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The European H.O.G. Rally returns to Portorož this June

13. 4. 2022

After two cancellations due to the pandemic, Harley riders return to Portorož from 9-12 June 2022. The much anticipated 29th Annual European H.O.G. Rally returns to Portorož, representing one of the most significant events on the Harley-Davidson calendar. The European event was previously hosted by Lugano, Prague and the Portuguese town of Cascais between 2017 and 2019 respectively.  The event is open to all motorbike riders, with the organisers expecting up to 30.000 Harley-Davidson riders, enthusiasts and friends.

The 29th European H.O.G. Rally will offer a variety of entry free events. The epicentre of the showcase will be located on the square Trg Prekomorskih Brigad in Portorož, with the main concert stage and a platform showcasing the latest Harley-Davidson models. Visitors will also enjoy the music at two smaller concert stages located on Portorož Beach and LifeClass Hotels & Spa’s Meduza Beach, with its own Harley Bar. The following bands will perform at the event: HeaveniX, Viperstone, The Dreams, Samuel Lucas Band, Hamo & Tribute To Love, King Foo, Hellcats, San Di Ego Band and Cowboys From Hell. Demonstration rides will be held near Hotel Marko. Portorož Beach's Shopping Village will sell clothes and other Harley-Davidson merchandise. Visitors will also be able to visit the legendary Custom Bike Show, which will take place on Friday 10 June in the former Grando salt warehouse.

The Harley-Davidson consumer experience manager for the region, Tom Robinson, said: »We at Harley-Davidson are super excited about the event and we believe that we are expecting a very strong attendance. Our members have been eagerly awaiting the European Rally since 2019 and we are confident that this year's event in Portorož will be even more successful than the last one.« The Harley-Davidson Company yesterday launched its new model, the Nightster, which will be also available on show in June in Portorož.

The riders will not only visit Portorož but will also embark on trips to nearby locations. Slovenian H.O.G. Lipa Chapter will organise group guided tours on Thursday and Friday, 9-10 June.  Groups of 50 to 80 riders will twice a day visit Postojna, Brkini, Škocjan Caves, Lipica, Ilirska Bistrica and Štanjel. Portorož Tourist Board also prepared various itineraries for individual trips through Piran's hinterland, with recommended stops, to see the sights and taste Istrian culinary delicacies.

The event will reach its peak on Saturday 11 June, when the riders will ride their Harley-Davidsons at a parade through Slovenian Istria. At 11am they will leave Lucija heading towards Sečovlje, then past Dragonja on Šmarska cesta road into Koper. From there, past Žusterna on the seaside towards Izola, and back to Portorož.

Maja Plahutnik Nahtigal, event coordinator from the Portorož Tourist Board, emphasised that together with the organisers the event will be run according to principles of sustainability: »We will avoid the use of diesel generators, ensure to avoid as much waste as possible, we won't be printing posters but will provide all visitor information exclusively in electronic form.«

The organisers have once again selected Portorož as the most suitable venue for the event, evidently impressed by their last visit in 2016.  They were charmed by our natural beauty, the pleasant Mediterranean climate and roads offering easy access to the location. They were very pleased with our previous coordination of the event at the destination and our warm welcome. The event was proclaimed as the world's Automotive Event of 2016 at the Conference & Incentive Travel Excellence Awards.

It is a logistically demanding project, led at the destination by Portorož Tourist Board in collaboration with the Municipality of Piran, Public Entity Okolje Piran, Piran Police Station, Police Administration of Koper and Istrian Inter-municipal Compliance Officers.  

Aleksander Valentin, director of Portorož Tourist Board: »On the one hand, the project represents significant financial contribution, on the other it also provides fantastic long term promotional value and will contribute significantly towards recognition of our destination. I am happy that tourism stakeholders also recognise this and that the event is again supported by hoteliers such as LifeClass Hotels & Spa, Hotels Bernardin, Hotel Kempinski Palace Portorož, Hotels Remisens and the Dispersed Hotel Locap Group, which will invest part of their profits from rooms sold during this period to co-finance the H.O.G. Rally.«

It is expected that the visitors to the Municipality of Piran and wider Istria will account for at least 75.000 overnight stays. The programme, the map and detailed traffic information will be available on www.portoroz.si.

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