by Ken Chiu

Classic Volkswagens, sun, surf and a day off work?  The perfect recipe for an incredible Southern California day. “Big Wednesday: Skip Work and Surf”, is an annual gathering of vintage aircooled VWs.  Held the second Wednesday in August, at San Onofre State Beach in San Clemente California.  The event is formally organized by Bugin.com and is hosted by the Kimball family, friends and a host of volunteers.

Photo by Ken Chiu

Video by: Michelle Fernandez-Eaton

Originally started as an informal surf day for local VW owners it has now grown to attract enthusiast from across California and beyond.  Starting from Tuesday evening, the small road leading into the beach fills up with an amazing collection of VW Busses, Transporters, Sambas, and Kombi’s in different stages of restoration.  Sprinkled throughout the lineup of cars, you’ll also find Beetles, Notchbacks, Fastbacks, Squarebacks, The Thing and even a few modern VW interlopers.

Big Wednesday 2018 Group Photo

It’s a family friendly event, the surfing is relaxed and the hotdogs flow freely off the grill.  The highlight of the day is collecting the current year event sticker (an honor reserved for the aircooled crowd) and gathering around for the Big Wednesday family photo.