From humble beginnings in 1966 as a small community snowmobile club swap meet, the Sno Barons HayDays Grass Drags has grown into the largest outdoor snowmobile event in the world. Each year, more than 50,000 enthusiasts flock to the small town of North Branch, Minnesota to check out the swap opportunities, learn about new products, test drive the machines and watch VCC races, grass drags and daily freestyle shows. HayDays is definitely the place to go if you’re looking for something special, from antique snowmobiles and ATV tires to decorations for your basement or garage. With over 2,000 barter and swap participants spread over 30 acres, there are sure to be some interesting treasures to be found. Once you’ve completed your tour of the swap meet, head to the main pavilion and discover over 200 booths set up by aftermarket parts manufacturers, clothing lines, media companies and of course the big four snowmobile manufacturers: Bombardier, Arctic Cat / Textron, Yamaha and Polaris.
The booths are just the tip of the iceberg at the annual HayDays event. With a total site covering over 180 acres, HayDays is one of those events where you literally won’t be able to see everything in the two days it takes place. With over 50 years of strictly volunteer existence, HayDays’ reputation and purpose has made it the go-to event for thousands of snowmobile and powersports enthusiasts in North America. With overnight parking and campgrounds within walking distance, this event continues late into the morning with V.I.P. parties and special entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights.
Each year, HayDays works hard to bring something new to the show by expanding its entertainment offerings. For example, in 2015 HayDays incorporated the Terracross Championship Series into the venue, creating a one-of-a-kind competition track right in the middle of the event grounds. With cement walls, tractor tires, logs and jumps spread throughout the track, the competitions held at HayDays are some of the most extreme! Riders in attendance include professional racers like Jason Luburgh, Sara Price and Damon Bradshaw, as well as industry celebrities like Jolene Van Vugt of Nitro Circus, Kaila Savage of Monster Truck, BMX legend Nate Wessel and many more! In 2016, for their 50th anniversary, HayDays invited snowcross racer and 7-time X-Games medalist Levi LaValle to take a snowmobile jump over 200 feet. In keeping with their aggressive promotional campaign, in 2017 HayDays added a Mud Exhibition mud event held at the east end of the venue, featuring exhibitors such as High Lifter, Quad Shop and RVS Performance, as well as the MCMR Mud (Midwest Championship Mud Racing) competition.
Along with the new events added each year, the Grass Drags HayDays competition is definitely the main event, drawing thousands of spectators throughout the event and allowing you to see and hear the snowmobiles spinning down the 500-foot drag strip. These high-speed, adrenaline-filled races take place throughout the weekend and attract some of the best riders and fastest machines in North America. You won’t be disappointed with this year’s speed records, with a top speed of 229 km/h and a lap time of 3.639 seconds.
In addition to the regular entertainment, such as daily MX freestyle and snowmobile shows, there are tons of door prizes and contests, autograph signings, machine testing and product demonstrations to keep you entertained throughout the weekend. HayDays is truly the best snowmobile event in the world and it will only get better as the event integrates the ATV and CCV worlds. If you have a list of places to visit, you will definitely want to add Sno Barons Snowmobile Clubs HayDays Grass Drags to it!
