SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The 84th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally starts this week.
The rally runs from Aug. 2- Aug. 11 as tens of thousands of motorcycles and riders fill Sturgis and the surrounding area.
The South Dakota Department of Transportation counts traffic entering the rally at nine points in the area. The 2023 count was 458,161 vehicles.
If you are headed to Sturgis or just want to know more of what’s going on, KELOLAND News has compiled a list of things to know about the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
From 1st day to last day in the city of Sturgis
The rally kicks off with a 3 p.m. Friday parade down Main Street Sturgis. The parade will be led by the American Legion BH Riders. The opening ceremonies follow at 3:30 p.m. The opening ceremonies will feature the All-American Thrill Show.
The rally returns to its early roots with a motorcycle street race at noon a final Sunday, Aug. 11 The Spirit of Sturgis TT race travels on the streets and includes a dirt section. The race is free and open to the public.
The Mayor’s ride to Devils Tower is set for 9 a.m. Saturday followed by the Mayor’s Pub Crawl at 7 p.m. Military Appreciation day is at 2 p.m. Tuesday with a flyover by a B1 Bomber at 3 p.m. The second Pearl’s Girls ride is 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Music
More than 50 concerts are planned for the rally at various locations. The city of Sturgis Rally website says the concerts throughout the rally include local bands, up and coming regional acts to artists with national popularity.
The schedule for Rally Point in the city of Sturgis includes concerts from Aug. 2 -10.
Rally Point is just one concert site.
Bars and campgrounds have drawn some national acts again for the rally including Elle King, Travis Tritt, Quiet Riot, Jelly Roll and Buckcherry.
KELOLAND News compiled a list of those concerts and daily maps of the locations in this link.
Riding the Black Hills area
Part of the attraction of the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is the chance to ride in the scenic Black Hills area.
Here’s a few suggested routes:
The Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway (PNNSB). It is nearly 70 miles long and includes tunnels; Mt. Rushmore; Crazy Horse; lakes; overlooks; Custer State Park; The Needles Highway. The 70 mile route can be broken down into several shorter routes.
The Spearfish Canyon loop is another scenic ride. Here’s the basic loop heading up the canyon, winding your way through until you reach Cheyenne Crossing and the CanAm Highway. From here you can turn east, driving up into Lead, through Deadwood and then heading back north to drive along I-90 back to Spearfish.
The Devil’s Tower loop takes the rider through the northern hills into Wyoming. Once in Sundance, it’s a small run north to Devils Tower. The return loop takes the rider through the upper elevations of the Northern Black Hills through Lead, Deadwood and finally returning to Sturgis through Boulder Canyon.
Because of road construction it’s important to check road conditions before leaving on any scenic route. Stephen Keegan, a Forest Landscape Architect with the Black Hills National Forest. told KELOLAND News in 2023 that riders should also consider how much time they will have to be on the road before selecting a scenic ride.
Sturgis and cities nearby also offer various rides such as Custer Cruisin’.
Check the weather on the KELOLAND view live cams and get the latest weather updates from the KELOLAND Weather page and the Live Cam page.
Road construction, speed limits
A major highway in the Black Hills will pause construction and temporarily reopen during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. South Dakota State Highway 385 will reopen to traffic with one and one-half times of gravel surfacing from Highway 44 to Silver City Road.
The South Dakota Department of Transportation has installed temporary traffic signals on several highways and Interstate 90 intersections. These will be in place until Aug. 12. Temporary speed reductions will also be in place on several highways and the interstate.
The S.D. DOT said drivers should find the latest temporary road closures and road construction information on the SD511 website.
Increased law enforcement
The size of the Sturgis Police Force expands for the rally. It becomes the third largest police force in the state. The department hires temporary officers for the 10 days of the rally.
The department is also helped by its partners.
“We work on our manpower and emergency action plans leading up to rally with our local, state and federal partners. The rally wouldn’t happen without county, city, state, and federal entity’s giving us assistance. They help with manpower, staffing, and just lending a hand wherever needed,” Sturgis Police Chief Geody VanDewater told KELOLAND News in a July 15 story.
The South Dakota Department of Public Safety said were a total of 251 drug arrests at the rally in 2022. There were 401 in 2023.
Visits to the emergency room
Jimmy Seward, the director of ambulatory operations at the Sturgis Hospital, said in a KELOLAND News story, the local hospital’s emergency room will be fully staffed for the rally.
“We have medical imaging and doctors that are staffed 24/7,” he said of the six ER bays.
In Sturgis, Monument Health recorded 250 rally-related ER visits in 2023. That number was 139 for Rapid City, 46 for Lead-Deadwood and 43 for Spearfish.
Where do rally attendees come from?
Stouth Dakota was home to 21% of the bikers who attended the 2023 rally, according to the city of Sturgis. The next most popular state was Minnesota which was home to 7.5% of the riders and Colorado with 7%.
The percentage of international riders was not listed in the top 13 homes with Montana rounding out the list at 2.4% of the riders.
In 2022, 4.4% were international riders and 13.1% came from South Dakota. Colorado was home to 9.3% of the riders followed by Minnesota with 7.3%.
The majority of the 2023 attendees were overwhelmingly white. And the majority were 45 and older with 37% at 45 to 64 and 18.8% at 65 and older. The percentage of 65 and older is down from 2022 when the percentage was 26.8%.
