One of my favourite events of the year is back this Sunday the 4th of August on the Southsea Common!
Beach Dubbin’ is an annual not-for-profit Volkswagen and classic vehicle event held along the seafront to raise as much money for charity as possible. Organised by volunteer organisers Charlotte Crotty, Jason Crotty, Sue Sharley, and Grant Sharley. They work so hard to make this event bigger and better every year! With the help of the whole show crew that is made up of incredible volunteers, it highlights what can be achieved in the city.
History of the Show
Established in 2018, this VW-loving crew have made this local must-visit event a huge success and attracted more supporters each time. The first year it started, me and my family went along and just loved the vibe. Now we have our own camper, we can’t wait to head on down to meet other VW camper enthusiasts and also walk around the stalls and food that is going to be there!
What I loved even before I owned my own camper is that Beach Dubbin attracts all kinds of Volkswagens – aircooled, watercooled, vintage, modern, plus lots of other vintage and classic vehicles. It just has that vibe and I love it sits 10 minutes from my house so I don’t have to drive far to park up and enjoy the atmosphere!
Six Years and Counting
Beach Dubbin’ is entering its sixth year and has raised £82,017.40 to date for various local charities and causes! This year, the non-profit organisation is supporting Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, as well as other amazing local charities and community projects.
Being one of the only free-to-attend events for the walking public in the local calendar, and knowing that all the money raised goes to charity, really makes it a cool thing to pop along to.
All the vehicle owners of interest that want to attend on the day only have to pay £10 and the gates open at 10am. Other vehicle owners will find local parking very close by and within walking distance of the common. The show is very family-friendly and as inclusive as possible.
Supporting Local
Apart from Victorious, this show is one of the few that really taps into the local independent scene we have here so you will see some of our greatest independent traders and food stands like The Southsea Deli, Need Street and other names you love!
Heather Leather will be back with her famous VW bunting to sell as well as accessories like cushions and wall hangings, so if you haven’t bought a piece of bunting for your camper yet, now is your chance!
What’s On
This year at Beach Dubbin’ you can find performances from Andrei Burton (multi Guinness Book of World Records holder, and contestant on Britain’s Got Talent), Jiggy Wrigglers, Cosplayers from Dream Team (official partner of Portsmouth’s Comicon), DJ – DJ Gazman and Eddie Lovebus, Circus Skills, and much more.
There is a dedicated family area, with family-friendly catering, some free sessions from Jiggy Wrigglers, and some paid-for activities. There is also the Portsmouth Breastfeeding Network offering advice and a space to feed babies and littles.
Chatting to Charlotte, one of the main organisers of the day, she said, “We try to make our show as family-friendly, and as inclusive as possible. We just want everyone to have a wonderful day with us, and enjoy the vehicles and the show as much as we do! The show is exclusively run by volunteers, and all profits less the cost of the show are donated to charity. No one except them earns a penny out of the show, and this is something we are incredibly proud of.”
I have been styling out our camper with my camping bits I love and can’t wait to sit in the sunshine and experience a fab day that I am proud to say happens in my city!
Beach Dubbin Starts at 10am until 4pm on Sunday and if you are walking there, you just rock up and enjoy this FREE event.
To celebrate this fabulous show, Stay Lucky Southsea are offering all their enamel camping mugs to camper lovers and supporters of the show for HALF PRICE. Just say BEACHSTAY24 code at the till and 20% off coffees on Sunday for walkers walking down to the common.
