Biker Fest 2012 @ WICKHAMBROOK GREYHOUND 5th & 6th May....
I would like to thank everyone who has been involved with Biker Fest in the previous years, 2012 will see a few changes; the date & venue have changed. Why? After the last couple of years we have had very bad weather, pulling it out of June & in to May s no guarantee that we’ll get better weather, but we can only try! Venue change is due to running cost of a 100% out door event; we simply can’t afford to do it in West Row. The old venue has been brilliant & I want to thank the land owner Jonathan W for letting us use his field for as long as we have. The Greyhound has a very good history with bikers, its new owners are very happy for the event to be held there & has ample space that we will work with.
Please keep an eye on the web site/facebook over the next few weeks for ALL the details to be posted up.
2011/10: The Organisers of BikerFest would like to thank everyone who was involved in helping make last years event happen; The Marshals for keeping the event ticking along, the local stunt team & Moto-Ball for the motorcycle mayhem, ALL the bands who attended who rocked us, Grin 'n' Wear It for organising the Tattoo show, the Fire jugglers for warming up the evening, the traders who put up with dodgy weather, the Filipiana for serving up something different & everyone else behind the scenes who contributed.
BikerFest 2010 Raised £1,000 which will be split between the East Anglian Air Ambulance, Help for Heros & Ely Contact centre. Please read a little lower for full details on each charity.
In the Past....
2010; We had more, more, MORE, than ever before.
More stunt craziness - The local stunt riders return for a third year.
More music - 3 days of live music.
More motorcycles - 2 days of shows bikes, with trophies.
More traders than previous shows with a mixture of goodies from T-shirts to Piercings.
NEW- Tattoo Competition – 5 categories sponsored by Grin ‘n’ Wear it Tattoo Studio, a new addition to BikerFest.
NEW- Moto-ball - footballing bikers. Make sure to join in the half-time polo style turf stomping
NEW- A wheelie machine - can you wheelie a bike - learn how.
NEW- Brit chopper Magazine- the nationwide mag has confirmed they will be attending - get your chrome work buffed up!!
NEW- The BikerFest babes - The festivals own Brolly Dollys make their debut this year.
Show T-Shirts being designed now...
Charities.
The core of BikerFest is to raise money while we have fun.
The East Anglian Air Ambulance.
It costs £3 million a year to operate this life saving service - NONE
of that is funded by the NHS or your National Insurance contributions. The EAAA is at the heart of many bikers, who are only here today because of the actions of this amazing charity. BikerFest has always, and will always support them.
What’s it all about???
Bikerfest came about in the summer of 2008. The regions local motorcycle clubs wished to have an event, and under the direction of Beck Row Bikers chairwoman, Barbara Craig (Babs), the base work was laid, a field borrowed from a local landowner, and a pub roped in to provide a bar, and the use of their car park for use by the Championship stunt team. With 6 weeks to go, Babs approached local live music enthusiast and promoter Gary Watt, to discuss the possibilities of providing live music at the event. Phone calls were made, bands booked, truck trailers acquired from a local haulage firm for a stage, and a PA system booked. The 'Big Truck' stage was born, and a few weeks later the event went ahead (under the banner of 'The Cupid Stunt Show'), raising £1000 for the East Anglian Air Ambulance, and gaining press coverage in the local rags, and biker mags.
For the 2009 show, Babs & Gary started planning early, a complete site overhaul was undertaken, provisions made for camping, more music, more punters, traders, activities etc. A new festival name was chosen (BikerFest) to reflect the dual nature of the show - live music, & motorcycles, in a hybrid event, to raise money for charities. Great care was taken to make sure that the event was accessible to music lovers and motorcyclists alike, avoiding being tagged as only suitable for one class of stereotyped festival go'er. The festival was designed to be accessible to all. The organisers set about the long task of begging, borrowing and stealing, as much stuff as possible to put the show on for the cheapest price possible. This remains the foundation of BikerFest to this day, with all bands playing for free, and many local businesses providing equipment either free of charge, or at greatly reduced prices. The 2009 festival went ahead, and the feedback was sensational - it was clear we still had areas we wanted to improve, but BikerFest now became a living, breathing entity - within 48 hours of the close of the 2009 show, Babs & Gary were already receiving calls about 2010.
2010; The festival had been extended to 3 days, and set for June 18th, 19th, & 20th. An entire additional day had been added for show bikes, with new categories and trophies. More bands than before were being booked, covering a more diverse range of genres than ever before, with bands, both signed & unsigned, traveling from all across the country to play. New sideshows and attractions were scheduled. BikerFest is one of the best 'shoe-string budget' festivals in the country, and its coming at ya live, loud, and fun packed. We don’t care if you come by 2 wheels, 4 wheels, or 2 legs, we hope to see you at future BikerFests, having fun, and raising money for good causes.