For the first time in years the notorious BMX and skate gathering, held at Waldo RV and Motorsports Park in Florida, was forced to dial down its usual flaming finale due to a regional fire ban. That meant no fireworks and no torching the massive wooden course that normally ends the weekend in spectacular fashion.
Still, Swampfest is Swampfest. Even without the flames, the gathering once again brought together pro riders, misfits and fans from across the BMX and skate (even scooter!) world.
A DIY playground
Swampfest began in 2016 when professional BMX rider Trey Jones decided to build the kind of event riders actually wanted to attend.
The result was a festival that feels like a giant DIY session.
The site at Waldo RV and Motorsports Park is transforms each year with enormous hand-built ramps, bizarre obstacles and sketchy features that would never pass inspection at a traditional competition. Of a fire Marshall inspection.
The format is simple: build ridiculous things and see who is brave enough to ride them.
No fire, but plenty of chaos
Normally the festival ends with one of the most infamous spectacles in action sports: riders torch parts of the course and keep riding while fireworks explode overhead.
This year that wasn’t possible.
Florida’s burn restrictions forced organizers to skip the flames entirely. A major shift for an event where destruction is usually part of the entertainment.
Jones acknowledged the change in a message to fans after the event.
“Thanks y’all… once the burn ban is lifted, I’ll let yall know when the burn jam is,” he wrote. “Stay tuned and thank you again.”
So the course is still going to get torched. We’ll just have to wait for the carnage.
Riding the impossible
Even without the pyrotechnics, the event delivered the usual mix of creativity and carnage.
Events like the Monster Energy Fun House Jam, the Independent Rail Jam, GnarBBQ Log Ride, The Shadow Conspiracy Ramp Jam
The DIY nature of the course means riders often have no idea what they’re dropping into until they’re standing at the top.
That uncertainty is exactly the point.
The spirit of Swampfest lives on
If the fire ban made Swampfest feel slightly more civilized, the energy on site suggested the event hasn’t lost its identity.
Thousands of spectators packed into the venue throughout the weekend, cheering on riders as…
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