Galveston Thrills: Lone Star Rally Roars Across the Island

Tricked out custom motorcycles sent a thrum and raw energy ricocheting across the gulf and beyond as my family and I attended this one of a kind motorcycle event. The cool November afternoon had us all humming with various live bands and music that throbbed from decked out motorbikes costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The biggest motorcycle rally in Texas is the Lone Star Rally in Galveston, Texas, which occurs over four days, November 6^th through November 9^th, 2025. It draws between 400,000-500,000 participants and is held across the island, with many events in the historic Strand and along the Seawall. It is the country’s largest 4-day motorcycle rally in North America and draws  thousands of attendees and features competitions, vendors, bands with live music, and bike and car shows. (From: galveston.com)

The Lone Star Rally celebrates motorcycles like none other. The island is transformed with everything a motorcycle enthusiast would love. From entertainment, to gear and food, to motorcycle rodeo games, it has something to please the whole fam.

Some 150,000 bikes were expected on the island with their ingenuity and winsome creations that had us all mouth agape. From sleek all black, to wildly gorgeous paint jobs and glow in the dark halos, geared to wow us and make themselves deliriously happy. It’s about the image riders want to portray to their audience, and we’re ecstatic they did.

Harley-Davidson is as iconic a name as any in America, making the kid in us want to set it full throttle and let her rip, wind plastering hair, making your heart skip a beat, going all in, and going fast. The whine of motors for miles makes us smile and wish we were on one, riding along the beach, east to west, that invigorating sea air pummeling our bodies for all we’re worth.

Chrome accessories make bikes shine like presents on Christmas morning. Harley-Davidson has hundreds to choose from, as many riders do, spending a small fortune on them, traveling the open road and smiling to oblivion.

Besides Harley-Davidson, there were Suzuki’s, Yamaha’s, and Kawasaki’s, amongst others. To the untrained eye, one might be unable to tell one from another as they zoomed by as November dusk settled on rally goers. All of them were like cool man, awing us with their vibe.

As we neared the food booths, I searched out a corn dog for my hungry husband. The carnival-like food booths promised tacos, hot dogs, burritos, boudin balls, sausage on a stick, fajitas, nachos, smoked turkey legs and the biggest corn dogs money could buy. We snared three of them to share. Had to get a bag to carry them, no joke. Just as we got our prize, the owner of the string of booths stepped behind us, introducing himself. We told him how attractive the booths were, with their lights, how highly decorated and painted the trucks looked, and how attractive they were. He spoke of starting out with his father in the early eighties and building the business to what it was today. How proud and charming he was, his breath catching, making us realize that the American dream was alive and well for all to see. 

Launching the drone, Aaron swept the historic Strand with bikes a buzzing, catching snippets of Galveston’s charm, churches peeping out, man and machine on the move, and then on to Broadway at 25^th Street and our grand statue, The Texas Heroes Monument, honoring veterans of the Texans Revolution of 1836. This majestic art makes us wish we could fly up close and personal with it, as night settled in with neon cars and motorcycles humming in the background, our attention was drawn up, up to the heavens and the dazzle of her light.

Henry Rosenberg bequeathed $50,000 in his will for this Texas Heroes Monument, a bronze statue which was unveiled April 21, 1900, to much fanfare. At 74 feet, this beauty was cast in Rome, and designed by Professor Amateis of Washington DC, a noted sculptor of the day. In the original invitation for the unveiling of the monument, the Sidney Sherman Chapter Daughters of The Republic of Texas said, “…The completion of this splendid testimonial (is) to the valor, honor, courage and patriotism of the founders and defenders of The Republic of Texas…that the people of Texas will come to Galveston at the time to pay homage to this great occasion in the history of our state.” (Rosenberg, Henry Rosenberg 1824-1893. Galveston, Texas: Rosenberg Library. 1918. Print) From: Galveston.com

This crisp November evening was about motorcycles for sure, but it was also about family, and friends and neighbors gathering together to appreciate the land that we love, the state that we love, and the nation that we love. As we listened to music, smelled smoked meat and fried Oreos and spilled beer on the ground, engines roared as everyday people enjoyed the island’s twilight descend on the lot of us. We were just glad to be there together with a few thousand of our friends in awesome wonder. This is for you Galveston, for always.