PRESS RELEASE: NORTHWEST TUNE-UP FESTIVAL
Nicely over 5,500 individuals gathered within the Downtown Waterfront neighborhood of Bellingham final weekend to journey bikes, dance to music and have fun a shared connection to Pacific Northwest tradition in the course of the second annual Northwest Tune-Up competition. Various communities from Bellingham and past got here collectively and created an overwhelmingly constructive atmosphere paying homage to a group block get together.
Competition-goers had an entire new expertise in 2023 – a results of the organizers listening to group and exhibitor suggestions after the primary competition in 2022. Exhibitor Village, Bellingham Makers Market, Portal Container Market, Kulshan Trackside Brewery and a handful of occasions – together with the Zero Gravity Bike Present and Airbag Bounce Session – have been a part of a brand new public area that invited non-ticketholders to be a part of the competition vitality. Updates to the competition structure, facilities, hours of operation and versatile ticketing choices contributed to an improved group expertise for all attendees.
Over 50 bike manufacturers have arrange store within the Exhibitor Village to present attendees the chance to display bikes, uncover new gear or purchase merchandise. For biking manufacturers based mostly exterior of Bellingham, the competition was a contemporary method to join with new audiences and biking followers.
“Tune-Up is essentially the most related bicycle competition taking place in the US proper now,” stated Allan Cooke, Senior Advertising & PR Supervisor at Specialised Bicycles, one in every of Tune-Up’s title sponsors. “Numerous historical past [bike] Festivals haven’t stored up with the best way individuals journey bikes. We need to journey bikes and have enjoyable on the similar time. I come right here realizing that I’ve prime class driving in entrance of me on a regular basis. Every thing is right. The driving, the music, the individuals, the environment, the beer backyard… it hits all of the buttons.”
The bike and music competition unofficially kicked off on Thursday thirteenth July in the course of the Freehub PRESENTS Movie Competition on the Mount Baker Theatre, the place 10 unbiased biking movies have been screened to over 800 individuals, leaving audiences excited for the weekend forward.
As it’s also a real music competition, this 12 months’s music program introduced 24 proficient bands from all over the world to downtown Bellingham. The musical performances began at 2:30 p.m. every day and lasted late into the evening. Usually, the music on the principle stage ends at 10:30 p.m. Nevertheless, there’s an after get together each night with extra music from the competition bands.
The Northwest Tune-Up 2023 was additionally one thing particular for the artists. Band members from Brother’s Comatose test-ride bikes across the Waterfront Bike Park, and The Crystal Technique spent his complete Sunday on the competition along with his household after headlining on Saturday evening.
“It has at all times been the intention of this competition to present again to Bellingham – to create extra out of doors infrastructure and supply funding for applications which can be vital to us,” stated Eric Brown, co-founder of Northwest Tune-Up.
Whatcom Mountain Bike Coaltion (WMBC), which managed the competition’s beer backyard, generated practically $100,000 value of beer gross sales that can fund future WMBC initiatives.
“WMBC will use these funds for path improvement,” stated Eric Brown, who can also be government director of WMBC. “We are going to make investments it within the new methods we’re engaged on in Galbraith; new path planning with the Division of Pure Sources at Olsen Creek on Stewart Mountain; and infrastructure and applications that get individuals exterior and on bikes, just like the Lummi Island Bike Park improvement.”
SPECIALIZED P.SERIES PUMP TRACK DRAG RACE
MAXXIS JUMP JAM
Respect for the nation that got here earlier than us.
Northwest Tune-Up acknowledges that we dwell on the normal, ancestral and unceded territory of the Lummi individuals, the Native peoples of northernmost shoreline Washington and southern British Columbia. From time immemorial they’ve celebrated life on their land, on their waterways and on the normal, ancestral and unceded lands of their individuals to take care of their lifestyle.
From the start, partnerships have been an integral a part of the Northwest Tune-Up. Assist from the Metropolis of Bellingham, the Port of Bellingham, native companies and numerous bike manufacturers has paved the best way for the competition’s development. Equally vital is the competition’s dedication to charitable organizations and group heritage, which has contributed to the particular vitality of the competition.
