The year 2020 will not go down in history as THE festival year "thanks" to corona. Practically the entire festival industry was hit hard, and the organizers of the Urban Bike Festival in Zurich and the Bike Days in Solothurn also suffered considerable damage from the two cancelled festivals. Thanks to the cooperation and support of sponsors, exhibitors and partners, as well as support from the Swiss Cycling stabilization programme, the Bike Days organisers were able to cope with this damage and remain active as organizers.

A decentralized festival as a temporary solution

The efforts of the organizers to plan the future of their events show that the two two-wheeler festivals are set to continue. It is assumed that Covid-19 will continue to dominate public life until well into next year. In order to still be able to hold festivals, the two events are being redesigned so that they comply with coronavirus regulations and inspire people just as much as they did before the pandemic.

This is to be achieved by combining the Urban Bike Festival and the Bike Days into a decentralized, five-day Cycle Week. This will take place from April 7 to 11 at various locations in Zurich. If it is not possible to hold the event in April 2021 due to stricter Covid-19 restrictions, the organizers have reserved an alternative date of 23 to 27 June. 2021 will therefore be a transitional year. They hope to be able to hold the two events in their usual setting in Zurich and Solothurn again from 2022.

More time, more space

The Cycle Week avoids large gatherings of people thanks to its spatial and temporal expansion. As a result, the expo covers a large area with plenty of space between the providers. The other activities are also spread over various locations. The five-day duration of the event also provides enough leeway to stagger the number of visitors over time.

For digital visitor guidance, systems are being evaluated that meet the requirements of contact tracing and can also serve as a reservation tool. This allows activities such as workshops, participation in social rides and others to be carried out in a controlled manner.

The main Cycle Week venues include Europaallee right next to the main railway station and Brunau. Activities are also being planned at other locations such as Viadukt, Offene Rennbahn, Höckler-Trail, Kosmos and others. The digital know-how from the "Urban Bike Festival Digital" will also be used: The Cycle Week makers are stirring up emotions at the venue and creating excitement on digital channels, live and on-demand.

Ok is still pending

The organizers are already in the middle of planning Cycle Week and are in talks with the City of Zurich and representatives of Europaallee. "We are confident that we will receive the go-ahead for Cycle Week by the end of November 2020," says Bikedays.ch GmbH.