FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — A large motorcycle rally in northwest Arkansas that hasn’t been held for the past two years during the COVID-19 pandemic is moving to a new city.
Organizers of the Bikes, Blues and BBQ motorcycle rally announced Thursday that this year’s rally will be held in Rogers in October. The motorcycle rally, which bills itself as the largest charitable motorcycle rally in the U.S., had been held for years in Fayetteville and regularly draws hundreds of thousands of visitors.
The 2020 rally was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic and organizers postponed last year’s event following complaints about it being held during a surge of virus cases. The postponement last year was announced after the University of Arkansas said it would terminate its agreement allowing the rally to use its parking lots for the event.
The rally’s executive director told the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that logistical issues largely contributed to the decision to move the event to Rogers.
