What is the BAM!
The Bicycle Adventure Meeting has been the family reunion of the international cycle touring community since 2014 and is now in its twelfth edition. Bikepacking, gravel, classic cycle tourism, ultra-adventure, family tours: at the BAM! all types of travelling on two wheels find their place, without hierarchy. Anyone who has completed a round-the-world tour will be sitting next to someone who is travelling with panniers for the first time. It is precisely this mix that makes the event so popular.
What makes it special: The festival doesn't just start at the entrance gate. All participants arrive by bike, many set off from home weeks in advance and use the journey as their own little adventure. In 2025, a total of over 450,000 kilometres were covered on the bikes.
What is on offer?
Three days and nights of programme between festival, conference and bike camp:
- Talks and travel reports from greats of the scene such as Sami Sauri, Nelson Trees, Mattia de Marchi and Monica Consolini, who recounts her two-year solo tour around the world
- Geographical bandwidth from Africa via Alaska to the Himalayas, plus Matteo Stella's transcontinental ride from Beijing to Venice in the footsteps of Marco Polo
- Workshops on travel photography, storytelling, meteorology and first aid in remote regions, plus discussions on road safety and new forms of mobility
- Cycle Cinema with films whose projectors are operated by the participants themselves
- Exhibition space for bicycle manufacturers, bag makers and brands from the scene
- Topics beyond the bikefor example, when climbers Giovanni Zaccaria and Alessandro Ferrari talk about Cerro Torre, borders and friendship
- Inclusion and empowerment with collectives like Bike Boobs and VaiGine
- Yoga, highline performances, family programme and after sunset DJ sets and live music
Part of the programme is specifically international and is held in English.
Why go there?
Three good reasons:
The atmosphere. Anyone who has ever been there likes to describe the BAM! as the warmest, most open bike event ever. No competition, no pressure to perform, no cliques. Instead, thousands of people who all love the same thing: travelling by bike as a lifestyle, not as a sporting achievement.
Travelling as part of the event. You don't have to live in Italy to take part. You just have to set off. Whether you start in Munich, Berlin or Vienna, the tour to the festival is often your actual holiday. On the way, you join groups that are all travelling in the direction of Veneto.
The location. Villa Contarini is one of the most magnificent villas in Italy and its 50-hectare park is located directly on the Treviso-Ostiglia, one of the country's most famous cycle routes. From there, paths lead to the Dolomites, the sea and the region's art cities. There could hardly be better conditions for an extension.
BAM! 2026 at a glance
- When: 5 to 7 June 2026
- Where: Villa Contarini, Piazzola sul Brenta (Province of Padua, Italy)
- Journey: by bike
- Admission: free
- More info: bameurope.it
Sandra Schuberth
Editor
