EAST BURKE, Vt. (BRAIN) — The New England Mountain Bike Association's annual festival, NEMBAfest @ Kingdom Trails, attracted 1,900 riders and 71 industry expo booths this weekend.
The association said the event — title-sponsored by Pedro's this year — has grown bigger in each of the four years since it moved to the Kingdom Trails in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom.
"We're grateful that the industry has embraced the festival and we believe that it's the perfect showcase for the bike industry to reach northeast consumers," said NEMBA's director, Philip Keyes.
The event typically attracts a large number of families, Keyes said.
"We all know that families and kids are the future of our sport ... yet there are very few events where they feel truly welcome and are one of the main focuses."
The festival offers family pricing, has a special quiet family camping area and has lots of programming specifically for kids. Parents can let their kids lose on a short family-friendly kids test track that's entirely visible from the expo or have them cycle through Highland Mountain Bike Park's kids' skills area. Highland also puts on an assortment of non-biking kids' games, from sack races to water balloon fights.
NEMBA announced that next year's event will be held June 17-19.
More information: nembafest.com.
