The festival was hosted at the Shakespeare County Raceway in the village of Long Marston, Warwickshire, England since 1987, and always occurred in mid-August.

Since its inception, it has followed largely the same format (though expanded for larger crowds and included bigger name bands): providing entertainment aimed at the motorcycle riding fraternity, including live rock music, beer tents, motorcycle racing, drag racing and stunt riding demonstrations.

Adult entertainment traditionally featured high on the bill, including a wet T-shirt contest, erotic dance shows and a topless bike wash.

[6] Comparable events in the USA, on a much larger scale, are Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and Daytona Beach Bike Week.

Despite the general public's association of violence and crime with the Hells Angels, the Bulldog Bash had a consistent record of causing the Warwickshire Police little trouble, compared to other events of this scale.