Monday, July 31-Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023 – Bikini Beach Pre-Party
Blow through the gates of the Buffalo Chip four whole days before the festival’s official rally kickoff date to nab your favorite camp spot, watch the festival spring to life and rock out to nightly concerts on the Bikini Beach Stage!
The Moto Meetup - The Buffalo Chip Official Sturgis Rally Kickoff Party begins with a bang on Friday, Aug. 4 with the Support Bikers Moto Meetup at the Big Engine Bar at 4 p.m.
The Parade - At 5 p.m. you can line up to join hundreds of bikers* to parade through the Chip’s legendary amphitheater for the kickoff. The parade starts at 6 p.m.
How to Join the Parade - Make a reservation that includes Aug. 4. Email us at [email protected] with your existing reservation number and the number of bikes on your reservation that you want to be in the parade. Please enter “Parade” in the Subject Line.
You will receive correspondence about where to meet and lineup at the Support Bikers Moto Meetup.
Battle Of The Bands, Beer Wall Smash, and More - Once inside the amphitheater, the festivities will continue with a Beer Wall Smash Stunt, Star-Spangled Banner, live entertainment on the Main Stage from the winners of the Sturgis Battle of the Bands Competition, ZZ Top, and the International Bikini Team!
*Only the first 100 registered will get to park bikes inside the amphitheater for that night’s show. The rest will parade through and be ushered to parking outside the amphitheater gates.
Calling all Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers! That Little Ol’ Band from Texas, ZZ Top, is returning to The Best Party Anywhere®! They’re Bad, and they’re coming to rock the Buffalo Chip’s Official Sturgis Rally Kickoff. These classic rock megastars bring their legendary raunchy blues rock boogie to the Chip’s Wolfman Jack Stage on Friday, Aug. 4, 2022, and you’ll want to make sure you and your Cheap Sunglasses are close by when they do.
Hold on to your Buttes, rough-and-tumble working-class hero Tim Montana makes his way to the legendary Wolfman Jack Stage Friday, Aug. 4. Raised in the wilds outside of Butte, Montana, Tim Montana (yes, it’s his real name) is a country rock legend in the making and a true renaissance man moonlighting as a TV personality, truck driver, grill master, marksman, businessman and more. You’ll want to catch his celebration of the blue-collar American experience through hits from his latest offering “Reno” prior to a performance from ZZ Top at the Sturgis Rally Kickoff Party.
As the winner of the inaugural Sturgis Battle of the Bands, Goodfire beat out 11 incredible bands all vying for the opening spot for ZZ Top at the Chip on Aug. 4! This hard rock quintet hails from Rapid City, SD and is heavily influenced by the grunge and post-grunge movements of the ‘90s and 2000s. Whether it’s their hard-hitting originals or familiar covers, Goodfire gives it 110% to any crowd wanting to let off some steam with some solid rock! Come see Goodfire kickoff an epic night of music and an epic rally at the Sturgis Rally Kickoff Party.
You’ll be left with Something to Talk About after an unapologetically rowdy live performance from gold-selling singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer Koe Wetzel Saturday, Aug. 5. Watch in awe as this Northeast Texas rebel bulldozes the boundaries between Nashville songcraft, rowdy Texas spirit, and Seattle hard rock with massive hits such as “February 28, 2016,” “Something To Talk About,” “Drunk Driving,” and “Good Die Young,” as well as tracks from 2022 album release “Hell Paso.”
Wild, wacky and thoroughly entertaining, Steel Panther’s satire of the arena-sized hair, sound and debauchery of the Sunset Strip hard rock bands of yesteryear can be hard to take serious. Their ability to absolutely shred, however, is no joke. Steel Panther has established themselves as the world’s premier party band, melding hard rock virtuosity with parody and criminally good looks. This global phenomenon takes the Wolfman Jack Stage for the first time prior to a performance from Koe Wetzel on Aug. 5.
You’re never gonna wanna come down after a maddening rock show from The Downboys, Saturday, Aug. 5 at The Best Party Anywhere®. Keep your wives and girlfriends close, because these youthful, energetic rockers are bringing their own brand of electrifying performances, stolen riffs, and sexy rockin’ attitude to the Sturgis Rally crowd ahead of performances from Koe Wetzel and Steel Panther.
A long-running and favorite tradition is returning when the self-proclaimed Sturgis Buffalo Chip house band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, come home to rock the Wolfman Jack Stage to celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary. When the godfathers of southern rock rain down their fan-pleasing sound on Sunday, Aug. 6, you won’t want to be anywhere except right in the heart of the world’s best biker venue seeing the world’s best biker band.
