The Battle Of Hastings are separate BMX and skate contests hosted by Source Park, the world’s largest underground skate and bmx park which is housed in a former Victorian bath-house underneath the promenade of the seaside town of Hastings in Sussex, England.

The park owners have a long and storied history in BMX internationally, Hastings being for reasons lost to the mists of time a longstanding fixed star in the BMX universe. Accordingly, when they put on their inaugural BMX jam at the new park (which only opened in 2016), it was an unsurprising roadblock.

facebooktwitterpinterest Tom Hobbitt at Source Park. Photo credit: SourceBMX

In many respects Hastings is an ideal location for an action sports weekender. The Source park’s takeover of the long- derelict space is but one aspect of a civic regeneration process which has run parallel to the town’s renaissance as something of a cultural centre as her coastal rival begins to struggle with the spiralling prices and knobby tourism that comes with a proximity to London.

So Hastings is neither too large nor too small to host an international event which retains an intimate feel, and with the BMX event throwing down the marker in terms of production and delivery it fell to the UK skate community to step up for the four-wheeled leg of the double header, and which went down recently.

Check out the madness below courtesy of SourceBMX

Being free events, the park is continually busy throughout these weekends but with a professionalism and eye for detail long forgotten in the UK skatepark scene there is always ample staffing and security for the coffee bars, burger stalls and shops all housed within this incredible venue.

If you’d like to make more of a weekend of getting reasonably radical while in Hastings, there is also a huge concrete skatepark on the hill overlooking the town, and each event carries its own itinerary of after-parties for those wanting to keep the momentum going into the wee hours.

Both events are aiming to build on the success of their opening gambits so expect an even more international affair to take place at both this coming year.

A fantastic venue, a town re-discovering its groove and organisers who are nothing but heart for the game. Totally recommended, whether you come from near or far.

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