The Bulldog Bash was an annual
motorcycle rally
A motorcycle rally is a gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts. Rallies can be large or small, and one-time or recurring. Some rallies are ride-in events, whereas some like the Iron Butt Rally involve days of riding and an actual gathering only at t ...
, with a reported attendance of 50,000 people in 2007. It was held over a weekend in mid-August, at the former
Shakespeare County Raceway, situated outside of
Stratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon ( ), commonly known as Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon (district), Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of Engl ...
in England. The last event was in 2017, as the planned 2018 weekend was cancelled due to the venue being sold for housing development.
History
The event started as a small gathering organised by the
Hells Angels
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club (HAMC) is an international outlaw motorcycle club founded in California whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells ...
motorcycle club for bikers. Since 1987, the event grew 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 was 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 was hosted at the Shakespeare County Raceway in the village of Long Marston, Warwickshire, England since 1987, and always occurred in mid-August. Since its inception, it has followed largely the same format (though expanded for larger crowds and included bigger name bands): providing entertainment aimed at the motorcycle riding fraternity, including live
rock music
Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...
,
beer
Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grain—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize (corn), rice, and oats are also used. The grain is mashed to convert starch in the ...
tents,
motorcycle racing
The motorcycle sport of racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) includes motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Other categories include hill climbs, drag racing and ...
,
drag racing
Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, mos ...
and
stunt riding demonstrations.
Adult entertainment
The sex industry (also called the sex trade) consists of businesses that either directly or indirectly provide sex-related products and services or adult entertainment. The industry includes activities involving direct provision of sex-related se ...
traditionally featured high on the bill, including a
wet T-shirt contest,
erotic dance
An erotic dance is a dance that provides erotic entertainment with the objective to erotically stimulate or Sexual arousal, sexually arouse viewers. Erotic dance is one of several major dance categories based on purpose, such as ceremonial danc ...
shows and a
topless
Toplessness refers to the state in which a woman's breasts, including her areolas and nipples, are exposed, especially in a public place or in a visual medium. The male equivalent is known as barechestedness.
Social norms around toplessness ...
bike wash.
The event was held over four days, with gates opening on Thursday, running through until Sunday.
In April 2013 it was announced that the 2013 event had been cancelled.
The event returned in 2014 and for 2015.
Comparable events in the USA, on a much larger scale, are
Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and
Daytona Beach Bike Week.
Security and crime
Despite the general public's association of violence and crime with the Hells Angels, the Bulldog Bash had a consistent record of causing the
Warwickshire
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...
Police little trouble, compared to other events of this scale.
There were no police patrols at the site, and no personal searches conducted by police. The Hells Angels maintained security inside the festival grounds themselves.
Inspector Dave Patterson from the
Warwickshire Police
Warwickshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Warwickshire in England. It is the second smallest territorial police force in England and Wales after the City of London Police, with 1,126 regular officers as of Ju ...
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."
The four crimes recorded on the Police Media Portal were all related to theft.
Charities
The Hells Angels's Bulldog Bash 2015 raised £750 for the Coventry and Warwickshire Living Well with Dementia Partnership charity.
References
Further reading
"Warwickshire Police have pledged to continue trying to stop an annual event organised by the Hells Angels, despite it passing off peacefully." ''BBC'' 10 August 2009
"Police apply for Bulldog review" ''BBC'' 25 June 2009
"Police in Bulldog Bash objection" ''BBC'' 30 April 2008
*Newbigging, Chri
"Full highlights from Bulldog Bash" ''MCN'' August 2007.
*Langley, Tes
"Bulldog Bash revs up" ''BBC Coventry and Warwickshire Features''
*Sturcke, Jame
''The Guardian '' 13 August 2007
*Harkness, Timandr
"Angels" ''The Telegraph'' 4 September 2004
*BBC
"Music and machines at the bash" ''BBC Coventry and Warwickshire Features''
*King, Rich
''American-V'', August 2003.
*Rainey, Joy
"Grab some leathers and 'run what ya brung'" ''The Telegraph'' 20 October 2002
*King, Rich
''American-V'', August 2002.
{{Hells Angels Motorcycle Club
Hells Angels
Motorcycle rallies in the United Kingdom