The life-long creative who gave life to some of film and television’s most legendary characters (“Ponyboy” from The Outsiders, “The Reaper” from Criminal Minds) along with 240 other acting credits has returned to his rural music routes and created a sound that melds Texas thunder-heart with mountain-music. In 2020, Tommy Howell began recording music with some of Nashville’s most elite musicians and producers and has been taking his storytelling shows on the road ever since. Catch the unique sound and star power of Tommy Howell on the Legendary Wolfman Jack Stage – Sunday, Aug. 6 before a performance from Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Gritty outlaw-country-charged rock will get the good times rollin’ when Ted Z and The Wranglers take the stage at the Best Party Anywhere. Lose yourself in Ted's catchy story-songs filled with tales of love, regret, getting older and stirring up trouble while The Wranglers tap into their Americana influences with quick picking and bluesy slide guitar. Catch Ted Z on the Bikini Beach Stage at midnight on Saturday, Aug. 5, then again ahead of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Tommy Howell on the Main Stage on Sunday, Aug. 6.
Hey rockers and hip-hoppers…Get on your bikes and keep Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’ into the Largest Music Festival in Motorcycling. Nu-metal pioneers Limp Bizkit will be making their Sturgis Rally debut at the Buffalo Chip during the 2023 Sturgis Rally, bringing along their infectious spirit, some of the most recognizable songs of the late '90s and tracks from their latest album “Still Sucks”. Throw your hands up to tracks like “Break Stuff,” “Rollin’,” “My Way,” and “Dad Vibes” on Monday, Aug. 7 following a performance from Lita Ford.
Immerse yourself in glam metal as Lita Ford takes you back in time to an era filled with lightning-fast licks and enough hair spray to make Bigfoot look pretty. This guitar goddess will remind you just how much you love the ‘80s when she lights up the Buffalo Chip’s motorcycle and music festival with searing solos and brilliant, emotional ballads on Monday, Aug. 7.
You might know your way around a motorcycle, but you’ve never seen a well-oiled machine quite like a Leilani Kilgore performance. This Nashville transplant hailing from the West Coast serves aggressive hard-hitting rock with a touch of meaningful blues and fearlessly honest emotional expression. With in-your-face vocals and fearless solos, she’s “a Joan Jett that shreds.” You won’t want to miss this guitarist, artist and hellion. Luckily, you’ll have two chances—opening up the Main Stage for Limp Bizkit and Lita Ford on Monday, Aug. 7 and an encore performance at midnight Tuesday, Aug. 8 at Bikini Beach!
Take a trip down memory lane back to the good old days as you bask in the nostalgic glow of lighters waving in unison to the sounds of some of the biggest hits to fill arenas in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Whether you’ve been attending their shows for 30 years or you’re a brand-new fan, when chart-topping classic rock favorites REO Speedwagon hit the after coheadliner Styx, you won’t be able to fight the warm, warm and fuzzy feelings anymore.
Launch your party into overdrive with one of the most celebrated progressive rock bands of all time! These mind-blowing musicians will fill the air with their massive prog/arena rock sound on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 ahead of coheadliner REO Speedwagon, you’ll be having The Best of Times when they do!
Like a double shot of straight bourbon, the sounds of Whiskey Myers will go down smooth and fire up your night when they make their Sturgis Buffalo Chip debut. This genre-bending six-piece has been thrilling live music fans since their formation in 2007, with more than 3,000 high-energy performances under their belts. Don’t miss your chance to hear popular songs like “Ballad of a Southern Man,” “Stone,” “Broken Window Serenade” and more when they set foot on the Wolfman Jack Stage for the first time.
Boogie down to snarling slide guitars, ballsy, bluesy saxophone lines, thundering rock-solid rhythm and the Bad to the Bone bark of one of blues-rock’s biggest, baddest dogs. Legendary blues-rockers George Thorogood and the Destroyers are Movin’ On Over to the Wolfman Jack Stage prior to a performance from Whiskey Myers, and when they do, you’ll be feelin’ so nice, you’ll be lovey-dovey.
The most loveable bunch of mainstream music outliers you’ve ever heard is headed to the legendary Buffalo Chip this August. Whether you’re a country fan, rock fan or something in the middle, the Devon Worley Band’s powerful originals are sure to set your soul ablaze. Get a glimpse Worley’s strong, old-soul sensibility as she wisely navigates the diverging roads inside her head and heart throughout the band’s incendiary sets. You can catch these unapologetic country rockers on the Wolfman Jack Main Stage ahead of Whiskey Myers and George Thorogood & The Destroyers, then an get encore on the final night of the festival at Bikini Beach!
Get the Limited-Edition Poster to Benefit the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation
On Thursday, Aug. 10 Blake Wallenda and Daredevil Kyle Ives will risk their lives attempting a death-defying feat that even Evel Knievel and Karl Wallenda wouldn’t attempt…The Death Wire Daredevil Spectacular!
