Early in the month of October is when the annual Las Vegas Bikefest event takes place. Bikefest used to be a citywide celebration, but that has changed during the last decade. Now that the corporate resorts on the Las Vegas Strip have alienated their oldest clientele bases, this mass celebration of the motorbike lifestyle is now held in downtown Las Vegas. The Fremont Entertainment District and Cashman Center are the places to be during Bikefest, which is where the old school traditions of Las Vegas still thrive. The 2013 Bikefest events on Fremont Street and at Hogs & Heifers Saloon were featured in a previous article. The party was just warming up on Fremont Street while I was there, when I heard that Blue Oyster Cult was headlining at the Cashman Center Bikefest event, so I hopped in a cab and scooted on down the road. After arriving at Cashman Center, I was instantly struck with awe. The parking lot was filled with thousands of motorcycles that stretched out as far as the eyes can see. The scene at Cashman Center was pure hog heaven! When I got to the admission gate and met the attendant, I mentioned that I brought a big camera to photograph the bikes for a promotional blog article. The biker attendant smiled and let me in for free just to help publicize the event, so I was as happy as a peach in a tree! I immediately got to work with the picture taking mission and proceeded to have a good time soaking up the sights and sounds of one of the world's biggest biker rallies. There was plenty going on and plenty of great motorbike eye candy to see at the Cashman Center Bikefest main event! Custom bike shop vendors had their wares on display and many provided on the spot custom shop services for LED lighting, sound system installment and pin striping. T-Shirt shops, patch stands, psychics, custom metal jewelry vendors and memorabilia tents were all located outside the convention center. There were plenty of food trucks, beer tents, BBQ wagons and lemonade stands on site too. American motorcycle manufacturers were the prime attraction at Cashman Center. I have always been an Indian Motorcycle fan and this company sure does make some nice classic style bikes in today’s modern age. After drooling over the Indian bikes, I continued to salivate all over the Harley’s and Victory bikes that were parked in the manufacturer area. I took plenty of pictures while popping back and forth to see the Blue Oyster Cult concert and met a few interesting characters along the way. A loud heavy rock band from the 1970s, like Blue Oyster Cult was the perfect entertainment choice for the Cashman Center Bikefest event! I have not seen this band since I was a teenager in Miami, back when concert ticket prices were $2.00. Oddly enough, the Blue Oyster Cult biker security roadie by the band stage gate saw me taking pictures with my big camera and he said in a deep rough tough voice, “You got three minutes, man!” At first, I was confused as to whether I had three minutes to live or get out of town, then he pointed at the stage and opened the gate. Enlightenment quickly set in and I did not even hesitate to get up front of the stage to get a few good pictures of the Blue Oyster Cult live at Bikefest! That sure was a good Bikefest picture taking moment and I was mighty thankful for the opportunity. After hearing the Blue Oyster Cult perform their golden hit songs “Don’t Fear The Reaper” and “Godzilla” at full blast volume, which actually felt pretty good at the time, I lingered about till the concert was over and chatted with some Local Las Vegas bikers. After the lights were dimmed at Cashman Center, I walked back to the big Bikefest party that was going on at Fremont Street and the Hogs & Heifers Saloon. The 2013 Las Vegas Bikefest was a wild evening of music, motorbikes and bikers from around the globe having a good time. This yearly event ties in with the month long Halloween celebrations in Las Vegas, so the party does not end here. Las Vegas Bikefest is an event that simply must be experience when touring downtown early in the month of October!
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