Tour de Fat Scraps Parade, Moves To Northerly Island; The Roots To Headline

By Stephen Gossett in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 21, 2017 7:50PM

Tour de Fat, 2016 / Photo: Annie Lesser

New Belgium announced details of the much-loved annual bike-and-beer Tour de Fat festival/circus—and the announcement included some pretty major changes.

Ditching its longtime digs at Logan Square's Palmer Square, Tour de Fat, which happens this year on July 29, is heading east to the Huntington Bank Pavilion, at Northerly Island. Press materials made no mention of the official parade ride this time out either; and Bryan Simpson, Media Relations Director at New Belgium, confirmed that it has indeed been scrapped as the fest moves toward a bigger (literal) stage. And speaking of expansion, the long-running festival actually ballooned from nine cities up to a whopping thirty-three.

More changes: this year's fest moves to the evening hours, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Now, it'll cost you, too. Tickets will run $30 (available now here), although proceeds again benefit the great work done at West Town Bikes.

Some of those moves could prove a little controversial in the bike community, given the long tradition of Tour de Fat as it was, where it was. But there probably won't be many complaints about the headliner, Philly hip-hop favorites The Roots.

Simpson said that attendees are still strongly encouraged to bike to the festival (natch) and that there will be ample bike parking available.