday, October 18: open from Noon – 3:00 pm

Pin pass holders can pick up their 2020 pin at two locations – Daytona International Speedway and Bruce Rossmeyer’s Harley-Davidson at Destination Daytona. For details go to : https://www.daytonabeach.com/biketoberfest/official-pin/

Racing at Daytona International Speedway

The Progressive AFT Finale at DAYTONA will be held October 16-17, 2020 at Daytona International Speedway. The Midway area, and Harley-Davidson Thunder Alley and all of its activities during 2020 Fall Cycle Scene in October, will not be in operation. The DAYTONA 200 that was rescheduled from March and was to be held during the Fall Cycle Scene on October 17, 2020 has been canceled. The 2021 DAYTONA 200 will be held March 13. 

Biketoberfest Events

For a listing of events and things to do during Biketoberfest, click here.

How to Stay Informed

Download the Biketoberfest® App, which will be updated as information about 2020 motorcycle rally events becomes available. 

For more information, visit www.codb.us/coronavirus.

For more information about Biketoberfest, visit www.Biketoberfest.org.