Before the headlining performance by Def Leppard, Blake Wallenda, will attempt one of the longest highwire walks of his career, “The Death Wire Walk,” over the Sturgis Buffalo Chip amphitheater while Kyle Ives attempts to jump a motorcycle over him.
To commemorate this history-making performance, the Buffalo Chip commissioned artist Darren McKeag to create a collector’s edition poster that you would be proud to hang on your wall, and sales to benefit the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.
Additional activities will include a ramp-to-ramp jump by Shawn Ives, Sherco Trials Stunts and more.
The heavenly sounds of hallowed rock will send you into hysteria when Def Leppard descends upon you during the 2023 Sturgis Rally The charismatic quintet will be adding its melodic riffs, soaring guitar solos and unmistakable showmanship to the legendary lineup of Sturgis concerts on the Wolfman Jack Stage Thursday, Aug. 10 following The Death Wire Daredevil Spectacular, which goes to show the Chip’s party will be balls to the wall all the way to the end!
Sound the alarms! You’re about to feel like waking up for a night of hard-hitting rock jams that’ll go off like a powder keg the second the first note cuts through the warm August air. Sturgis Buffalo Chip fan favorites Pop Evil will wake the lions of the Best Party Anywhere ahead of a performance from Def Leppard on Friday, Aug. 10, and the roar will be deafening.
If you are lookin’ to get “Lit Up”, it’s hard to find a better band to do the job than Buffalo Chip house band Buckcherry. The premier party band of the last two decades will be coming at you with the crushing chords and familiar refrains of songs like “Crazy Bitch”, as well as tracks from their latest album when they take to the Wolfman Jack Stage after Puddle of Mudd on Friday, Aug. 11.
It’s too early to predict the forecast, but you should have your galoshes ready to wade through some of the biggest hard rock hits of the last couple decades when Puddle of Mudd takes the stage at The Best Party Anywhere®. The Kansas City, Missouri quartet will get the party started prior to a performance from Buckcherry on Friday, Aug. 11.
Savor sounds as sweet as a Colorado Peach as you get tastes classic rock, blues and punk with this female-dominated four piece on Friday, Aug. 11 ahead of Buckcherry and Puddle of Mudd. Hailing from Grand Junction, Colorado, Peach Street Revival will bring you a rockin’ performance of their original songs and covers some of the greats like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Heart, Fleetwood Mac, Rush, Queen, and others!
Get Thunderstruck by the high-voltage performance of the hottest AC/DC tribute band around. For over two decades, Back In Black have been entertaining audiences with a performance so true to the power and high-energy of AC/DC that they’ve gained worldwide attention and have performed with some of the biggest names in the business. Back In Black brings their electric set of loud and proud classic AC/DC hits to the Wolfman Jack stage on Aug. 12 to close out the 2023 concert series.
Free fall back in music history and run down a dream with the top Tom Petty tribute band in the country, Petty and the Heartshakers, live at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip on Saturday, Aug. 12. Wrap up the 2023 Sturgis Rally with a soundtrack of hits including “American Girl,” “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” “I Won’t Back Down” and so many more.
Bring your appetite, because Big Skillet is cookin’ up a crock full of concerts at the Chip that you’ll never be able to get enough of. Party down with great classic rock, R&B, blues, funk and modern country when this Missouri-based trio gets the night started on the Wolfman Jack Stage Saturday, Aug. 12. There will be plenty of chances to come back for seconds with performances throughout the week on the Bikini Beach Stage.
Bumpin’ beats, original remixes and masterful mashups of your favorite songs will have you dancing your asses off until the wee hours of the morning thanks to DJ Hulio. If you’ve been to the Chip before, you know that this longtime Buffalo Chip resident DJ keeps the party going nightly by performing high-octane live sets at Club Chip between and after shows on the main stage. In 2023, this mixmaster will also be starting party early, bringing DJs Kelly Kellz, Cory'G and Budd Holly to perform at the Big Engine Bar Stage at the Crossroads throughout the afternoons!
Want to be the first to find out what Sturgis Rally concerts and entertainment will be rocking the Chip in 2024? Be sure to sign up for the Sturgis Rider® Newsletter to get the announcements before anyone else. And if there’s a band you’re dying to see, click “Request a Band” and shoot us their name in the comments section on that page!
Wish you could transport yourself to August so you could be surrounded by all your favorite Buffalo Chip bands? The Chip’s 2023 Lineup playlist on Spotify is no time machine, but it’s the next best thing. Crank it at home, in your garage, on your bike, or anywhere you’d like to start a party!
See How the Sturgis Buffalo Chip Compares to Others
Sometimes it’s good to have options. And as you can see below, only the original biker-dedicated destination that brought music and motorcycling together during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally givesyou more options than anybody else.
See for yourself why it’s the best choice for your vacation!
