Big Bang - VW Festival / Show

Big Bang Camper & Bus Show 2010
23rd to 25th April at Santa Pod Raceway - The Fun & Friendly Family VW Festival

The first and the funniest VW festival on the calendar, once again in association with Volksworld Camper and Bus. With high-octane racing and slow-paced vibes, Big Bang is anything you want it to be… provided you want it to be Vee Dub!

Three days of VW fun in the sun with great racing, music and comedy at the home of European Drag Racing! All Beetles and buses, campers and Karmanns are welcome at the show to enjoy the Run What Ya Brung (RWYB), show & shine, Drag Racing, or simply filling the camp sites with VWs and chilling out.

Gates open Friday 23rd April at 9am for weekend ticket holders.

What's on at Big Bang Camper & Bus Show:

VW only Run What Ya Brung (Fri + Saturday) - Take your own VW down the strip on Saturday! Learn the basics of Drag Racing, beat your mates and test your car in a safe and legal environment. All drivers must bring a valid driving licence to sign on.

RWYB Open Times: Fri 2pm-7pm, Sat 9.30am-5pm

RWYB competition with classes - Everyone signing on for RWYB will be put into classes to find the fastest Bug, Splittie, Bay, Type 3 etc.

See the RWYB page for more info on RWYB and competition classes.

If you can't wait until Big Bang, visit www.RWYB.com for a full calendar of RWYB dates at Santa Pod Raceway.

Drag Racing (Sunday + Saturday 5pm-8pm qualifying) - Things get serious on the dragstrip on Sunday with championship drag racing from the VWDRC classes of VW Pro and VW Sportsman plus the hot rods of Super Modified, Street Eliminator and Outlaw Anglia, along with 8.50 Bike, 9.50 Bike, Sportsman ET and Junior Dragster. More info on the Drag Racing Page.

Show & Shine Competition (Sunday) - Got an awesome custom car, rare original or restored stunner? Whatever species of VW it is, if it looks cool, get it into the Show and Shine on Sunday. It's free to enter and you'll be sure to have a crowd. (VWs only – sorry, no VAG).

Classes:

Best of Show – the car that has everything
Best Original – the way VW intended it to be
Best Custom – the wildest modifications
Best Interior – the best view from inside
Best Exterior – the best paint and bodywork
Best Engine – the tidiest engine bay
Best Beetle – the best Bug of any era
Best Other Air-cooled - Type 3’s, KGs etc
Best Watercooled – the best Golf, Lupo, Polo etc
Best Split – the best “splitscreen” type 2 van/bus/pickup/camper
Best Bay – the best “bay window” type 2 van/bus/pickup/camper
Best Wedge, T4, T5 – the best late-model van/bus/pickup/camper
Best Camper Interior – the best place to lay your head or have your lunch

How to Take Part:

Get your vehicle over to the Show & Shine area in the Live Action Arena on Sunday Morning (from 9am… please no earlier!), where you will be parked up.
Fill in your entry form, available from the Show & Shine unit.
Make sure you're back in the Show & Shine area for the presentations at 2pm to see if you've won.

New for 2010! – GET YER RAT OUT! (Saturday)

Due to the ever-increasing popularity of the Show & Shine, we have been running out of space on Sunday for the last two years. To make room for more shiny show cars, we have added an extra show day just for rat-lookers, daily drivers and unrestored originals. If you lust for rust or are partial to patina, then get your car, van or bus into the Rat line-up in the Live Action Arena between 9am and 1pm and we’ll be awarding trophies for the coolest Bus, Bug and Other VW.

How to Take Part:

Get your vehicle over to the Show & Shine area in the Live Action Arena on Saturday morning (from 9am… please no earlier!), where you will be parked up.
Fill in your entry form, available from the Show & Shine unit.
Make sure you're back in the Show & Shine area for the presentations at 1pm to see if you've won.

VolksWorld Show & Go Competition - The Big Bang Show & Go competition returns for 2010, where having a great looking car and going quickly on the strip can both earn you points. A new scoring and entry system will make it easier than ever to take part, and all you have to pay is your RWYB track fee as usual. Full details on the Show & Go page.

Fireforce Jet Car - This is the most famous Jet car in Europe, and probably the fastest in the world. The diver, Martin Hill, makes 6-second quarter-mile runs look easy, but there’s nothing straightforward about handling this sort of power! The motor generates the equivalent of 10,000bhp, and just being able to see straight under this kind of acceleration is a major task!

Live Music - As always there will be plenty of live music with bands on Friday and Saturday afternoons in Fuelers Bar plus of course the evening entertainment on Friday and Saturday, in Fuelers Bar and the Big Top.

Friday Night:
Big Top - Dance Night
Funky House/Anthems from DJandyB then Lee Dagger
Bar - Soul Night
Live band Pure Genius plus DJ.

Saturday Night:
Big Top - Pop Tribute Night
Duffy 9pm, Lady Gaa Gaa 10pm, Scissor Sisterz 11pm
Bar - Indy & Rock
Live covers band Blue Renegades plus DJ.

Friday Daytime:
The Submission
plus more TBC

Saturday Daytime:
Stuck in 2nd
Hot Fiction
Audiopirates

More details on the Music page.

