8,500 Moped Enthusiasts Travel To Bali For World Vespa Day Festival

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Bali will host the World Vespa Day 2022 Festival from 9-12th June 2022. The event will see over 8,500 Vespa lovers come together on Peninsula Island in Nusa Dua to celebrate the iconic scooter. Organizers have said that they are especially looking forward to welcoming the international attendees, of which there are thought to be over 500 from 27 different countries.

The World Vespa Day Festival is a landmark event for Bali as it is the first time the festival has been held outside of Europe. Organizers are proud to be hosting the event for the Vespa community and hope that the festival will be another opportunity to tell the world that Indonesia, specifically Bali, is an excellent location to hold international events.

Typically Bali has lost out on opportunities to host big international events to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. The Vespa Festival turns the eyes of a whole new community in Bali. 

The location the organizers have chosen is perfect for an event of this kind. The festival will be held on a 5-hectare event field that overlooks the ocean. The open land can facilitate Vespa displays, meetings, and other exhibitions. Organizers have created a space called Vespa Village where attendees can enjoy specialist vendors’ stalls, take part in a range of Vespa-related activities and enjoy the entertainment stage.

The festival is also making use of Bali’s best venue spaces. The ABBC Building, which is a multifaceted creative space, will be hosting an exhibition dedicated to the History of Vespas and Vespas that have a cultural significance across Indonesia. 

In a press release, the event’s Managing Director Ngurah Ardita said ‘”We are ready to welcome Vespa lovers to come and enjoy our area on Vespa World Days 2022. In addition to increasing regional occupancy, we also hope that this event can encourage the revival of Bali tourism in particular and Indonesia in general.

The event management team has partnered with local hotels to offer package deals for the Vespa groups. A total of 12 hotels have been signed as official partners. As Bali continues to welcome visitors back to the island as the end of the pandemic becomes a reality, the hospitality sector will be eager to create more partnerships like this to increase hotel occupancy.

The event’s agenda is both fun and formal. The World Vespa Club will first hold its annual general meeting, followed by ride-outs and a range of talks, panels, and showcases in the Vespa Village. The World Vespa Club was created ‘to utilize and develop the cultural heritage and human resources of national Vespa clubs spread throughout the world’.

There are hundreds of Vespa Clubs throughout Indonesia, including a dozen or more in Bali. Indonesia sits at the forefront of Vespa culture around the world. The Vespa Clubs not only come together to celebrate the classic Italian scooter but also engage in community work. Much like a rotary club, Vespa Clubs in Indonesia are popular across generations and gender.

Across Bali Vespa Clubs regularly host camp-out events, group ride-outs, and community events to display their custom-built scooters. Tickets are still available online and there is information about renting a Vespa in Bali for the event on the Vespa Club Indonesia website.

Though there are ride-outs planned there has been no change in travel advice for the Nusa Dua area. Roads will remain open and there may be an increase in the presence of traffic police to ensure that congestion is minimised.

The event schedule also includes performances from traditional Balinese dancers. The Bali Vespa Clubs will be keen to promote Bali’s cultural heritage. The will be a traditional Kecak dance performance on Saturday the 11th afternoon. The festival will be bought to a close with a gala dinner, and a handover ceremony to the hosts of 2023’s World Vespa Day Festival. The finale will be a firework display and DJ set.