29th Annual Thunder by the Bay Music & Motors Festival
February 12–14, 2027 · 10 AM · Sarasota, Florida
About this event
A bike rally that has handed over $3.3 million is not really a bike rally any more; it is a fundraiser that happens to run on motorcycles. Thunder by the Bay has been doing it since 1998, and the money goes to Suncoast Charities for Children, which supports children, teenagers and adults with special needs across south-west Florida.
It fills the Sarasota Fairgrounds on Ringling Boulevard for three days with custom bike and car shows, a biker rodeo, vendors, camping, and a main stage that books the sort of names a rider of a certain age will recognise — Night Ranger and 38 Special among them. General admission starts at $20.
The part worth riding for is the charity dice run, which routes out through Myakka River State Park: palm hammock, open prairie and long straight road, the exact opposite of the fairground it starts from.
This suits families and show-goers more than hard-mile tourers. It is closer to a county fair with very good motorcycles in it than a rally you have to endure, and it is unapologetic about that.
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