Hollister (Rebel) Motorcycle Rally
Thursday July 4-Sunday July 7, 2019
Hollister Rebel Rally 7/4/19-7/7/19 at Bolado Park on Hwy 25 south of Hollister. It has been resurrected in 2019 at Bolado Park. See Facebook link.
History
The traditional Hollister Motorcycle Rally within the city limits was CANCELLED in 2018 and also in 2019 by the city council. See Hollister Rebel Rally above for 2019 replacement. See below for background information on the historical Hollister Rally that occurred in 2017.
This free motorcycle and music street festival celebrates the birth of the American biker that took place July 4, 1947, on the streets of Hollister, CA. It is one of California’s biggest motorcycle rallies featuring a custom bike show, a Corbin factory tour, three performance stages, and hundreds of vendors open 9 am – 8 pm. See location below (all around Johnny’s Bar & Grill).
The event runs Friday-Sunday, June 30-July 2d, 2017, in downtown Hollister. It is centered on San Benito Street near historical Johnny’s Bar & Grill (between 4th Street & 7th Street and between Monterey Street & Sally Street). See more about the 2017 Hollister Rally including a detailed schedule and map.
Last year there were some 150,000 in attendance. As summarized by one biker from San Francisco … it’s all about “the pipes, the bikes and the babes.” The Hollister City Council voted to bring it back bigger and better than ever since it’s also about the added bucks being made by local merchants in this agricultural town of 35,000.
As to the mythology being celebrated, back on July 4th, 1947, there were only 4,000 motorcyclists partying in a town of about 4,500 … and the bikers did not take over the town though they did have much harmless fun such as doing wheelies in the streets and riding into bars (with the barkeep’s permission). Nonetheless, the bikers image as lawless wild ones was established forever by exaggerations about the event promulgated later by newspaper reporters and by Marlon Brando’s 1953 movie The Wild Ones.
Related Pages:
- Hollister Area Best Things To Do Page and Map
- History of the real Wild Ones – An article based on interviews with eye witnesses. And more history.
- Official Hollister Rally website
- Johnny’s Bar & Grill – Unoffical headquarters of the 4th of July Motorcycle Rally. The Boozefighters Motorcycle Club have a reunion here every year in honor of the famous 1947 Rally and their former leader whose ashes are displayed on the wall.
- Morgan Hill Best Things To Do Page and Morgan Hill Map
- Top of Page and Home Page
