The Bulldog Bash was an annual

motorcycle rally A motorcycle rally is a gathering of motorcycling, 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 Association#Iron Butt Rally, Iron Butt Rally invo ...

, 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 just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...

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 a worldwide outlaw motorcycle club whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporatio ...

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

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tents,

motorcycle racing Motorcycle racing (also called moto racing and motorbike racing) is the motorcycle sport of racing motorcycles. Major varieties include motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Ot ...

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, most c ...

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 ...

traditionally featured high on the bill, including a

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shows and a

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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 The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is a motorcycle rally held annually in Sturgis, South Dakota, and the surrounding Black Hills region of the United States. It began in 1938 by a group of Indian Motorcycle riders and was originally held for stunts a ...

and

Daytona Beach Bike Week Daytona Beach Bike Week, also called Daytona Bike Week, is a motorcycle event and rally held annually in Daytona Beach, Florida. Since 2021, events have been added in DeLeon Springs. Approximately 500,000 people make their way to the rally area f ...

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 county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

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 only 823 (full-time equivalents ...

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.

History

Security and crime

Charities

References

Further reading