Why You Should Go
The 40th Bug Jam, 40 years on from the first one in July 1987
Format
Three Day Festival
Crowd
Large camping crowd across a three day weekend
Vibe
VW camping festival with drag racing and live music
About This Event
Bug Jam is the VW festival where your own Volkswagen can run the quarter mile at Santa Pod Raceway, and anyone without one can push a Beetle down the strip or race it on foot with no engine at all. Three days on a former airfield in Bedfordshire put Pro Mods and nitro Funny Cars on the strip, with campsites, bars and music stages running into the night.
1What to Expect
FuelTech Motorsport UK Pro Modified headlines the drag racing alongside nitromethane Funny Cars, with VW Pro, VW Sportsman, Outlaw Flat Four (any car with a flat four engine), Street Eliminator and 7.60 Heads Up filling the strip. A jet car runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Podzilla, the monster truck, crushes cars in the Live Action Arena Friday to Sunday. The Trade Village, Retrojumble (vintage VW parts, no clothing), Cars 4 Sale and a fun fair run all three days.
Friday and Saturday nights have music across the Main Stage, Dance Tent, BugWam and Fuelers Bar, plus comedy with adult content. Fuelers Bar runs a beer festival Friday to Sunday, Bug Jam Beach sits next to BugWam from Thursday, and all music goes off at 11pm.
Drag racing cannot run on a wet track. When rain stops, the team dries the strip and racing restarts.
2Best Way to Experience It
- The weekend ticket covers Friday, camping on Friday and Saturday night, and the evening music. There is no camping on Sunday night.
- A Thursday Arrival Pass (£28 per vehicle including a £3 booking fee, 2027) gets a weekend ticket holder on site on Thursday until 8pm, with VW Dub Radio DJing in BugWam that night. Passes are limited. Early arrivals go to General Camping 1, and space can no longer be saved for friends arriving later.
- Friday has the VWDRC Pro v Sportsman Shootout in the afternoon, the Bug Push, the jet car and Podzilla, and Run What Ya Brung track sign on until 7pm.
- Saturday is drag qualifying, the human powered quarter mile, the Saturday Show Paddock (cars back to camp by 3pm) and Bug Jam's Got Talent on the main stage from 3.30pm.
- Sunday is drag eliminations and the judged Show & Shine, Rust & Rat class included.
- Spectator banking comes with every admission ticket, and low level chairs are allowed on it but not on paths or access points. Grandstand seats are a separate ticket, and children pay full price for them.
About the Venue
3Nearby Accommodation
While you're in the area
Experiences near Santa Pod Raceway
4Logistics
Getting thereDriving, Public transport, Rideshare and taxis, Best value route, Gates and reentry
Driving
- Santa Pod Raceway is at Airfield Road, Podington, Wellingborough NN29 7XA.
- Coming north up the A6, the venue says sat navs are unreliable: the turn is at Wymington, because there is no way in via Souldrop or Milton Ernest.
- Parking is free, and parking on any roadway is not allowed.
Public transport
- The raceway is rural and has no direct public transport.
- The nearest town is Wellingborough, which has a train station.
Rideshare and taxis
- Taxis wait outside Wellingborough train station, and Uber operates in Wellingborough.
- No fare to the raceway is published.
Best value route
- Without a car, the train to Wellingborough and a taxi or Uber for the last leg is the only way in the venue publishes.
Gates and reentry
- Weekend gates open Friday at 9am, and weekend ticket holders can arrive until 10pm on any day except the last.
- Anyone who leaves the venue pays again to get back in, even with a valid ticket.
Tickets and entryTickets, Bringing things in
Tickets
- Weekend adult tickets are from £108 including a £3 booking fee (Tier 2, 2027), online at santapodtickets.com or by phone on 01234 782828.
- Same day tickets are also sold only online or by phone.
Bringing things in
- Food and drink can be brought in as long as nothing is in glass.
- No glass bottles or jars, no disposable BBQs, no open fires (raised firepits and chimineas are fine in the campsites), no drones and no independent sound systems.
Staying overCamping
Camping
- General, Club and Quiet/Family camping are in grass fields with no hard standing, and caravans, motorhomes, trailer tents and tents are all allowed.
- Weekend electric hook up is a 9 x 9m pitch with a 16 amp supply, sold on top of a weekend ticket.
- Generators go off from 11pm to 8am and there is no driving around site after 9pm.
- Water taps are on site and showers carry a small charge.
5Frequently Asked Questions
?Just want to look around?
Saturday and Sunday day tickets are £30 including a £3 booking fee (Tier 2, 2027), valid from 8am until racing finishes at about 8pm, with no camping or evening music. There are no Friday day tickets, and day ticket car parks close at 9pm.
?Suitable for kids?
Under 5 years go free, and a weekend ticket for ages 5 to 15 years is £21 including a £1 booking fee (2027), or £6 for a single day. The Little Buggerz Kids Zone is for under 10 years only, and Pacific Bounce inflatables have a £15 wristband for unlimited goes. Quiet/Family camping enforces noise curfews. Ear protection is recommended near the track, more so for young children, and is sold at the merchandise outlets. Anyone under 16 years must be with someone over 18 years, and under 18s are not allowed in the bars after 11pm.
?Want to run your own VW?
Run What Ya Brung is for VWs only, with track sign on at £30 on Friday until 7pm and £20 on Saturday from 9.30am to 12.55pm (2027), on top of admission. A crash helmet is mandatory and times come through ETSlips.
?No VW, still want to race?
The human powered race on Saturday is a quarter mile with no engine for bikes, skates, scooters and runners, and under 15 years must be with an adult. The Bug Push on Friday is teams of up to six pushing a Beetle over an eighth of a mile, with no under 12 years and at least two adults per team.
?Bringing the dog?
No dogs or pets are allowed on site. Assistance dog owners have a separate venue page to read first.
?Getting around in a wheelchair?
The raceway is a former airfield of about 155 acres with grass, uneven ground and some tarmac and stone paths, so the weather changes how easy it is to get around. All five toilet blocks have disabled access, and a Disabled Camping Area next to a toilet block and the medical centre is booked by email in advance.
6Cost Breakdown
| 2027 prices | Price |
|---|---|
| Weekend adult | £108 incl. £3 booking fee |
| Weekend child 5 to 15 years | £21 incl. £1 fee |
| Under 5 years free | |
| Day ticket adult | £30 incl. £3 fee |
| Day ticket child | £6 |
| Thursday Arrival Pass | £28 per vehicle |
| Track sign on Friday | £30, Saturday £20 |
| Inflatables wristband | £15 |
| Parking free |
Last verified: 20 October 2026Official link: bugjam.co.uk
Tags
Car DisplaysCampingMulti Day EventShoppingLive MusicAutomotive FestivalWheelchair UsersDragstripFood and DrinkFan FestivalFamilies
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Tickets
From £108