South Florida is known for its beaches, sightseeing, and culinary hotspots. Cycle Party is taking advantage of the scenery with tours on 15-passenger party bikes throughout Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and West Palm Beach. For roughly thirty dollars per person, you and a group of friends can join a trained company driver on a tour of local restaurants, bars, breweries, attractions, or Instagram-worthy photo spots. The cycling, party playlists blasted from a stereo system, and discount packages at various eateries make Cycle Party the best option for every occasion. As a current member at The LAB Miami, we spoke with one of Cycle Party’s sale managers, Wil Webster.
Your website claims that “Cycle Party is a pedal-powered party on four wheels”. What would you say makes Cycle Party different from any bike rental or party bus company in South Florida?
The difference is that the party comes with the cyclists. The energy that our guest bring along with our amazing tour guides, sets up the energy for the day. Although it may be hot and tiring, our guides make sure you are still having fun. A party bus is just a club on wheels; with our party bikes, you go to different areas of a city and visit a few different bars to really experience the area. It is a completely different experience than just going to one bar, restaurant, or club.
What is the most enjoyable part about working for Cycle Party?
It would definitely be the people I get to meet. No one comes to Miami in a bad mood; people only come here to have a good time. By doing our job to keep everything organized, our guests can have the best time with no complaints.
Cycle Party is located in Fort Lauderdale, Wynwood, Coconut Grove, and West Palm Beach. Why were these cities chosen for tours? Are there other cities in South Florida that Cycle Party is expanding to?
We started in Ft. Lauderdale primarily because of city zoning and our owners’ proximity to the area. We then expanded to West Palm Beach to target a different market during its high season. The clientele in Ft. Lauderdale wants to party, while the clientele in West Palm Beach wants to sightsee with family. This same approach was then applied as we expanded to Miami: Wynwood was a party scene with its art and culture, while the boats, water, and hotels of Coconut Grove made it the perfect destination for sightseeing. Occasionally, we’ll travel down to the Florida Keys for different parades. Key West is definitely one goal location, but it is incredibly saturated with the party market on one street. We are also working towards expanding to an island in the Caribbean, but it’s being kept a secret for now.
Cycle Party offers a variety of private and social tours, including pub, brewery, and bar crawls, sightseeing tours, and scavenger hunts. What is your favorite type of tour? Why?
My favorite tour is the Progressive Dinner tour. The tour combines the social aspect of getting people who may not know each other so well together, with cocktails and good food. It’s a triple threat. The experience is nothing like sitting at one restaurant for a meal or spending the night one nightclub or bar; it’s visiting a different restaurant for every part of the meal and ends with being dropped off at a cool bar for the rest of the night. This tour is a perfectly packaged night of fun; for two and a half hours, guests’ food, safety, and fun are all taken care of.
Cycle Party offers foodie tours, happy hour crawls, and InstaTours here in the unique and vibrant neighborhood of Wynwood. How is Cycle Party contributing in maintaining Wynwood’s eclectic community? Are you partnering with any local establishments?
We are still supporting the local artistry. Some of our tours include live demos from local graffiti artists, not artists who have murals here but have been flown in from Japan. We get people from around the US to experience Wynwood’s culture and leave a mark on it. As for our drink tours, we support the local bars and restaurants here by bringing them customers. By funding the local establishments, we maintain the authentic vibe of Wynwood.
It is written on your website that “Cycle Party specializes in fun”. What would you say is the primary goal of Cycle Party?
To make sure that guests have a good time in one of the most eclectic places in the world.
Cycle Party has been using The LAB as their office space here in Wynwood. What are the benefits of being a member at The LAB? What are the benefits of having office space in Wynwood?
We always want to work where we are. The LAB is full of people who want to be in a co-working space in Wynwood, and not work on their own at a Starbucks or a public library. I enjoy being with like-minded people. Also, I know that there are a bunch of people working here from different industries and companies who would be glad to help each other.
Cycle Party was created almost seven years ago in Fort Lauderdale. What made you decide to create this party service?
They wanted to create a fun, interactive tour. In Ft. Lauderdale, there are walking tours, brewery tours, and happy hour tours that are all missing the comradery. For the most part, you are just listening to one person talk about the area. With cycling, there is fun and comradery. You are able to be active with other people and have a great time experiencing a new city.
Where do you see Cycle Party in five years? What are your goals in growing and expanding the company?
We want to offer new types of tours to more people, like bicycle tours and concierge tours. We realized that a two-hour tour of Wynwood would not capture the essence of the entire neighborhood, so want to make half-day or full-day tours to experience all of Wynwood. Additionally, there is a market to expand into with the cruise tourists who are here for a day or a couple of hours before they board. We want to create tours to maximize the few hours they have to show them everything about the area. Another goal we have is offering a variety of tours so that there is not a six guest minimum to run a tour. With all the scenic views around South Florida, we are working on running tours in additional beautiful areas.