LEESBURG, Fla. – Thousands of motorcycles have descended on Leesburg, Florida, for this weekend’s 28th annual Leesburg Bikefest.
Roads are closed, and “Motorcyles Only” signs are up in downtown Leesburg. The roar of engines and live music echo up and down the Lakefront City.
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Jordan Long, who owns Crazy 8’s Customs in Leesburg, welcomes the attention.
“Leesburg Bike Fest is awesome. I think we’ve got around 300,000 bikers here. We own an independent motorcycle shop here in Leesburg, so it brings a lot of business in for us,” Long said.
On Main Street, Candace Chatman posted up on Friday to hand out water in support of her nonprofit organization Virginia Samuels Cares, Inc.
“It’s really awesome. It’s vibrant and kind. And even though the bikes are loud, it’s just a great atmosphere to be here,” Chatman said. “Everybody should come out and come hear the music. I’m over here dancing and clapping. Just happy to be out in the environment.”
Bike enthusiast Ricky V rode down from DeLand for the day to catch the spectacle.
“We got some cool music across the street there. Country band playing. Lots of folks out here buying stuff. It’s a good ride down from DeLand, Florida,” he said.
A block away, Tony Cianci with Full Throttle Magazine gathered riders and builders of custom motorcycles for a daily motorcycle contest.
“You’re going to see bikes from metrics to Harleys to trikes to choppers. You know what? Bikes anymore have come so far. You might even see an electric bike. Who knows,” Cianci said.
One of those bikes, a 24-karat gold painted custom job with a special card-start system, came down from Georgia for the show. Its owner Jeff Hartley showed off the custom features.
Cianci is happy to see Leesburg Bikefest back in full swing this year. To him, it’s about community.
“I love seeing people out. There’s everybody talking about coming out again, the beautiful weather this weekend. It’s hot, but it’s not as humid. So we can deal with this. But it’s always hot this time of the year and I’m just happy to be part of this great event here in Leesburg, Florida,” he said.
It’s expected to be in the 90s all weekend, so Cianci stressed that people should enjoy themselves responsibly in the sun and heat.
“And don’t forget when you’re here, if you’re going to enjoy beverages, have water in between. It’s hot out. We don’t want to see anybody pass out. There’s a lot of that happening here every year because people want to come out party. But remember to have a water here and there. Find some shade to treat yourself right,” he stated.
Leesburg Bikefest runs from Friday through Sunday. To learn more about the weekend’s events, including an event map, CLICK HERE.
The website also has a guide for parking and street closures,