The Great American Rockabilly Riot first began as a birthday celebration that Jake Baca (one of the founders) was throwing for himself but has now turned into a huge two-day festival that includes car shows, a pin-up girl contest, music, live tattooing and this year’s new attraction, the skate demos plus much more.
“We laid out the foundation and over the years it just grew out of control, and outgrew the [Great American] steakhouse,” said one of the event’s organizers Andre Camacho, aka Butch. “About a few years ago, we moved it to Ascarate Lake, and after that we moved it to the Coliseum. This will be the second time we will be holding it there.”
The event is the ideal place to head to for everyone, especially for families who need a fun, less expensive place to go to with their kids. The festival offers plenty of things to do for children: the kiddie play area, booths for kids and children 12 and under will be free of charge. Dave and Buster’s Sports Bar will also be returning to the event and will have an entertaining setup inside and outside the Coliseum.
“Dave and Buster’s will be coming out again. Last year, they had about $5000 worth of prizes, so everybody who plays will have lots of chances to be walking away with something. It definitely beats a carnival where you have to pay to get in and pay to do this and pay to do that. Most everyone wins when they walk up to Dave and Buster’s,” said Baca.
It will be held on September 1st and 2nd and tickets will cost $15 each; two-day passes will be $25 and can be purchased on ticketmaster.com, at any of the locations and by phone. It will start at 11am and end at 10pm with special events held throughout the day (the pin-up contest that starts at 6pm on Saturday). On both days, there will be local and out-of-town bands and artists playing from 1pm until 8pm and a skate ramp (made by Charlie Mendoza who also provided a ramp for Neon Desert) will be open to all skaters.
“It’s definitely something unique. The music is not like anything else. We have bands coming in from California, Las Vegas and different areas from across the country. It’s a whole family event held on Labor Day weekend. It’s really cheap and it’s worth it. You get a lot of bang for your buck,” said Butch.
An after party will be held at the Hilton where long-time local ska-punks Fixed Idea will be playing later Saturday evening, for those who want to continue having fun.
facebook.com/GreatAmericanRockabillyRiot
