Viva Skeg Vegas 2022
Words by Joe Halliday & Photos by Ned Faux
Everybody has their favourite shows in the calendar that they look forward to all year round. A chance to meet up with friends from far and wide and catch up with what everyone has been up to.
Some focus their entire builds on unveiling them for the first time at a specific event. Be it for an all-out show car or simply just getting that project on the road and showing your buddies what you’ve been working on. Sometimes, it’s just to get away and have a fun-filled weekend with the family or friends and maybe even for some just a trip for a well earned day out.
There are plenty of top shows here in the UK to choose from, but I hear the same response year-in year-out that the one show that seems to be everybody’s firm favourite and one, that without hesitation, is absolutely unmissable that they return every year without fail. That show is of course Viva Skeg Vegas!
Set in the Revesby Country Park – in the heart of the Lincolnshire Wolds, Viva Skeg Vegas has been a pilgrimage. A treasured gem for many of us for many years and 2022 was possibly the best year yet for the show! Everybody I spoke to had the same opinion that it was hands down the greatest show they had ever been to. From the chilled and welcoming atmosphere to the seamlessly run event itself and an action packed schedule.
Due to the pandemic, this was the first after a 2 year hiatus and the perfect weather helped the weekend go without hitch. But, even in years gone by where the weather hasn’t been so clement the show’s creators, Toby and Sal and their fabulous team, have worked their socks off to ensure that every year the show runs perfectly and that everybody attending has an absolute blast. The show has grown each year for the last 16 years getting bigger and better and after the two years off, this year was no different with a heavy air-cooled attendance with visitors from all over the UK, as well as further afield, including some from as far as Austria, France, Germany, Ireland and the USA!
The show takes place right in the height of summer – Running from Friday 19th to Sunday 21st August this year, with the gates opening on the Friday for setting up camp and getting into the swing of the weekend and running until Sunday afternoon. This year there were more traders than ever, with the central village being full to the brim with a variety of stalls and trade stands to browse.
They had everything! The food and refreshments chosen to suit all tastes, not just the usual burger vans you get at some other events but a full array of proper tasty independent street food that that vendors took massive pride in delivering the best quality and variety of produce, so that there really was something delicious for everyone.
With full bellies, the crowd also had a seemingly endless arena of autojumble, trade stands and crafts – so plenty to explore over the whole weekend. Due to a break down en route I actually hit the autojumble with a bit of a shopping list, and I managed to walk away with everything I needed to get my Bus back in action for the journey home, along with other treats in the bag! My wife was well pleased with her vintage sun lounger she found and I could have spent a small fortune on parts if I hadn’t have been so restrained! With everything from vintage clothing and collectables, to hand made crafts, the traders catered for all, making for a busy and bustling trade arena for the whole weekend.
The big central music tent provided the entertainment and with comfortable hay bales dotted around, and views of the show field and trade area, the main stage tent was the perfect place to meet and greet, hang out and relax during the day, and the hub for activities at night, with a packed line up of live bands, DJ’s and music to provide a beating heart for the show field. Again the line up was chosen to suit all tastes, so there was plenty of choice throughout the weekend to keep all entertained.
With loads of space, the Revesby estate provides spacious camping for all having a huge general camping, club camping and quiet family camps so everyone can set up home happily and get a good nights sleep as well as have fun and relax back at base.
The usual day time events that have become main stays at Skeg were big crowd pullers. From Low Car Limbo, to the Deathtrap Van Club two wheeled carnage. A firm favourite for the kids is always the Skeg Vegas Dog Show, where our furry friends get a chance to compete for prizes which is always great fun to see dogs of all shapes and sizes doing what they do best and be hilarious. Other activities also proved to be massive hits such as the yearly Pie Eating Contest, again providing laughs for those involved and onlookers as competitors stuffed and covered their faces to not be beaten and as ever the Kids area was full of fun to keep the little ones entertained with plenty to do all weekend.
There were a good few new attractions for 2022 as well including the brilliant and well received Big Top Circus.
With all this extra entertainment on tap, it would be easy to forget the main attraction that Skeg has to offer and probably the reason we all love it so much. That is the unbeatable Show and Shine field and car displays that not only beat others in just sheer size, but also remains unrivalled in quality of the vehicles too. It’s something Skeg is known for – The show field is packed with the cream of the crop in Air Cooled and Water cooled classics. Row after row of top-quality and inspirational vehicles fill the field, and the area has many organised multi-vehicle and special displays to show case the more unusual machines.
Mossey Conlon had his field-fresh squashed and sign written Coca Cola barndoor project shipped over from the Netherlands especially for the Hayburner logo Van line up, and this was the first time he himself had seen it in the flesh after being shipped direct to the event. The van was still in its twisted and collapsed state – a sight that many only get to see in the mags and online, but proved a really interesting exhibit to really show how much work goes into getting these hulks straight and useable again. Not long after the show, the van is now looking far better with its restoration in full swing and the salvageable panels being removed to be straightened and painstakingly renovated ready to marry up to new metalwork to make the van whole again on a rebuilt chassis. But it was so interesting to see it in its untouched state!
There was also over 30 air-cooled coach built motorhomes in the ‘Snails Line Up’. These included Karmann built Gypsy’s, Jurgen Autovillas amongst others. I never realised we had so many of them on the UK roads! There was also a great line up of High Top Splits, as well a rare and super cool Early Bay Kemperink freshly put together by VW Rack Shack.
For race fans there was the EMPI sponsored Cal look nostalgia race-car display. They looked unreal lined up with their mad metalflake paint jobs glistening in the sunshine!
Wolfsburg performance services Race car display included Alex Leiserach’s 9.01 second quarter mile Second Coming single cab, the fastest Bay Window in the world.
Irv’s Resto’s display with three of the UK’s best built Barndoors to name but a few.
Our own Hayburner Logo’d Van display had an amazing turn out and was so great to see so many Logo emblazoned Panel Vans in one place.
But special displays aside, the main show and shine field was brim full of absolutely awe inspiring VWs, and it never ceases to be a bedrock for inspiration for everyone to see what others have built in the previous year or two. Loads of the cars debuted on the Sunday, with plenty of fresh ideas and builds on display. Wetting appetites for many show goers to improve and change up their own projects ready for next year! The quality and variety of all in the show and shine really was crazy and trophies dished out at the end to reward the efforts… The trophies themselves were also off the scale! (Toby says massive thanks for everyones effort!)
Toby and Sally would like to thank all their Staff, Traders and Contractors and importantly the visitors to the show!
With special thanks to Sponsors: EMPI, MEGUIARS, HAYBURNER, IRV’s, KINGSTOWN SHIPPING, JUST KAMPERS, OB1, THINK TANK GRAPHICS, SRP Hire Solutions.
And trophy makers. Seaside Neil, Deluxe Restoration, Irv’s Oil Can, Melliards Modern, Hayburner, Meguiars, Deathtrap VC, Flat Six Jack, RSVP, Garage 87, T2D, Classics at the Club House, Air Cooled Accessories, Danger Sign, OGB, Rapid Rodent Racing Clarkes Automotive, The Paint Box, Eva Resto, Trong, Slammed N’ Cammed, Midland Early Bay, Flat Four Clothing, Dog in Hat DeadHaus, Chimp, DTA.
Next years show dates are 18th 19th 20th August 2023
Toby and Sally have decided that in order to protect the integrity of their event, weekend camping tickets have been capped. So there are only a limited amount of Weekend tickets available.
Air-cooled VW tickets are on sale now over at www.vivaskegvegasvw.co.uk and regular VW tickets will be on sale 30th November but Non-VW will be on sale later next year.
