Slip on your shoes and grab a skateboard for Skate The Strand, hitting the streets of Westminster this month.
Did you watch Team GB’s Sky Brown skate her way to a bronze medal at last month’s Olympics, and think to yourself “I’d love to give that a go”? Well, now’s your chance. Sports apparel and footwear brand, Vans, have teamed up with Westminster City Council and Somerset House to host Skate The Strand, a two-week programme of free skateboarding events and activities.
Taking place between September 8–24, the schedule will include skate lessons, exciting demos from professional skateboarders and open public skate sessions. Whatever your skating ability, head down to the pop-up skatepark, located just outside the entrance to Somerset House on Strand Aldwych, to get in on the action.
Skate The Strand is part of Westminster City Council’s Inside Out Festival, which brings London entertainment outdoors. It is created in association with Somerset House’s ‘No Comply: Skate Culture and Community’ exhibition, which presents 45 years of skateboarding’s positive impact on our culture. Mark your calendars: there will be a special event to mark the end of the exhibition on Saturday, September 18.
This experience will also celebrate the newly pedestrianised public space between Temple and Charing Cross; so, without the cars, you’ll be able to concentrate on really nailing those gnarly tricks, or simply maintaining your balance on the board.
Head to Somerset House’s website to find out more information.