Here’s everything we saw at Night 1 of the Atlantic Beach Bike Festival

Hundreds of bikers and motorcycle enthusiasts from around the country gathered in the Grand Strand on Friday night to ride, party and celebrate a night of culture and fun.

Commonly called Black Bike Week, the Atlantic Beach Memorial Day Black Pearl Cultural Heritage and Bike Festival is back from Friday, May 23 to Monday, May 26. Although plenty of casual visitors and first-time attendees showed out, many festival-goers have loyally visited for years.

“The festival made me want to get a bike, and then after that, I just started riding,” said North Carolina resident Mike Ruffin, who first attended the rally in 1991. “I came down here the first time, I never had a bike, and I told myself I wouldn’t ever come without one after that. … It’s just home for me.”

Night 1 of the festival brought out folks across the Grand Strand. South of the main event, bikers wrapped around the Myrtle Beach mall, rallying at Hooters and in parking lots.

Up in North Myrtle Beach, in the Crescent Beach section of Ocean Boulevard, bikers and guests packed in for a house party put on by the Tru Ikonz motorcycle club. And all along Ocean Boulevard and Highway 17 South, spectators lined up on balconies, yards and sidewalks to watch the bikes roll through town.

In Atlantic Beach proper, hundreds of bikes, golf carts and visitors packed in for food, drinks, live music and even virtual reality rides.

Friends Jose Figueroa, David Taft, Ron Moore and Reggie Robinson have been traveling all the way from Connecticut to the festival for 12 years.

“It’s the camaraderie, just the togetherness. Like I know there’s two different bike weeks, but there’s something about Black Bike Week. Plus, when you realize the history of Black Bike Week, there’s another reason for coming,” Taft said. “This means more to me than Daytona, Sturgis or whatever, I would rather come here for what it means to be here.”

The group considers it an annual reset to kick back with one another, greet folks they recognize from years past and meet new faces.

“My whole thing is about the culture,” said Robinson. “You come in only knowing four people, end up leaving knowing 20 people. It’s like that.”

For some, motorcycle culture and the Atlantic Beach rally are family tradition. Taft got into motorcycles from his father. This year, Figueroa brought his 15-year-old son, Jose Jr., for the first time.

Atlantic Street featured vendor tents and hand-painted backgrounds for photo opportunities. Dozens of state troopers crowded at the Second Avenue intersection, and a DJ performed a live set for a growing crowd at the end of the road near the shore.

At the merch tents, visitors browsed leather jackets, helmets, jewelry, breezy apparel, T-shirts and more. For patch maker Caroline Madden, who owns Coast 2 Coast Patches in Atlanta, one phrase was especially popular this year.

“This year, FAFO,” Madden said. “That’s the hot one this year.”

Although she’s not a biker, Madden has traveled to the festival for 15 years and looks forward to seeing regular customers.

“It’s like a family reunion,” Madden said of the festival. “I mean, everybody’s out.”

This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 10:53 PM.