June 8-16, 2013
Laconia Bike Week Celebrates 90 Years
Event Schedule for 201
3
To see the events scheduled so
far, click here for the
master list from the Laconia Motorcycle Rally & Race Week
Association. They are constantly adding information as it becomes available.
Finding a Place to
Stay during Laconia
Bike Week
With so many people trying to
stay in a small area, finding lodging establishments with vacancy is going to
be your biggest challenge. Your best bet is to start calling around in
February to April, but keep in mind many places are seasonal and may not even
have someone dependably answering the phones during this time. The
internet is your best friend in this case, as everyone still checks email!
The Laconia Bike Week Insider
maintains a page with links to area hotels and campgrounds that have websites,
organized by distance from the center of the action at Weirs Beach.
We've reprinted places within one mile of Weirs Beach. Be sure to check
the full list of bike
week lodging.
Hundreds of vendors show up at
Laconia Bike Week to sell and show off their wares. Most are located at the Drive-In
Theater and along Lakeside Ave. Others are scattered along route three around
Funspot and the Broken Spoke, and as far north at Laconia Harley Davidson in
Meredith. Some past vendors include Bear Hollow Boots, Fat Boys, Show Off Ink,
Above All Leather, House of Sheesha, Spider’s Promotions, Art Attack, Jim’s
French Fries, Ryder Sports, Simply Silver, and Icicles Eyewear.
Tip: The city of Laconia maintains this
vendor
site location map which shows all places that have received permits to
have vendors.
Tip:
If you're a vendor, this
page from the city will explain the process of getting a permit and
finding a location.
Laconia Bike Week Photos
& Video
These pictures were taken
6/16/11 (wasn't able to get away for 2012 photos) along Lakeside Ave and around the Lobster Pound. Hot weather and sunshine really
brought out the crowds.
If you've been to the Weirs, you
know it's a small area, and it's the place everyone wants to be to enjoy the
action and the people-watching. Even with centerline parking and years of
tweaking traffic management plans, the end result is of course
congestion. For the past several years, the city of Laconia makes
several changes to the flow of traffic, the main points of which are included
below. The first weekend of bike week is now often busier than the second, as more
non-biker spectators bring their families to sightsee.
The main strip is
Lakeside ave. Parking meters are suspended and the road is one-way,
open to bikes only. No parking from 2-6am.
The bridge between Lakeside
Ave and Centenary Ave will be closed.
Warner street will be one
way from Route 3 to Tower Street.
You can not make a left turn
from Tower Street onto Route 3, and Tower Street is closed approximately
100 feet west of Maple Street.
Doe Avenue and Warner Street
north of its intersection with Tower Street will be closed to all through
traffic.
There will be no parking
allowed on the following roads: Ashley Drive, Colonial Rd, Woodvale Drive,
Plantation Drive, Rolling Lane, Pine Notch Circle, Summit Avenue,
Wentworth Cove Road, Regis Road, McKinley Road and Rollercoaster Road.
During the final few days of
Laconia bike Week a few more changes are made. Starting on Thursday, you
can't turn left onto route 3 from 11b, and the Weirs Bridge is closed to
4-wheel vehicles. Don't worry about trying to memorize all these
changes, plenty of signage will get you where you need to go.
Tip:
If you're going to be in Meredith or Lakeport, you can take the
shuttle train to get to and from the Weirs during the busier parts of the
week. Details
about the shuttle train.