The Blessing of the Bikes, also The Blessing of the Bicycles, is an annual tradition in which riders of motorcycles or bicycles are blessed by a priest in the hope that it will bring safety for the coming season. Many towns hold annual ceremonies to bless motorcycles at the start of the summer.
The first mass blessing of bicycles was held in 1999 at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City. Since its beginning the ceremony has been ostensibly non-denominational, focusing more on rider safety than religion. However, the service does include prayers and reading of biblical passages, and bicycles are sprinkled with holy water. A brief memorial service is held to acknowledge riders who have died in the previous year. The Blessing of the Bicycles is one of only three annual occasions—the others being Easter and the Feast of Saint Francis—on which the cathedral opens its 3-ton bronze portal to allow for larger crowds.
The popularity of the service has encouraged other localities to follow suit. Annual blessings are held from Burlington, Massachusetts to Los Angeles to Melbourne and incorporate varying degrees of emphasis on religion, environmentalism, fitness, cyclists' rights, and safety.
In 2013, Good Samaritan Hospital celebrated their 10th Annual Blessing of the Bikes in Los Angeles