It was about time for the Volcom Garden Experience to take place in the backyard of Volcom’s European HQ, an area where surfing and skateboarding culture meet.
For the first time, the mini-festival landed at Atabal in Biarritz, France, bringing together skate, surf, art, and independent music enthusiasts of all ages and nationalities, alongside iconic members of the Volcom family, for a one-day celebration.
Guests had the opportunity to meet and greet surf misfit and artist Ozzie Wright at his art show (staying up for one month after the event), or bump into the Volcom skate team barbecuing on the grass!
A creative market gathered illustrators and artists collaborating with the brand or revolving around the Volcom universe (Bruno Lucas, Freak City, Arthur Longo, Issam Auptel, Yoann Fournier, Margot Rozies, Tortuga 666, Wrong Film Club, Bodhi Leigh-Jones, La Granda Hot Sauces), showcasing and selling their work, alongside SkateHer and Biarritz Skatepark providing free lessons, and Panther and Bing Surfboards offering sales.
As a special highlight, any first purchase from the market included a free 7-inch vinyl or CD album courtesy of Volcom Entertainment at the Volcom booth, in addition to the free goodies and live screen-printed posters by our buddies from Coloriage.
In front of the skatepark, kids were rewarded for skate tricks, and the big boys & girls got cash for tricks over the fire hydrant in between live bands, encouraged by the whole Volcom skate team and tunes from Jimmy De Kok and Christian Bolognaise.
And then there was a bunch of live bands! Foggy Tapes opened the outdoor stage with their 60s garage sounds, followed by Soweto’s Twenty One Children who ignited the mosh pit, and YAR (Paris) who pushed the crowd further into party mode. The action then moved indoors where Big Idea performed to a full house at Atabal. After that, the already sweaty bodies got crushed during an intense set from Cold Stress at the bar stage (that got destroyed). The last band was Volcom Garden’s regulars Iguana Death Cult presenting their new album “Guns Out”. They got everyone dancing when Bella Bizarre and Pascalleader joined them on stage for a Go-Go performance, and the public asked for more. DJ Tony Garagist closed the bar, and everyone went home asking themselves what just happened…
A billion thanks to everyone who joined, all performers and exhibitors, staff, and to our partners Atabal, Skatepark de Biarritz, and Basqueland beer!