Bug Jam 31 Report / Gallery / Video

Bug Jam 31 Gallery

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Bug Jam 31 Report

Despite the promise of rain and wind, you climbed into your Campers and bundled into your Beetles by the thousand! As tents went up, flags got hoisted, campers got unpacked and the BBQS lit – that festival feeling was well and truly in the air. The weather was hideous but it didn’t dampen your spirits – you hardcore Bug Jammers still partied the nights away and enjoyed all the off-track action we had lined up.

The Live Action Arena was running all weekend with mind-blowing performances from the death-defying Terry Grant with his legendary stunts and awesome quad bike extraordinaire Jason Smyth whilst Podzilla and Swamp Thing were roaring around their enclosure, delighting kids and adults alike with jaw-dropping jumps and crushing power. Cool Flo brought their team of outstanding Pro riders showcasing BMX demos throughout the weekend.

In Fuelers bar on Friday we had a hard-fought Air Hockey competition with the largest group of competitors to date. Well done to Jared Marks who walked away the trophy!

The Main Stage kicked off the weekends evening entertainment with Southchurch and Wham!Duran with Reverend and the Makers headlining; The Dance Zone showcased Clubland bringing us the best and biggest dance hits to dance to until the early hours; we got our groove on over in the Retro Zone with Motown Gold playing infamous songs from songwriting legends; Havnt Stopped Dancing Yet! had us partying all night long with 70s & 80s tracks over in Fuelers Bar.

Saturday lunchtime, the Table Tennis competition was under way in Fuelers Bar with both adults and kids alike playing for the trophy. Well done to Terry Templeman!

Bug Wam provided the ultimate refuge from the rain in the afternoon; comfy sofas and live acoustic music created the perfect mellow vibe until the skies cleared. Little Buggerz kept the kiddies entertained with all sorts of workshops, activities, shows and games to get stuck into.

Saturday lunchtime, the Table Tennis competition was under way in Fuelers Bar with both adults and kids alike playing for the trophy. Well done to Terry Templeman!

The Autoglym Show & Shine Competition was on Saturday this year showcasing an outstanding congregation of VWs; the show paddock saw all types of pristine and stunning automobiles of all shapes and sizes. Whether you were there to see the ultimate custom car, rare original or restored beauty – this impressive line-up of VWs had something for everyone making judging this year particularly hard! We salute all of you who entered – you did us proud! Well done to the winners of the following classes:

On Saturday afternoon, the Main Stage hosted Bug Jam’s Got Talent where it was the audiences chance to be the stars of the show. We saw all ages take part with singers, guitarists, dancers and even a Traffic Warden! It was a tough decision for the judges this year with some serious talent to choose from; in the end, it was Beth Croxford who took the prize and the trophy.

With a refreshing and modern take on ska and reggae, The Kubricks opened the Main Stage for us on Saturday night. Shakin’ their tail feathers and wearing those signature sunglasses, The All New Blues and Soul Revue, Blue Brothers tribute band, had us boogieing the night away with their iconic tunes. Dancing and singing along to their big hits such as ‘Sugar Coated Iceberg’ and ‘Lucky You’, Indy legends, Ian Brodie and the Lightning Seeds headlined the Main Stage transporting us back to the 90s!

Legendary dance label, Ministry of Sound hosted the Dance Zone on Saturday night whilst over in the Retro Zone, Electronic 90s, Daft Punk Tribute and The Acid Brothers relived the golden era of dance music at Bug Jam. We partied hard over in Fuelers Bar, the Silent Disco kept those decks spinning with a variety of tunes to boogie along to till the very early hours!

Although no qualifying or eliminations took place with the invited race classes, the RWYB on Friday and Saturday was well supported by general public and entered racers alike. The Jet cars were inevitably some of the fastest vehicles to frequent the ¼ mile with Martin Hill leading the pack with an incredible 5.85 pass at 268mph. The Outlaw Anglia’s were amongst the quickest vehicles with Colin Millar making a solid 7.75 second pass. Unfortunately, we did lose a vehicle during the RWYB in the form of Sam Young and the awesome record holding BlackCurrent VW Pro Beetle. Thankfully, driver Sam Young was OK but the same can’t be said for the car after it turned into the wall past the finish line and proceeded to roll down the shutdown area. We wish Sam and Oli all the best and hope to see them back at the track (with a new car) sometime soon. The RWYB competition was hard fought so we’d like to congratulate the following winners:

The Show Paddock on Sunday hosted the Rust & Rat competition. We saw an awesome array of styles and designs on display. This competition is always tough as it can prove to be instinctive and abstract. However, after many turns around the paddock, I’m sure you’ll agree, the winners were as follows:

From beetles to buses, campers to caddies and golfs to ghias – Bug Jam 31 saw them all! We hope you enjoyed your weekend as much as we did (despite the rain!) and had a fun and action-packed festival. Thank you to everyone who brought a VW along, especially the clubs and those of you who get involved with the competitions. See you next year at Bug Jam 32!!!

Adverse Weather Ticket Credit Value

As a result of Bug Jam 31 being severely affected by adverse weather, please retain your day tickets as a credit value has been attributed to your ticket. Full details on the Ticket Page.