Status Of Americade And Laconia To Be Decided Soon

(Update: Americade now says its will announced its plans for 2020 on Wednesday, April 22.)

With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing, the status of Americade and Laconia Motorcycle Week remains unsettled, but decisions on postponement should come soon. 

The two large motorcycle rallies are still scheduled for June – Americade running June 1 through 6 in Lake George, NY and Laconia Motorcycle Week from June 13 through 20 in Laconia, NH – but the possibility of them being postponed seems to be increasing with each passing day.

In a video posted on Facebook on Thursday evening, Americade’s Christian Dutcher countered rumors by saying his event has not been canceled. “Obviously we’re paying very close attention to the situation and it changes daily,” he said, noting the safety of visitors, employees and volunteers is paramount.

Dutcher said rumors have included the cancelation of Americade, a postponement, and even a move of the event to Canada, which would be contrary to its name.

“It’s possible that a change could be made. It’s possible that it gets postponed, but we’re not ready to make a decision yet, and we don’t know if a postponement is going to happen. We don’t know the dates that it would be postponed to,” he said. 

“There are so many moving parts related to this decision that it makes it very, very difficult, and we’re trying to assess whether it can even happen.”

Dutcher said he hopes to have a decision regarding Americade by next Friday.

The status of the 97th annual Laconia Motorcycle Week likewise remains up in the air. An announcement posted two weeks ago on the event’s website says a decision will “be made no later than April 30” and that the rally could be postponed until Aug. 22 through 30.

The March 27 statement from Laconia Motorcycle Week said the board of directors were “optimistic the rally will still be held in June,” with executive director Charles St. Clair saying the event “brings millions of dollars to the state and is critically important to NH businesses and our tourism economy.”

The statement emphasized, though, “The health and wellness of fellow riders and motorcycle enthusiasts everywhere continues to be Laconia Motorcycle Week’s #1 priority.”