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Italian Bike Week getting adventurous
After huge international success for the first edition last year , the Italian Bike Week - a classic late summer bike fest - returns to the shores of northeastern Italy again from the September 14-17 2023 . Organised by the owners of Biker Fest International ( BFI ), the AMD Approved Custom Show for Italy and the publishers of leading Italian custom motorcycle lifestyle magazine Bikers Life , this year Micke Persello and his team are placing a special focus on the fast-growing on the adventure bike and off-road scenes . The venue will again be Lignano Sabbiadoro ( UD ), north of Venice , on Italy ' s Adriatic coast , where BFI is staged in May each year , and just a two hour back-roads ride from Lake Faak in Austria where Harley ' s European Bike Week is being staged during the week before the Italian Bike Week . Last year , the event ' s debut attracted nearly 40,000 attendees ( the 37th Biker Fest in May this year drew a record crowd of 120,000 people ), so the venue and the organisers clearly " have the chops " where being able to draw a crowd is concerned . The model that the Persello father and son team are replicating for Europe is that of the ' Daytona Bike Week ' in Florida in March , which is paired with
' Biketoberfest ' at the end of the season in October each year . The plans for 2023 include a 155,000 sq m ( 1,670,000 sq ft ) off-road arena as the center of the action , with trails dedicated to motocross and enduro - the longest one ( 7 km / 4 miles ) running along the track of the legendary 12 Hours of Enduro ' s special stage . The demo ride area , which saw more than 4,000 test rides at May ' s BFI , will also get a dirt bike make-over for the event , with the whole event being geared to attract off-road and ADV
enthusiasts as well as the BFI ' s custom crowd . The Notturna Tassellata , a nighttime experience on 350 km of unpaved roads to Slovenia and back , and the Adventure Rides , the 70 km exploratory tours organised by MV Adventure , will also take place on on / off trails during the four days of the event . The Custom motorcycle scene roots that BFI brings to Italian Bike Week will again see the Luna Park Area , with its stalls , ethnic and street food stands , live music and exhibitors , open its doors to all types of bikers , embracing the passion for two and four wheels in all its forms . On the evening of Saturday , the Luna Park ' s parking will turn in the ' starting grid ' for a spectacular Saturday Light Parade - an impressive event-in-theevent that will flood the streets of Lignano with thousands of motorcycles . The day after , the same area will be the meeting point of the U . S . Car On The Beach 2023 , the second edition of the huge American Car scene ' s late-summer gathering , where the sound of V8s will mix with the V-twins . www . italianbikeweek . net
www . idnmag . com INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2023 11