Vending at the Sturgis Rally
Where You Should Vend at Sturgis
First, the 2024 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally will be held from August 2 to 11. On average, 500,000 riders attend each year, making it the largest biker rally in the US. Notably, in 2015, 700,00 riders participated in the 75th annual Sturgis Rally.
With the above numbers, this is a great rally to sell at. Next, I’ll list some of the best venues in Sturgis for vendors. Then, I’ll list some other locations to set up that aren’t as good. Finally, I’ll give you some essential tips on determining if a venue or other location is a good vending location in Sturgis.
Sturgis Rally Campgrounds & Venues
There are a lot of campgrounds, venues, and areas where you can vend during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Here are four of the most popular locations with lots of vending opportunities:
- Downtown Sturgis – https://sturgismotorcyclerally.com/vendor-property/
- Buffalo Chip – https://www.buffalochip.com/vendors/
- Broken Spoke – https://www.brokenspokecampground.com/sturgis-vendors.html
- Full Throttle Saloon (FTS) – https://fullthrottlesaloon.com/fts-vendors/
These are all excellent venues, but some vendor spots at any venue aren’t as good as others. For instance, if you are in the back corner of a vending area, you won’t get near as much traffic.
Plus, there are “dead rows,” which, due to the setup of the vending area and traffic patterns, don’t get much traffic. It is easy to get excited about vending at a big venue, but be careful here and ensure you get an excellent location.
Other Vending Areas
Below are some additional Sturgis Rally campgrounds and venues:
- After the Ride Campground – https://sturgis.com/resources/vendor-resources/
- Bear Butte Creek Campground – https://bearbuttecreekcampground.com/vendor-info/
- Creekside Campground
- Dragpipe Saloon – https://dragpipesaloon.com/vendors/
- Eagle’s Landing Campground
- Glencoe Campground – https://www.glencoecamp.com/about/vendors
- Hog Heaven Campground
- Iron Horse Campground – https://ironhorsecampground.com/
- Kickstands Campground
- Lamphere Ranch Campground
- Pappy Hoel Campground – https://store.pappyhoelcampground.com/pages/vendor-information
- Ride n Rest Campground
- Rush-No-More Campground
- Shade Valley Campground
- Sturgis View Campground
- Suzie’s Campground
Note the venues without a web address listed will have a limited number of vendors, if any. Also, if the venue lacks a low-quality website, don’t be a vendor there.
Determining Quality Vendor Locations at Sturgis
There are ways to find the best locations. And the better the vendor spots, the higher your sales will be. Below are some ways to qualify different vending locations:
- Venues’ Facebook – Look at the venue’s Facebook page to get an idea of the number of people attending and their demographics.
- Often, a venue’s Facebook page will have a complete list of vendors or share some of their posts. By looking at the vendors’ pictures and reading their posts, you can gain valuable insights and become more knowledgeable about a particular location.
- Facebook reviews – The venue’s Facebook page often has a lot of excellent information in reviews. They will give you both the good and the bad.
- Facebook hashtags like (#sturgis, #sturgis2024, etc.) will show the location and Sturgis attendee’s posts. Vendors will often post about what is going on at their booths.
- Websites and social media – Once you find some companies with extensive experience at Sturgis, get their contact information and communicate with them for more details.
- Youtube – search for the “Sturgis Rally 2023” + [Insert Name of Venue], you. You may be surprised that finding just one good video will give you a lot of important information.
- Now, do a general Google search: “Sturgis Rally 2023” + [Insert Name of Venue], and you might find some helpful information.
- Suppose you are like many vendors on the “rally circuit” (companies on the road going from one rally to another). These are vendors that you’ve met and have their contact information. Contact them and get their input. Their previous experience is invaluable.
- Call motorcycle-related local businesses and ask them their thoughts about a venue. You will be surprised how many will give you input and how much value it brings. For instance, call a bar that is not a venue, a local motorcycle shop, contact a non-profit riding organization, etc.
- Post questions on your Facebook page for your followers to see what they know.
- Ask your friends who’ve been to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally to see if they have or know someone with input.
- Never set up at a new vendor location. Both you and the promoter have no idea of the amount and quality of traffic the venue will get.
If you’ve run the numbers, you will find that it takes several solid sales at rallies to make up for one bad one. And since Sturgis will be more expensive than other motorcycle events, if you lose there, you will have even more rallies you need good sales at to compensate for the significant loss at the Sturgis Rally.
To get more general information, here is the City of Sturgis contact information:
1040 Harley-Davidson Way
Sturgis, South Dakota 57785
605-347-4422
info@sturgismotorcyclerally.com
Also, it is important to know all of the city ordinances – https://www.sturgis-sd.gov/city-ordinances
Finally, you can check out the top 10 motorcycle rallies list. And you can learn more about marketing your business on our motorcycle blog.
