Part of Cabot Circus car park has been transformed into a skate park for half term this week, to create a unique destination for the 100,000 young skateboarders here in the South West. Saturday (October 29) will be sponsored by Red Bull, which will bring its international 'Curb Kings' contest to the event and the UK for the first time, with the rest of the pop-up event around for one week only on one floor of the car park.
Bristol is said to be one of the top 10 cities for skateboarding, with interest in the sport boosted by its addition to the Tokyo Olympics programme. With 11 billion views on TikTok and 14 million Instagram posts using the hashtag 'skateboarding' in 2021, skateboarding is one of the most popular sports on the planet.
The event is running from October 22 until October 29 and is led by Hammerson, which owns Cabot Circus. A spokesperson said they have "tapped into the minds of Bristol-based skatepark designers Canvas and local street art favourites Upfest to curate the innovative and colourful space which is packed with curbs, ledges and rails - obstacles that skaters seek out in the streets in towns and cities around the world".
Read more: Cabot Circus Christmas lights switch-on cancelled this year
Red Bull's 'Curb Kings' contest will take place there on Saturday and will see skaters aged 16 and over battle it out to be crowned the best in the South West. In a unique partnership with Bristol City Council, obstacles constructed by Canvas will be donated to and repurposed within Bristol skateparks, inspiring the next generation.
A collaboration with ‘Bristol Girls Skate’ also aims to encourage girls and women in the city and all over the country to take up the sport, and the social media community will create content during the pop-up. Harry Badham, Chief Development and Asset Repositioning Officer at Hammerson, said: “We’re not afraid to do something different at Hammerson and the skatepark proves this.
"Carparks should be seen as multi-purpose spaces which can be transformed, bringing a new vibrancy and customer base. Skateboarding has a phenomenal following and Bristol was the perfect city to test-bed this concept. Thank you to our partners Red Bull, Canvas and Upfest for bringing our idea to life.”
The pop-up event is located on Level 7 of the car park and is open from 10am to 8pm each day, to all ages. Free activities include:
- Red Bull 'Curb Kings' takeover on Saturday, October 29 only
- Skateboarding lessons for all ages (not affiliated with Red Bull)
- Feature art installation by Upfest and Penfold
- A range of delicious food and drink refreshments
- Guest skateboarding appearances by Palice, Alex Decunha and Jamie Griffin
You can find the full schedule - and book free skateboarding lessons with Route One - here.
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