This next article is for our neighbors to the north in Canada. It sounds like these event goers are going to have a blast!
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BY ALAN COCHRANE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF
Over the next couple of weeks, motorcycle riders from all over Canada will be packing their saddlebags and heading for Metro Moncton.
But with so many things going in Metro on the weekend of June 26-28, Dale Hicks hopes they have a place to stay when they get here.
“From what we can see from pre-registrations so far, we’re going to have a higher percentage of bikes coming from outside our region this year. And a lot of those people are former Maritimers who are coming home for a visit during Atlanticade,” event chairman Dale Hicks said yesterday. “I’ve told them that it could be tight for hotel rooms but a lot of them are staying with friends or at the cottage or somewhere. For a lot of them, it’s going to be a trip back home.”
Over the next three Thursday nights, organizers will hold registration nights at Metro Moncton Dairy Queen locations. These “ice cream socials” invite local motorcycle riders to drop in and register for the event between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The first one will be held tonight at the Dairy Queen in Riverview.
Registration for Atlanticade is free but does not include admission to all the events. People can either pay as they go or purchase a $25 package that will include entry into festival events. There is also a $50 package that includes an Atlanticade T-shirt, magazine subscription and other goodies.
Hicks said the change was made to accommodate people who are only in town for one day and give a better option for those coming for the whole weekend. By offering free registration separate from the admission bracelet, organizers are hoping to get a better picture of how many people attend the event and where they come from.
Many of the events are open to the general public and people who want to see all the custom motorcycles.
This will be the third year for Moncton’s fledgling motorcycle festival which in the past has drawn riders from all over New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, P.E.I., Ontario, Quebec, the west, parts of the United States, Alaska and even as far away as Ireland. The motorcycle festival is aimed at people in the 40-70 age group who enjoy motorcycling as a way to enjoy the outdoors, travel and meet new friends who share the same interest. The event draws individuals and members of the many touring clubs that include everyone from retired police officers and military to firefighters and religious groups.
This year’s Atlanticade begins on Wednesday, June 25, continues through Sunday, June 28 and will be headquartered at the Tim Hortons 4-Ice Centre. But it coincides with an already busy weekend for Metro with the outdoor concert by Bon Jovi at the Magnetic Hill Concert Site and the Watch Tower convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses at the Moncton Coliseum, which is expected to draw about 3,000 people.
One of the most popular Atlanticade events, the downtown street party with live music, will take palce at the same time as the Bon Jovi concert at the hill.
With so many people expected in Moncton over the weekend, Hicks was concerned about the availability of hotel rooms for people attending the motorcycle festival. But to his surprise many of those coming from far outside the region had already made plans to stay with friends or relatives.
Hicks said the Atlanticade event is gaining popularity among motorcycle riders in Ontario and western Canada.
So far, about 300 motorcyclists have registered for the event, but Hicks says the percentage of riders from the Atlantic Region is lower than it was at the same time last year, possibly because people realize that most hotel rooms are already booked for the weekend. He expects the number of registrations to heat up as the event draws closer.
The first festival in 2007 drew about 600 registered participants. That number rose to about 1,000 in 2008. But many more people merely showed up to take in the downtown street party, show and shine events, the trade show, the burn-out competition and the popular biker build-off with custom choppers from some of North America’s best builders.
Rainy weather put a damper on some of the events in 2007 and 2008 and organizers are crossing their fingers for good weather this year.
Hicks said the 4-Ice Centre should work well as headquarters for the event since it is near the highway and has a restaurant and plenty of space for the vendor display, bike building competition, live entertainment, registration desk and meeting area. It will serve as the jumping-off point for the various cruises and scenic rides that are part of the festival.
Hello
This was our first time going to Atlanticade. We had a ball. There were only a few issues we had with the venue. First, there were too many things that overlapped in time, therefore we didn’t get to see a lot of what was going on, second we had to go all over the place to see different events.
My suggestion would be to have everything at the four plex. Space them out so that one event is right after the next one and have one to two tours per day. I realize that you have too many bikers for one tour, but if you set it up with police I am sure it could be arranged.
Actually also the breakfast at the four plex was deceiving most people didn’t know they had to pay until they were seated, it wasn’t in the information packet or on the sign at the door. The breakfast at the Toys for Big boys was great. When we got there, they had good music, good foodand everyone was having a great time. We donated to a good cause and met great people.
We had a wonderful time and met a lot of great people.
Thank-you for all the hard work that you did. Will definitely be there next year.