A company that has been around as long as Harley Davidson (109 years as of August 2012) wants to make sure it and its fans celebrate important anniversaries in a way that only Harley can. As a way of accomplishing this, the company started the idea of having a 'Ride Home' to the company base in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the week of their anniversary. This tradition started in 1993 as a way to commemorate the ninetieth birthday of Harley, and it has become a growing tradition that continues to attract fans from all over the country. The unofficial name of this gathering is 'Harleyfest'. There are motorcycle patches and other merchandise sold to commemorate each Harleyfest and the number of years Harley Davidson has been in business.
Because this is not something that can easily be put together once a year, Harleyfest has is now only held once every five years. This way, the celebrations are close enough together that Harley doesn't have to deal with the massive overload that an event held every ten or twenty years would get because people are not as likely to crowd too much into an event that takes place this often. On the other hand, by separating it by a few years they are working to ensure that their fans remain excited about the event.
Over the course of the nineteen years since the event first started, it has expanded somewhat. Originally there were just gatherings in Milwaukee, but now there are multiple events in locations spread out over four counties in Southeast Wisconsin (Milwaukee, Kenosha, Racine, and Waukesha). In the beginning, the event was something that mainly only appealed to Harley Davidson enthusiasts who lived in the American Midwest. However, celebrations in recent years have brought riders from all over the world.
