For the last few years, Margaret Street has played host, yearly, to a celebration of all things ‘Classic’ and ‘Rock’a’Billy’ — from cars and bikes, to food and beer, and everything in-between. This May 5th, beginning from 10am, and with the thunderous roar of engines, the ground will shake, as thousands of Bikers and Hotrodders alike descend upon the town and make it their own. So grab your best gal and drop by for 12 hours of the very best food, music, atmosphere and all things ‘Kustom Kulture’.

The brainchild of the Rick’s Garage staff, the Timewarp Festival was put together with one goal – to celebrate everything ‘Kustom Kulture’. As such, every year the festival hosts a number of fun and competitive contests to find the very best examples of custom cars, bikes and ‘Pin-Up’ girls – with a range of prizes up for grabs for the crowned victors. This year there’s a restriction being placed on applicable car entrants. In an effort to conserve the limited car parking, organisers have decided to restrict entrance to the era pre-1970, with careful consideration thereafter being taken to select only the very best examples of ‘Kustom Kulture’. On the other-hand, Bike entries are unrestricted and very strongly encouraged. The ‘Miss Timewarp‘ pin-up competition is a Rock’a’Billy style contest, and will of course be held once again this year, with the 10 hand picked, gorgeous finalists to be revealed. These finalists will face off on the day, before a crowning can be carried out in-front of their adoring public.

This festival is growing fast, and for a good reason. With eight incredible live bands featured through the day, 5 tattoo artists setting up shop to ink you to your heart’s delight, 20 market stalls, and more than 300 custom cars and bikes to drool over – the girls too, although they might not appreciate a drooler – there’s no where I’d rather be. The festival was originally intended to be a promotional tool for the otherwise quiet, hinterland town of Palmwoods, after a very successful event in 2016 the Sunshine Coast Council’s Major Events Department was engaged to support the 2017 edition, providing invaluable resources to take Time Warp to the next level. Sponsorship from Indian Motorcycles added deserved credibility, and many other local organisations took the opportunity to take part. The Palmwoods Scouts, Palmwoods Rural Fire Brigade, and Palmwoods State School were among those that took advantage of the event’s 11,000 attendees to raise much needed funds. 2017 raised the bar for what a small Sunshine Coast town can achieve with cooperation, organisation, and commitment, with 2018 only continuing to raise and exceed expectations. The initiative has so far been incredibly successful in its mission, with all proceeds from the ‘gold coin’ donations and competition entry fees to be invested back into the town itself.

Personally, I adore the sleepy town of Palmwoods, especially with its yearly ‘Kustom Kulture’ twist, and I for one will certainly be putting in an appearance. For more information, and to sign up as a sponsor, or one of the many competitions, visit the official Timewarp Festival website.