Last weekend we headed south of Bacolod City, Philippines for our annual BMX Day event. It started a few years ago in 2015 when long-time friend Paulo wanted to create the BMX equivalent to Go Skateboarding Day. A handful of riders were inspired by a simple Facebook ad and now we see as many as a hundred BMX competitors join together from around the city. Inclement weather and strict city guidelines almost rained on everyone’s parade, but they all carried on and in the end the turnout was quite surprising.
The plan was to arrive earlier to capture a wide selection of photos, but the riders beat us to it. The overall discipline catered to street style with flat ground being the most popular. The occasional ledge and rail played a role as well and all of the riders quickly got warmed up and threw down. The vibe was highly competitive, but having fun on two wheels took precedent. Unfortunately the competition was cut short about halfway through due to rain, but it allowed everyone to take a breather and make new friends all while catching up with the OG’s of the BMX scene on the island.
This year BMX Day featured the release of Coasting; a new, local BMX brand, with major sponsors Illest Philippines, Vans, Enemy Components, Hidden BMX Shop and Lit Co also in attendance.
Top riders from BMX Day will be competing in next month’s Dare Games. Paulo and I will also be competing the following month for this year’s car show and we will see you all there!
Words: Christian Marañon / Editor: Morgan Wilson
Photo: Francis Nava
Video: Joseph Allaraiz
