Sunshine, bikes and burgers, it’s Devon’s Daytona Beach
Paignton seafront was rammed with bikes at the weekend for the annual BMAD Festival fundraiser
The May Bank Holiday was an absolute scorcher and MCN joined thousands of bikers rolling into Torbay for the BMAD Bike Festival. This immense gathering held around Paignton Beach features bands, stands, beer, burgers and an incredible turnout of every kind of bike.
Given the weather it should come as no surprise that more than a few people compared it to Daytona Bike Week and we caught up with organiser Kelvin Halloran to find out what it was all about. He said: “In 2002 we founded BMAD (Bikers Make A Difference) to raise money for sick, disabled and disadvantaged children in the local area. We’ve got half-a-mile of tarmac right along the beach, so we decided to hold a bike night where people could meet up to show off their machines.” From the first one in 2003 it grew rapidly into a regular Wednesday night fixture, attracting thousands throughout the summer. “We were the first of its kind in the South West,” continued Kelvin, “and it was so successful that after two years we decided to hold a festival. It must be one of the biggest in the country by now and we’re expecting tens of thousands of visitors this time round.”
The festival is not ticketed which means that only rough estimates on numbers are possible, however, having surveyed the seafront from a vantage point on the pier, we think that Kelvin’s not far wrong. Not only was there at least a mile’s worth of bikes on site, as we filtered through town almost every hotel and B&B had a cluster out front too. And there were countless more in the nearby park and other areas set aside as overflow areas. Deborah Gilson comes every year and rode up from Cornwall on her Triumph Street Twin. She said: “There are so many people here from all different walks of life brought together by a common interest. It’s friendly, warm and great fun.”
With a nod to the weather and the efforts of those involved, 2018 looks set to be BMAD’s most successful fundraiser to date. Kelvin’s hoping to donate at least £50,000 after deducting event costs, which will take their running total to over £500,000. “Without the volunteers, we couldn’t do it,” he said. “I just can’t thank them enough for giving up their time: it makes all the difference.”
‘We are brought together by a common interest’