Popular Scottish motorcycle rally called off for next year

Organisers for Thunder in the Glens, one of Scotland’s largest and most popular motorcycle rallies, have announced they are taking a ‘heartfelt break’ for 2026, and offering no assurances as to the long-term future of the event.

Launched in 1997, Thunder in the Glens has taken place each August in the Cairngorms National Park town of Aviemore, drawing thousands of riders from across the United Kingdom and beyond.

The event started as a rally for the Edinburgh-based Dunedin Chapter Scotland of the Harley Owners Group (HOG) and quickly grew into something that’s been welcomed and promoted by local tourism organisations. It is unknown exactly how much money the event pumps into the local economy, but it’s estimated that some 10,000 visitors arrive over the course of its weekend.

The scale of the event seems to be at the heart of organisers’ decision to pull the plug on next year’s gathering.

“Thunder in the Glens started with a simple idea - bringing together our chapter members who share a passion for Harley-Davidson motorcycles, community, and the Highland spirit,” said rally coordinator Shirley Gunn. “Over time, it’s grown into something none of us could have imagined.”

In recent years, the challenges of managing the event’s increasing popularity have been coupled with the immense financial challenges that have put an end to a number of festivals and events across the UK.

“Like most of the events industry, we have faced rising infrastructure costs and increasing accommodation expenses,” Gunn explained.

It’s worth noting here that the connection between HOG chapters and the Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company is not as close as chapter members would sometimes have you believe. Neither entity makes decisions for the other. So, although Harley-Davidson UK and Ireland has long been an active participant at Thunder in the Glens, it is not responsible for the event, nor does it direct the actions of the Dunedin HOG chapter.

“(The increased costs) have impacted not only ticket sales but also the personal costs for our volunteers, who really are essential to making this happen,” said Gunn.

The Dunedin chapter says it is uncertain of what will happen beyond 2026. In a media release issued this week, it said that “the organising committee has chosen to step back - not to wind down, but to reconnect with the heart of why it all began.”

Reading between the lines, I’d guess that at least some organisers pine for the early days of the rally, when it was a smaller, more exclusively Harley-focused event. If you attend this year’s event - taking place 22-25 August - you’ll see all kinds of brands represented by the people riding up and down Aviemore’s main road.

As someone who has attended the event, I’d hope that - if it’s too much for the Dunedin chapter to handle - it could be taken over by a different organisation. Thunder in the Glens was inspired by the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally (which is currently taking place in Sturgis, South Dakota), which has been running for almost 90 years. It would be nice to see Scotland’s version carry on and expand.