Places to roller skate in London
The London skate community has flourished over the last few years. While the interest has grown, so has the need to find spaces to roller skate. Parks, basketball courts, bandstands, carparks, and any flat areas with a decent amount of space and a skateable surface have become havens for skaters. Additionally, pop-up roller discos and open practice sessions in sports halls and community centres have given people time and space to continue skating through the winter. These little pockets can be great places to practice and meet other skaters.
This page lists some of the most popular places to roller skate in London and some lesser-known locations. It also aims to provide extra information, like the type of surface and particular days or times when skaters meet. I’ll be adding to it as more places emerge!
(Image credit: Roller Nation and East London photographs by Roland Ramanan)
Roller Nation (Tottenham)
Roller Nation has been one of the mainstays of the London roller skate scene over the last few years. The venue got me back into skating after a long break! Monday Night is ‘Own Skates Night,’ so only people who have their own skates can attend. Generally, there are fewer birthday parties and non-skaters, so it is usually a bit less chaotic. Thursdays are also another great night that is popular with the skate community.
Website: rollernation.com
Floor: Smooth but can be a little sticky at times. Hard wheels recommend.
Closest stations: Bruce Grove (Overground) or a short bus ride from Seven Sisters (Underground)
Video reference: Roll On London at Roller Nation
Location link: 117 Bruce Grove, London N17 6UR
Finsbury Park
Finsbury Park is a popular outdoor roller skating location in North London. The best place to skate in the park for skating is the netball courts at the top end, opposite the running track (opposite the park cafe). On a nice evening or weekend, you’ll usually see a couple of other skaters there practising.
Closest stations: Finsbury Park or Manor House (Underground)
Floor: Slightly textured. Hybrid or outdoor wheels recommended.
Video reference: Jam skating in Finsbury Park with Skate Tingz
Location link: Finsbury Park Netball Courts, London N4 4LX
Emirates Stadium
The Emirates Stadium is another very popular location for roller skating in North London, with a regular community of skaters. Skaters assemble at the Hornsey Road side of the stadium, just opposite the roundabout. Thursday nights are one of the main skate nights where skaters go to practice, and usually, someone brings a speaker, so there is usually a great atmosphere.
Closest stations: Holloway Road (Underground)
Floor: Slightly textured and slight camber. Hybrid wheels recommended.
Video reference: Sk8likewater skating at Emirates Stadium
Location link: Emirates Stadium, Hornsey Rd, London N7 7AJ
Sk8ofMinds - St Mary’s Community Center
Sk8ofMinds is a creative skate community that organises regular practice sessions and pop-up events. Every other Sunday, they organise a vibrant and inclusive roller skate session (Sketch sessions) at St Mary’s Community Center. I highly recommend all their events!
Instagram: @Sk8ofminds
Floor: Nice and smooth.
Closest stations: Highbury and Islington (Overground. Angel - Underground Northern line)
Video reference: Sk8ofminds Sketch Session
Location link: St Mary's Community Centre, Upper St, London N1 2TX
Tottenham Community Center
Tottenham Community Sports Center is a community sports hall that various skate groups book for lessons and open practice sessions. There is a regular skate booking on Fridays from 1 to 3 p.m. Other daytime slots are also often available quite sporadically; you just need to call the centre in the morning to check for any slots. The price to access the space is £5 per hour, and you need to bring cash on the day.
Instagram: @tottenhamcommunitysportscentre
Closest station: White Heart Lane
Floor: Wooden floor, slightly textured.
Video reference: Open skate session Tottenham
Location link: Tottenham Community Sports Centre, 701-703 High Rd, London N17 8AD
Bethnal Green Gardens
Bethnal Green Gardens is one of the London roller skating community's most popular outdoor roller skating locations. The netball courts there have a very smooth surface, favoured by both Jam and Speed skaters. Many skate groups host summer events, notably The NC and their Roll On London annual skate event.
Closest station: Bethnal Green (Underground - Central line)
Floor: Very smooth tarmac. Very slight camber. Harder wheels are all good on this surface!
Video reference: Roll On London at Bethnal Green Gardens
Location link: Bethnal Green Gardens, 10 Witan St, Bethnal Green, London E2 6FG
Victoria Park
Victoria Park is a popular East London park for Roller Skating. Skaters skate around the park or pick a spot for jam skating. It also has a small bandstand for those winter practice sessions.
