Watch LIVE: Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is busiest in years despite Covid threat

STURGIS, South Dakota — Law enforcement officials say the first few days of this year’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally have been among the busiest they’ve seen. Some 700,000 people are expected to celebrate their enthusiasm for motorcycles at the 10-day event that kicked off last Friday.

“There are more people here than in the 31 years I’ve been doing this,” Meade County Sheriff Ron Merwin told the Rapid City Journal newspaper.

Law enforcement in Sturgis and Meade County say their calls for service during the first few days are up dramatically compared to previous years.

Sturgis Police Chief Geody VanDewater said officers have issued 207 violations for open containers of alcohol since the rally began. Participants need a special souvenir cup to drink wine and beer in certain downtown areas.

Sturgis skipped the formal rally last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, but thousands of bikers flocked to the city anyway, leading to hundreds of coronavirus infections.