Thousands of Riders Expected for West Coast Thunder

Motorcycles are about to take over a big stretch of Riverside County again. West Coast Thunder has now published its 2026 traffic advisory and confirmed that the Memorial Day ride will happen on Monday, May 25, starting at Riverside Harley-Davidson and moving in a police-escorted procession toward downtown Riverside. That matters if you ride in it, but also if you just need to get across town that morning — because the route cuts through major local streets and freeway segments. ### What is West Coast Thunder? It’s a Memorial Day motorcycle tribute built around honoring fallen U.S. service members. The event draws riders from across California and beyond, and the procession passes Riverside National Cemetery before finishing with a downtown gathering that includes a concert, vendor village, and food trucks. ### When does the ride happen? The 2026 ride is set for Monday, May 25, 2026 — Memorial Day. Organizers say the rolling road closures will begin at about 9:11 a.m., which is the key time for locals to keep in mind if they’re planning errands, church, brunch, airport runs, or anything else that depends on crossing the route. The ride begins on Indiana Avenue. From there, the motorcade moves eastbound on Indiana, then toward Arlington Avenue, Alessandro Boulevard, Trautwein Road, Van Buren Boulevard, northbound I-215, westbound SR-60, and the Market Street exit into downtown Riverside. Basically, this is not one little neighborhood closure — it touches surface streets, an interchange area, and freeway lanes. ### Why are people being warned now? Because this is a rolling closure event, not a single blocked-off festival footprint. Roads reopen after the procession passes, but traffic can stack up ahead of and behind the ride. The most sensitive spots look like the Van Buren and I-215 area, the SR-60 westbound approach, and the Market Street downtown exit, where organizers are already warning about heavy volume. ### Does the ride stop at the cemetery? Not in the usual parade sense. The route passes Riverside National Cemetery as part of the tribute, giving riders and spectators a memorial moment without turning the whole event into a static ceremony there. The larger public-facing finish is downtown Riverside, where the post-ride activity happens. ### What is the money for? That’s the part people sometimes miss. West Coast Thunder is also a fundraiser. Proceeds support the Riverside National Cemetery Support Committee and help pay for monument construction and services tied to Riverside National Cemetery. Organizers point to projects like the American Indian Veterans Memorial, the National POW/MIA Memorial, repairs to the Medal of Honor Memorial, and support for the cemetery’s Memorial Honor Detail. ### Why is Riverside National Cemetery central to this? Because it’s not just any cemetery. It spans more than 1,250 acres and is described by organizers as the largest cemetery in the National Cemetery Administration system. That scale helps explain why this ride has become such a major regional ritual — it’s built around a place that already carries national weight for veterans and families. ### So what should locals do? If you’re not attending, the practical move is simple — avoid the route Monday morning, especially after 9 a.m., and don’t assume the freeway will save you. If you are attending, this is shaping up as the usual mix of tribute, spectacle, and congestion. That’s really the whole story: a Memorial Day tradition that means a lot to riders and veterans’ families, but will absolutely reshape traffic for several hours.