Boise, Idaho, is an atypical location for a national-caliber bike show, but even more unusual is the setting. As the name implies, Party At The Pen takes place in the Old Idaho State Penitentiary, which was built in 1870 during Idaho’s Wild West era and housed prisoners for 101 years.
PATP is billed as the “Northwest’s largest vintage motorcycle show” and blipped our radar for a couple of years, so we were excited to have photographer Josh Bell pitch us this story. Making it even more interesting is that these images were all shot on film, not with digital pixels. We hope you enjoy the analog experience! – Ed.
Party At The Pen was back for its third year, and it’s one of my favorite events on the bike-show calendar. I hope these film photos will convey the vintage vibe of the experience.
The excitement this year was palpable, as the event promoted a larger layout, more invited builders, and an expanded vendor area with local food trucks. The 2024 event also included the spellbinding Ives Brothers’ Wall of Death.
General admission cost $20 per day, while a VIP pass was $75 and included show entry on both days and some event swag. The $100 Ultimate VIP pass added pre-party and after-party access.
The event kicked off Friday with the annual pre-party ride, which was led by Matt Whitlock of Wrecked Metals. The route took us along scenic State Route 21 over to Harley’s Pub in Idaho City, where everyone congregated to share stories about our motorcycle adventures. Friday night’s party was held at the Shrine Social Club in downtown Boise, with live music from The Outbound Train and Lulu and the Black Sheep.
As I walked through the prison gates on Saturday, the feeling of gritty history hit me like a ton of bricks. Many of the state’s worst criminals spent time behind these walls, including Harry Orchard, who in 1905 assassinated Governor Frank Steunenberg. Several prisoners were executed on these grounds. Like me, you may experience goosebumps as you stroll the facility.
During PATP, the area is filled with more than 150 unique chopper builds from all over North America, which were situated within the cells and scattered across the grounds. Inside the prison walls, attendees are permitted to venture through all areas of the penitentiary, including Death Row and the infamous solitary confinement building once known as “Siberia.”
The Death Row area had a handful bikes in the upper quarters but served primarily as the location where tattooers such as Tony Medellin and Stevie Randallyn cranked out show tats by the dozens. Additionally, photographer Joseph Wyman captured portraits on tin-type photos within the prison cells.
The PATP organizers stepped up from past years with a big lawn area for enjoying barbecued meats, smashburgers, street corn, and hand-crafted lemonades, as well as alcoholic oofferings, making up for limited food and beer in previous years. There was an extensive amount of effort dedicated to the 2024 show, and attendees owe huge thanks to Luke Morris and his team for organizing such an amazing experience.
If you haven’t attended PATP yet, you are missing one of the most unique motorcycle show layouts – and that’s coming from someone who hit 23 events this year. Many of us are already committed to making the pilgrimage back to Boise for 2025, and we hope you’ll join us there.
For more info, visit the Party At The Pen website.
Enjoy more photos from the 2024 Party At The Pen below.
Find more moto-events at American Rider‘s Events Calendar
