Harley-Davidson’s 2024 Homecoming Festival saw a decrease in attendance as visitors adjusted to the new format of the event, which shifted to become an annual celebration for the first time this year.
Previously, Harley’s Homecoming Festivals were held every five years in Milwaukee, attracting large crowds of brand enthusiasts from across the globe.
This year’s festival, held from July 25 through July 28 at multiple venues throughout metro Milwaukee, featured headliners Jelly Roll and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Events were held at Milwaukee’s Veterans Park, the Harley-Davidson Museum, the newly unveiled Davidson Park at Harley’s Juneau Avenue headquarters, and at six local dealerships.
An estimated 60,000 people visited Veterans Park between July 26 and July 27, where the headlining concerts were held, according to data provided Thursday by Harley-Davidson. This is a decrease of 20,000 guests from the 2023 festival, which marked the company’s 120th anniversary.
Davidson Park and Harley-Davidson’s headquarters welcomed approximately 1,550 guests during the four-day event. Because Davidson Park opened in June and no tours were held at the company’s headquarters last year, comparable data for this venue is not available.
The Harley-Davidson Museum welcomed more than 19,000 motorcycles and more than 36,000 attendees throughout all four days of the 2024 event. Last year, the company said 73,000 motorcycles and 130,000 guests checked in at the museum.
Harley-Davidson Powertrain Operations welcomed more than 1,600 guests this year. The company did not provide attendance totals for its Powertrain Operations in 2023.
“Harley-Davidson intends the Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival to be a commitment to the community and a way to promote all that the region has to offer,” the company said in its Thursday announcement.
VISIT Milwaukee does not yet have economic impact estimates for the 2024 Harley Homecoming Festival. The organization estimated that the 2023 event had an economic impact of $95 million on the Milwaukee area.
Dates for next year’s festival have already been set. The 122nd Harley Homecoming Festival is scheduled to run from July 10 through July 13, 2025.
