Bikin’ the Beach expecting to bring motorcycles, music and more to South MS
South Mississippi celebrates Cruisin’ The Coast, Jeepin’ the Coast and Scrapin’ the Coast each year. Now you can add Bikin’ the Beach to the schedule.
This new event is being held June 5-8 at The Sanctuary entertainment venue, 156 Camellia St., just off U.S. 90 in Biloxi.
The date was moved one weekend earlier to give breathing room for police and other first responders, who will be working Scrapin’ The Coast two weeks later.
Organizers Jason Stearman and Jennifer Miller are planning for thousands of motorcycles and $20 million of economic impact this first year of Bikin’ the Beach.
Their goal is to build the event into another Cruisin’ The Coast, bringing tourists and dollars to South Mississippi.
“The biking community will come back year after year,” he said.
The schedule provides four days packed with music, entertainment, food and a vendors’ village at The Sanctuary, plus poker runs and rides to take participants to cities across the Coast.
A lineup of 30 national bands is on tap, along with a beer garden, tattoo artists, stunt shows and circus oddities. Food trucks and kitchens set up by Hard Rock Casino Biloxi will supply a variety of foods. The vendor village will showcase custom motorcycle gear, handmade jewelry, local art and other items.
Miller, owner of Jennuwine Design, will create a ladies-only corner of the festival, where women can get their hair braided, get a massage or just get some time away from the bustle of the event.
What to expect
Stearman attends motorcycles rallies across the country and saw an opportunity to bring a large-scale motorcycle event to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. “Let’s do it ourselves,” he and Miller decided.
“The economic impact is massive,” Stearman said, citing figures from major national rallies like Myrtle Beach, Daytona and Sturgis. While Daytona brings in about $100 million annually, Sturgis generates nearly $800 million in 10 days. “The average spend is $892 per person, per day,” he said.
Tickets can be purchased by the day or the weekend. An all-access four-day wristband is priced at $99. Single-day access is $25 for Thursday and Sunday. Wristbands are $50 each for Friday and Saturday events. The entrance fees cover the cost of music, Stearman said, and families can wander the grounds of The Sanctuary for free to see the motorcycles and the vendors.
To accommodate the participants and spectators, organizers secured eight acres of additional parking, north and south of U.S. 90, including at the Treasure Bay property on the waterfront and the Car Corral site that adjoins The Sanctuary and is used during Cruisin’ The Coast.
Bands will play indoors on The Sanctuary Stage that holds 560 people, and outdoors on the Treasure Bay waterfront.
“Saliva is our big headliner on Saturday night,” Stearman said. The rock band was formed in Memphis and tours nationwide.
Fun and good causes
Bikin’ the Beach also is a fundraiser and two motorcycles will be raffled.
Half the funds from a 50/50 raffle for the first bike will go to Gift of Life Donor Program, represented at the event by the Miss Mississippi Teen local candidate Mary Beth Geyser, who will have a booth at the event to encourage organ donation. The other half of the proceeds will support Wounded Warriors of Mississippi, which will bring their Hero Car to the rally. A second bike, a Marine special ops custom motorcycle, will be raffled to benefit the Marine group that created the bike.
Stearman, who also founded Coastal Development Group, told the Biloxi Council he invested $2 million into converting the former Trinity Baptist Church into The Sanctuary venue.
It hosts weekend concerts, comedy shows, wrestling and Sunday church services. “Now we’re promoting several festivals, including this one, trying to recoup on some of our money,” he said.
The Sanctuary also has six vacation rentals on the upper floor — each uniquely themed
“We want to be a legacy event,” he said, “and bring more tourism to the Coast.” He and Miller said they expect gas stations, hotels and restaurants from Waveland to Pascagoula will benefit
“I think everybody’s going to be pleasantly surprised,” he said.
This story was originally published April 17, 2025 at 11:36 AM.
