Whitley Bay Festival of Motorcycles

[Guest Nickki]

This year will see the first ever "Whitley Bay Festival of Motorcycles" take place from Friday 10th to Sunday 12th August, on the Beaconsfield at Tynemouth.

Organised jointly by North East Region MAG and The Avalon Hotel Whitley Bay, with the backing of North Tyneside Council, the Festival will be a celebration of all things motorised and two-wheeled. Exhibitors will include custom bikes and trikes, scooters, classic and vintage machines. There will be attractions, demonstrations and presentations from all manner of motorcycle clubs, traders and dealers.

The event will open on Friday at 12 pm, with both weekend camping tickets and day tickets available in order to make it an event open to everyone, whether to enjoy the motorcycles combined with taking in the delights of Whitley Bay and Tynemouth for the weekend, or for families and enthusiasts alike to just soak up the atmosphere and admire the bikes on display. Live music will be playing throughout the daytime and in the evening, after the day ticket holders leave, top local bands will be appearing in the main marquee.

Saturday morning will kick-off with more displays and presentations and, in the afternoon, there will be a Grand Cavalcade of motorcycles along the picturesque sea-front to Whitley Bay itself, which will then return for the bike show presentations. The standard of entries for the bike show is expected to be very high with categories for classics, modern and custom machines. British, European, and Japanese bikes and those from the New World will be in the show. There will be strong representation from local clubs and it is hoped the show will attract many more unusual entrants! Music will again be playing throughout the day and in the evening.

For those wishing to explore the local area, there is one of the best beaches in the North of England just across the road from the show field, perfect for paddling and rock pooling.

Whitley Bay and Tynemouth both have an abundance of hospitable hostelries and Newcastle upon Tyne is only half an hour's metro ride away. Further afield, the beautiful Northumberland coast, Hadrian’s Wall country and the Cheviot hills are less than an hour away, on some of the best riding roads in the country!

An absolute must, when in Whitley Bay, is to call into The Avalon Hotel on South Parade for a drink and a bite to eat. The Avalon has been under the management of Mick & Kath Farwell, who are jointly organising the Festival with NE MAG, for the past couple of years and they have developed a broad clientele, but with an emphasis on motorcyclists. They keep real ales and an excellent collection of malt whisky. B&B is available at excellent rates (with MAG members’ discount) for those wishing for more salubrious accommodation than a tent!

Camping this year will be for up to 900 people, keeping the intimate atmosphere of a smaller rally, but with the added attraction of a multitude of things to see and do during the day.

From this small beginning it is hoped that the Festival will grow in subsequent years to become one of the premier attractions in the motorcycle calendar.