No matter the year, the number of people attending, or the weird overdose-like deaths, the Sturgis motorcycle rally is a chaotic few weeks. And that'd be the case for literally any town in all of the United States if 500,000 motorcyclists showed up to party, drink, and generally raise hell all within a span of a few day.
But in recent years, Sturgis the town has been more chaotic than usual.
There was the closure of one of the main arteries into town last year just before the rally, a number of high-profile resignations in key areas such as the mayor, acting mayor, numerous council members, and more. Budgets have disappeared and lawsuits have entered the picture. Social media has popped off with snide and drama-filled comments. Last year's aforementioned odd deaths.
The list goes on and on.
Yet, even with all the drama, those putting on the rally, the businesses that rely on seeing those 500,000 motorcyclists descend upon the town of 7,000 residents, and others want to ensure that you know this year's festival will go off without a hitch. That the recent drama is a big ole nothing burger. That the drama "won't" affect the rally.
"The 85th Sturgis Rally set for Aug. 1-10, 2025 is potentially going to be the largest rally yet," reads a press release offered by Sturgis.com, adding, "However, some wonder how the Sturgis City government's recent unrest, budget cuts and unprecedented turnover will affect the 85th Rally. It won't. Why? Black Hills area businesses are at the helm, as they always have been."
Now if that sounds like a group of businesses attempting to assuage public fears of further chaos, you're probably onto something. The town's businesses rely heavily on the annual rally, with attendees making up much of the yearly revenue for the town. So any sort of implied or based-in-reality fear of issues with the rally thanks to the town's current political issues are likely to make headlines that may worry prospective attendees.
This release seeks to diminish those fears and get ahead of the story.
It does, however, make a good point that the town doesn't hold the rally. But rather the businesses. You're going to the Buffalo Chip, you're visiting the local businesses, you're attending concerts and more. Indeed, when the town sought to limit the rally or shutter it altogether, the organizers continued unabated until the town's government relented, i.e. during the height of the pandemic. So I get where they're coming from in terms of eschewing small town politics.
But you still need local infrastructure, city maintenance, clean-up crews, and more to put a festival as large as Sturgis on every single year. And during the height of the pandemic when local authorities said it'd be not a great idea to congregate together in such numbers and the rally went on, it became a super spreader event leading to numerous deaths and hospitalizations. Again, governmental services are still required and necessary.
So what'll happen this year given all the current turmoil? Well, after the mayor and acting mayor peaced out, a new mayor was installed earlier this year. He also appointed the city's first administrator to help figure out all of the city's budget issues, though the city council will have oversight over him. Whether that will all work out is still up for debate, as the last acting mayor only lasted seven months before she was forced out, and numerous others have resigned, too.
Sturgis the rally, however, will likely go on unencumbered. But how it interacts with Sturgis the town is anyone's guess.
