The
Bulldog Bash is considered to be one of Europe's most popular, annual, motorcycle festivals with a reported attendance of 50,000 people in 2007. It takes place over a weekend in mid-August, at the
Shakespeare County Raceway , which is situated outside
Stratford-on-Avon in England.
The event started as a small gathering organised by the
Hells Angels motorcycle club for bikers. Since 1987, the event has grown to one of the largest motorcycle festivals in Europe, with a record 50,000 people reported to have attended in 2007.
It is believed that the popularity of the event is due to the organisers' philosophy of hosting a festival that meets all the criteria of their own 'perfect party', organised by bikers, for bikers.
The festival has been hosted at the ,
Beer tents, motorcycle racing,
Drag Racing &
Stunt Riding demonstrations. Adult entertainment traditionally features high on the bill, including
Wet T-shirt Contest ,
Erotic Dance shows and
Topless bike wash.
The event currently runs over four days, gates opening on Thursday, and running through Friday and Saturday and wrapping up on Sunday.
The USA equivalents on a much larger scale are
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and
Daytona Beach Bike Week .
Despite the general public's connotation of violence and crime with the Hells Angels, the Bulldog Bash has a consistent record of causing the Warwickshire Police little trouble, compared to other events of this scale.
There are no police patrolling the site (though they have a small base just off site), no personal searches conducted by police - the
Hells Angels maintain security inside the festival grounds themselves.
Inspector Dave Patterson from the Warwickshire Police is quoted to have said about the 2006 event: "There was just four crimes reported on site and only three arrests during the four day event. Although traffic to and from the Long Marston site was greater than normal, the traffic plan worked well." Houlder, Di.
"Bulldog Bash - Police Overview" ''The Police Media Portal''
The four crimes recorded on the Police Media Portal were all theft related.
The event has enjoyed varied media attention over the years - from specialised motorcyclist magazines, to national press coverage.
''“The Bulldog Bash is in a league of its own, easily ranking among the best festivals in the world, if not actually taking that crown and sticking a nitrous kit on it to see how fast it will go.”'' Nick Ruskell,
Kerrang! August 26th 2006.
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