Friday the 13th motorcycle rally

The Friday the 13th Motorcycle Rally is a motorcycle rally held every Friday the 13th[2] in Port Dover, Ontario, Canada since 1981.[3] Its typical summer attendance exceeds 100,000 bikers.[4]

Friday the 13th Motorcycle Rally
GenreMotorcycle rally
FrequencyEvery Friday the 13th
Location(s)Port Dover, Ontario, Canada
Inaugurated1981
Previous eventJanuary 2023
Next eventOctober 2023
AttendanceOver 100,000
Organised byPort Dover Board of Trade[1]
Websitewww.pd13.com

Attendance edit

The event has been described as "the biggest single-day motorcycle event in the world,"[5] a title also claimed by the Rolling Thunder rally in the United States.[6] Although hundreds of attendees arrive during winter months,[5][7][8] attendance is at its highest when the date falls on a summer day. In August 2010, the rally drew more than 150,000 attendees.[9] Estimates for the July 2012 event ranged from 90,000 to more than 170,000.[10][11][12][13]

Guinness World Record attempt edit

An attempt in 2008 to surpass the previous Guinness world record for the largest motorcycle parade failed due to a technicality. More than 10,000 motorcycles would have exceeded the record set in 2006 by the Republic of Texas Biker Rally.[14][15] Although the organizers were able to document participation by more than 12,000 motorcycles at Port Dover,[15] they entered through multiple portals to the city and were disqualified by Guinness as a single parade.[16]

References edit

  1. ^ "Contact and directions", PD13 official website
  2. ^ Jansen, Liz (2011). Women, Motorcycles and the Road to Empowerment: Fifty Inspirational Stories of Adventure and Self-Discovery. Trillium Wordworks. p. 103. ISBN 978-0987758309.
  3. ^ Port Dover Friday the 13th biker rally expected to be largest ever, Yahoo News Daily Brew, July 13, 2012
  4. ^ Cameron Scott (March 13, 2011), Canada Destinations, Traveler's Guide 360, archived from the original on 2014-03-28
  5. ^ a b Bill Taylor (narrator), Brett Gundlock (Video production) (July 13, 2012). Motorcyclists invade Port Dover on Friday the 13th / Every Friday the 13th, thousands of motorcycle riders descend on the sleepy fishing town of Port Dover on Lake Erie (Streaming video). Toronto Star newspaper.
  6. ^ "Rolling Thunder history", Official website, Rolling Thunder (Washington D.C.), archived from the original on 2013-03-05, retrieved 2013-02-04
  7. ^ Monte Sonnenberg (January 13, 2012). "Snow fails to deter Friday the 13th revellers". Canoe.ca. Archived from the original on February 19, 2013.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ "Canada Destinations by Cameron Scott | Traveler's Guide 360". Archived from the original on 2014-03-28. Retrieved 2013-11-07.
  9. ^ "Motorcycle madness". The Simcoe Reformer. August 16, 2010.
  10. ^ "Tally hits 90,000 for Friday 13th motorcycle rally". Waterloo Region Record. April 15, 2012.
  11. ^ "120,000 bikers descend on Port Dover for Friday the 13th BikeFest", The Globe and Mail, July 13, 2012
  12. ^ "140,000 people converge on Port Dover", The Simcoe Reformer, July 15, 2012
  13. ^ Ontario town hosts massive Friday 13 motorcycle rally, CTV News, July 13, 2012
  14. ^ "Street Closure Map for Republic of Texas Rally 2011". KUT News, Austin Texas. June 10, 2011. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  15. ^ a b "Friday the 13th rally seeks record / Town attempts to establish Guinness record". Motorcycle.com. June 16, 2008.
  16. ^ "Guinness says no to Friday the 13th record attempt". The Simcoe Reformer. January 19, 2009.

External links edit

42°47′12″N 80°12′11″W / 42.78667°N 80.20306°W / 42.78667; -80.20306