- Bulldog Bash
articleissues
cleanup = March 2008
wikify = March 2008infobox music festival
music_festival_name = Bulldog Bash
location =Shakespeare County Raceway ,Stratford-upon-Avon ,England
years_active= 1987 – present
founders=Hells Angels
dates = Annually in August
genre =Motorcycle Festival &Rock music
website = [http://www.bulldogbash.com Bulldog Bash]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 theShakespeare County Raceway , which is situated outsideStratford-on-Avon in England.History
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
Shakespeare County Raceway inStratford-on-Avon in England since 1987, and always takes place in mid August. Since its inception, it has followed largely the same format (though expanded for larger crowds and more recently included bigger name bands): providing entertainment aimed at the motorcycle riding fraternity, including liverock music ,beer tents, motorcycle racing,drag racing &stunt riding demonstrations. Adult entertainment traditionally features high on the bill, includingWet T-shirt contest ,erotic dance shows andtopless 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 andDaytona Beach Bike Week .ecurity and crime
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. [http://onlinenews.warwickshire.police.uk/releases/archive/2006/08/2006814BulldogBashP "Bulldog Bash - Police Overview"] "The Police Media Portal"]The four crimes recorded on the
Police Media Portal were all theft related.That all changed however in 2008 with the conviction of Sean Creighton, a Hells Angel from the South Warwickshire Outlaws Group who was found guilty of the murder of Garry Tobin, a high ranking member of the London Order on the M40 after returning from The Bulldog Bash. It is possible the Outlaws regarded Long Marston, where the Bulldog Bash was held, as their territory, Mr Timothy Raggatt QC, Prosecuting, said. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/coventry_warwickshire/7654901.stm
In the press
The event has enjoyed varied media attention over the years - from specialised motorcyclist magazines, to national press coverage. It also has press coverage in 1996 in regards of
Eddie Kidd 's stunt riding accident.2008
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/7376382.stm "Police in Bulldog Bash objection"] . "BBC"
30 April 2008 2007
*Malone, Andrew. [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=475187&in_page_id=1770 "Topless bike washes and the dark hearts of the Hell's Angels cult"] . "Daily Mail"
14 August 2007 .
*Newbigging, Chris [http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/mcn/2007/August/aug13-19/aug1307bulldogbash/ "Full highlights from Bulldog Bash"] . "MCN" August 2007.
*Langley, Tess [http://www.bbc.co.uk/coventry/content/articles/2007/08/13/bulldog_bash_07_feature.shtml "Bulldog Bash revs up"] . "BBC Coventry and Warwickshire Features"
*Sturcke, James [http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/article/0,,2147921,00.html "The ordinary lives of Hells Angels' bikers"] . "The Guardian "13 August 2007 2004
*Harkness, Timandra [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2004/09/06/emfbull04.xml "Angels"] . "The Telegraph"
4 September 2004
*BBC. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/coventry/features/stories/2004/08/bulldog-bash-2004.shtml "Music and machines at the bash"] , "BBC Coventry and Warwickshire Features"2003
*King, Rich. [http://www.american-v.co.uk/lifestyle/events/03bulldog/index.html "Bulldog Bash 2003"] , "American-V", August 2003.
2002
*Rainey, Joy. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/main.jhtml?xml=/motoring/2002/10/18/emfdog19.xml "Grab some leathers and 'run what ya brung'"] . "The Telegraph"
20 October 2002
*King, Rich. [http://www.american-v.co.uk/lifestyle/events/02bdb/index.html "Bulldog Bash 2002"] , "American-V", August 2002."“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 26 2006 .
References
External links
* [http://www.bulldogbash.eu Bulldog Bash Site]
* [http://www.bulldogbash.eu/index.php?option=com_fireboard&Itemid=27 Bulldog Bash Forum]
* [http://bulldogbash.eu/view-my-profile/registers.html Community Registration]
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