Live Comedy / Magic - Alistair Cook has been called the UK's answer to David Blaine. His passion for magic began at 13, when he started flicking through conjuring manuals..he went on to present Secret World of Magic on Sky One. An amazing magic act with a little comedy thrown in. Time tbc

Monster Truck - At Big Bang for the first time, the Podzilla Monster Truck is here to crush into the tarmac thousands of pounds worth of classic VWs… only kidding, we promise that you’ll shed no tears when that crappy Citroen gets squashed. You’ll be too impressed by the awesome power and huge jumps this 5-tonne brute can perform anyway. Just sit back and enjoy.

Freestyle Motocross - The UKFMX riders will be performing gravity defying tricks as they jump between ramps in the Live Action Arena.

Alternative Energy Racing - Running on the track on Friday in sessions will be Alternative Energy Racing, showcasing current production vehicles, university projects, prototypes and even home-builds, with the emphasis being that performance doesn’t have to be polluting. If you’ve got a alternative fuel or electric car, bike or truck (not just VW!) and would like to take part, please get in contact through the AE Racing website.

There are two titles being contested: Alternative Fuel Vehicle and Zero Emission Vehicle. Full details at www.aeracing.org.

Clubs - Display areas and club camping areas are available to book. Call 01234 782828 to book your spot, discounts available on large group bookings. More club info on the Clubs page.

The first clubs to book for Big Bang 2010 are: The Pothole Dodgers, Dub Pirates, Herts VWOC, Suffolk Bugrs, Retrosexual, Der Blitzen Sphincters, London And Thames Valley VW Club, The Shoe County Dubbers, PKW, Brauner Stern, and DIY Dubs.

VW Camper & Bus Campsite - After its success last year as well as general camping and family camping there will be a separate Camper & Bus camping field for Buses, Vans and Campers.

Family / Quiet Camping Area - This year there will be a Quiet Camping area with no noise after 11, as well as Family Camping for those with little-uns. For Family Camping, ask for a pass from the main gate when you arrive, it's first come first served and you will need to have kids in your car/van. For Quiet Camping just follow signs, also first come first served.

Handling Track - A short but tight auto-test circuit to show who’s in charge at the wheel. This was tremendous fun last year, and once again it’s free to enter and open to all VWs. Weave in and out of
the cones and then reverse-park your way to victory! All runs are timed, and the fastest of the day takes home a trophy. Free to enter, road legal VWs only, driving licence needed. (Saturday only)

Fun Fair Rides - Come out and play at the fun-fair, then stuff your face with candyfloss.

AutoTrader Cars For Sale Paddock - Just like the small ads, but instead of a little picture, you get to look at the whole car! Free for buyers and sellers. Just turn up on the day.

Traders - Supplying VW parts, new and vintage, clothes, festival gear, unique products and services! Also, check out the Pod Shop for daily essentials and Big Bang merchandise.

Autojumble

Buyers: Autojumble is your chance to find rare & vintage parts for your classic Vee-Dub.

Sellers: If you have a veritable scrapyard of second hand parts at home or just a handful of spares, autojumble is the place to sell. Please phone 01234 782828 to book your spot in advance or it's first come first served on the day, pitches are £20 in advance or £25 on the day, plus weekend ticket.

BMX Ramp - Pro riders will be putting on regular demonstration shows on the Big Bang BMX ramp over the weekend. The ramp will also be open for public sessions each day.

Jet Beetle - Ronnie Picardo is back with his flame-throwing Blue Max Jet Beetle. Using a real VW Beetle as a base, and then fitted with a jet motor instead of the flat four, Ronnie has seriously upped the power and noise-levels of the original vehicle. This car is technically taxed and tested, but I’m not sure you’d get away with running that jet in a tailback! With over 30ft of flames out the back, you’d need to be careful when you flipped the afterburner switch.

Circus Whiz - The very best interactive circus skills workshop for all the family: set in a fun packed inflatable circus ring with two entertainers. Learn how to juggle balls, clubs, diablos, devil sticks; spin a rope or plate; walk on pedal-gos, cup or fun stilts or just come and play. (Sat & Sun).

On Friday evening there will also be face-painting, balloon modeling & a short comedy magic show. (5pm-7pm, Fuelers Bar, Friday)

Kids Disco - With music, games, kids entertainer and a chance to meet Nitro The Dragon, under-11s will have a ball at the kids disco. (5.30pm-7.00pm, Fuelers Bar, Saturday)

2 Seater Dragster - For the ultimate thrill ride, the 7 second Santa Pod 2 Seater Dragster will be running at Big Bang with passenger rides available for £250. Details at www.santapod.com.

Nitro FM 96.2 - Based in Race Control and broadcasting live during Big Bang. You will be able to get Nitro FM in your car, portable radios and the pretuned earpiece (available in the shop). Listen to track commentary as it happens with driver interviews and competitions.

Nitro FM want you to get involved when they're on air - text POD followed by your message to 88222, with questions, messages or just request your favourite tune.

Follow Big Bang - You can now keep up to date with all the latest news from Big Bang and Santa Pod Raceway on Facebook, Youtube and Twitter.

Plus:
Food & Drink - Full catering and bar facilities all weekend, with food to suit every taste.
Sideshows - kids entertainment, weird and wonderful VW-related madness and more.

Big Bang 2009 Report and Gallery

If you didn't make it to the 2008 Big Bang then find out what you missed with the 2009 Report and 2009 Photo Gallery.

News Letter: Fill out your e-mail address to receive the Santa Pod VW News Letter.