By Dennis Volkert
Sturgis Fest 2025 wrapped June 28.
It was the festival’s 13th year.
As a recap and look-ahead, Kari Hatt, executive director at Sturgis Area Chamber of Commerce, took part in a Q&A with Sturgis Sentinel, to reflect on this year’s festival, highlights, popular attractions and a preliminary glance at ’26.
Hatt is in her second year as director at The Chamber. This was the third year she oversaw the organization of Sturgis Fest.
Some responses have been edited for brevity or clarity.
Sturgis Sentinel: What’s your general assessment of overall turnout for events throughout the week? Which events seemed to attract the highest attendance?
Kari Hatt: Each evening has something different. Wednesday (June 25) was a wonderful turnout for Family Night at Sturgis High School. It was probably the hottest of all of the festival days, but that didn’t keep people away. Who doesn’t love free amusement rides? Thursday (June 26) Bike Night also was a huge success. The best one since I have been here. The streets were lined with hundreds of bikes and Hair Mania rocked the main stage. Friday (June 27) is definitely a fan favorite, with the parade. That is always our biggest turnout. There is something for everyone on Friday. The Classic Car Cruise-in had 120-plus cars (the most since I’ve been here) and Hispanic Heritage (Celebration) in Free Church Park was constantly full of people listening to music and grabbing delicious eats. Several thousand people came out for the parade. U.S.12 was lined with people. The entries were top-notch. I have heard nothing but awesome reviews of the fireworks on Saturday night. Kirsch Municipal Airport was packed to the max.
SS: Regarding the “Traveling Through Time” theme, specifically for float designs: Did participants seem to embrace the concept?
Hatt: The floats were amazing this year. I am always impressed by what people do. There were classic cars, a “time machine,” fun decades represented and the Chamber did the moon landing! The amount of work that goes into developing the floats should definitely be recognized. Lots of hours go into designing and putting them together. I love how the community embraces the theme.
SS: How was the level of participation for the parade, compared to recent years?
Hatt: Last year was almost too big. We had a lot of political entries, as it was an election year. This year was darn-near perfect. An ideal parade lasts right around an hour, in my opinion, and we were just over an hour from start to finish. The quality is unmatched in our area.
SS: Any challenges with weather and its effect on specific events? How did the weather trend differ compared to ’24?
Hatt: 2024 was so hot, it really surprised me that we had as many people come out as we did. It was over 100 degrees every day of the festival last year. The rain had me nervous several times this year, but it cleared out and the weather cooperated for us. We were very lucky. The turnout was great. I think everyone had a great week.
SS: Among any new features added for 2025, which seemed to draw the best?
Hatt: The new cornhole tournament is really adding some flare. We got some great local businesses as sponsors and had our ambassador Kenny Bowen take the lead on putting that together. He did a great job. We look forward to growing that event during Bike Night.
SS: Which theme days (Family Day, Bike Night, Cruise & Parade) tend to be most popular?
Hatt: It really depends on who you ask! I love the parade, because I get to ride on our float and see all the happy people waving at us. It’s the event where I finally get to pause and take in all of the hard work that Amy (Leon) and I , and all of the volunteers, put into making this week happen.
SS: Event structure has remained fairly consistent since early days of Sturgis Fest. Do you expect to maintain that, for the most part, or are you considering any shifts?
Hatt: We have a pretty good thing going right now with the layout of the festival. We are always looking for ways to keep it fresh and exciting. If anyone has ideas they want to share, we are always open to listening to it. For the most part, though, we plan to keep the days the same. For 2026, we are planning June 23-27. So put it on your calendar.
SS: Has planning begun for 2026 Sturgis Fest? If so, any hints at what we might anticipate?
Hatt: Discussions already have started. We have the theme narrowed to two ideas. Both are equally exciting. I’m not going to share them yet, because whichever theme we choose for 2026, the other most likely will (be chosen) for 2027.
