NOLA FLATLAND

~ New Orleans Flatland BMX Community ~

:: HISTORY ::
BMX freestyle reached New Orleans during the sport's national boom of the 1980s. Documentation of the early local flatland scene is limited, although New Orleans was among the cities visited by the promotional tour for the BMX film RAD in 1986. Through the 1990s, flatland became increasingly underground across the United States, surviving largely through riders, informal sessions, videos and small events. By the early 2000s, New Orleans had an established flatland community. A 2002 Flatland Manifesto video even documented the city in a dedicated "New Orleans Scene Report." A major turning point came on September 25, 2004, when Scott O'Brien and Terry Adams organized the first Voodoo Jam in New Orleans. Created as a grassroots contest for flatland riders, it quickly began attracting competitors from outside Louisiana and overseas. A second Voodoo Jam was planned for 2005, but was cancelled following Hurricane Katrina. The event returned in 2006 and continued developing into an international competition. By the late 2000s, Voodoo Jam was included in the BMX Flatland World Circuit, bringing leading riders from around the world to New Orleans. During the 2010s, Voodoo Jam became one of the best-known flatland competitions in the United States. The event celebrated ten years in 2014, and on August 17, 2019, returned to Generations Hall to mark fifteen years since its founding. The 2019 contest is the most recent Voodoo Jam currently documented. New Orleans returned to the international flatland spotlight on December 17, 2022, when the city hosted Red Bull Circle of Balance, an invitation-only competition featuring sixteen of the world's leading flatland riders. From its less-documented freestyle roots in the 1980s and 1990s through the Voodoo Jam era and Circle of Balance, New Orleans developed an unusual place in American flatland history: a relatively small local scene that became a destination for riders from around the world. « back to home

:: HISTORY ::

BMX freestyle reached New Orleans during the sport's national boom of the 1980s. Documentation of the early local flatland scene is limited, although New Orleans was among the cities visited by the promotional tour for the BMX film RAD in 1986. Through the 1990s, flatland became increasingly underground across the United States, surviving largely through riders, informal sessions, videos and small events.

By the early 2000s, New Orleans had an established flatland community. A 2002 Flatland Manifesto video even documented the city in a dedicated "New Orleans Scene Report."

A major turning point came on September 25, 2004, when Scott O'Brien and Terry Adams organized the first Voodoo Jam in New Orleans. Created as a grassroots contest for flatland riders, it quickly began attracting competitors from outside Louisiana and overseas.

A second Voodoo Jam was planned for 2005, but was cancelled following Hurricane Katrina. The event returned in 2006 and continued developing into an international competition. By the late 2000s, Voodoo Jam was included in the BMX Flatland World Circuit, bringing leading riders from around the world to New Orleans.

During the 2010s, Voodoo Jam became one of the best-known flatland competitions in the United States. The event celebrated ten years in 2014, and on August 17, 2019, returned to Generations Hall to mark fifteen years since its founding. The 2019 contest is the most recent Voodoo Jam currently documented.

New Orleans returned to the international flatland spotlight on December 17, 2022, when the city hosted Red Bull Circle of Balance, an invitation-only competition featuring sixteen of the world's leading flatland riders.

From its less-documented freestyle roots in the 1980s and 1990s through the Voodoo Jam era and Circle of Balance, New Orleans developed an unusual place in American flatland history: a relatively small local scene that became a destination for riders from around the world.

« back to home