Now in its eighth year, Wheels & Waves is a festival held in the south of France every June in Biarritz, a town best known for its surf culture and great waves.
Over five days, revelers enjoy the Punk’s Peak Sprint Race, Deus Swank Rally, El Rollo Flat Track Race, surf contests, art shows, live music, movie screenings, and hundreds of custom and vintage motorcycles of every shape and size on display.
The focal point of the festival is at the Village Cité de L’Ocean, where a makeshift festival ground is built right by the ocean. Here, vendors sell some of the coolest motorcycle accessories and clothing I’ve ever seen and custom builders show off their bikes. Throughout the day at the village you can be entertained by crazy Frenchmen riding a wall of death (with no helmets or protective gear whatsoever), art installments, skate demos, and surf contests. Then enjoy happy hour at the many pop-up bars before the evening’s live music and movie screenings kick off.