Closest station: Mile End (Underground - Central and District line) Cambridge Heath (Overground - Weaver Line)
Floor: Slightly textured, hybrid wheels recommended
Video reference: Roller skating in Victoria Park
Facebook: Victoria Park Skate Group
Location link: Victoria Park, Grove Rd., London E3 5TB
The Bridge Academy Hackney
Roll Happy holds regular social skate sessions at the large downstairs sports hall of the Bridge Academy in Hackney. These two-hour open skate sessions have a great atmosphere and are very beginner-friendly.
Instagram: @rollhappy.london
Closest station: Haggerston (Overground)
Floor: Nice and smooth
Video reference: Roll happy social skate
Location link: The Bridge Academy, Laburnum St, London E2 8BA
Stratford - The Olympic Park
Stratford Olympic Park has various parts with a nice smooth surface. These include outside the Aquatics Center, the Velodrome, West Ham stadium, and the Orbital statue. It’s worth exploring and finding a place you like, as you’ll have many options.
Closest station: Stratford (Overground and Underground) and Stratford International (National Rail)
Floor: Various textures
Video reference: Skating through Stratford
School 21 Stratford - Skate Cabal
Skate Cabal, a skate-led social enterprise, regularly holds events in the sports hall at School 21 and workshops with guest coaches in other venues in east London.
Instagram: @skate.cabal https://www.instagram.com/skate.cabal
Floor: Smooth indoor sports hall.
Closest station: Stratford (Overground and Underground)
Location link: School 21 Pitchford St, London E15 4RZ
Reference video: Nadia teaching a workshop at School 21
Burgess Park
Burgess Park is one of my favourite places to skate. It has a very welcoming and inclusive community. I used to live right next to this park and spent a lot of time training there when I first got back into skating. Regular meetups are on Saturdays after 3 p.m. on a nice day. There is also an intermediate street skate on most Wednesday evenings from the park. The skate area is the flat area just opposite the Peckham BMX cycle track.
Instagram: @_bpscommunity
Closest stations: Elephant and Castle - Underground and Peckham Rye - Overground (both a short bus ride away)
Floor: A bit textured. Hybrid or outdoor wheels recommended.
Video reference: Skating at Burgess Park
Location link: Peckham BMX, Wells Way, London SE5 0PX
Decathlon
The top floor of the Decathlon store in Canada Water has been transformed into a dedicated activities and multi-use sports space. The large middle section is allocated for skating. I teach my roller skating classes and host practice sessions here. Other skate coaches who use this space include Landshark and Empower.
Instagram: @londonactivesports
Closest Station: Canada Water
Floor: Smooth Concrete floor, harder wheels recommend
Video reference: Roller skate Lessons at Decathlon Surrey Quays
Location link: Decathlon, 9 Maritime St, London SE16 7FU
Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace is another popular skating location in South London. Skaters usually skate just opposite the sports centre whicgh has a nice and smooth patch to skate.
Closest stations: Crystal Palace or Penge West (Overground - Winrush Line)
Floor: Generally smooth, with some bumps and dust in places - hybrid or outdoor wheels recommended.
Location link: Crystal Palace National Sports Centre, Ledrington Rd, London SE19 2BB
Norwood Park
Norwood Park has a large open space with lots of room, which makes it a great location to roller skate. A regular community of skaters (Ldnrollerz and Norwoodparkhockey) uses this space. Sunday afternoons are one of the main skate days for the skate community here.
Instagram: @ldnrollerz @norwoodparkhockey
The closest stations: Gypsy Hill, Crystal Palace (both a short bus ride)
Floor: This surface is a little rough, so hybrid or outdoor wheels are recommended.
Video reference: Sunday vibes at Norwood Park
Location: Norwood Park, Salter's Hill, Norwood, London SE19 1EA
Clapham Common basketball courts
Clapham Common has an open area next to the basketball courts that is a great spot to skate. Occasionally, it is the location for some larger skate events, but it is usually pretty quiet with lots of space. There is also a skate park next door for the more daring!
Closest station: Clapham Common (Underground - Northern Line)(
Floor: Slightly textures and slight camber
Location link: Clapham Common Netball & Basketball Courts, London SW4 9DD
Greenwich Park
The paths around Greenwich Park are pretty rough and not the greatest for roller skating, but there is a nice little pagoda near the middle of the park, with a very smooth surface and a roof. It can be like mini roller rinks for a couple of people. The Pagoda is often frequented by small children who use it as a play area, so you have to be a bit lucky if it's free to skate.
Closest Station: Cutty Sark Greenwich (DLR)
Floor: Rough around the park. Very smooth concrete in the Bandstand.
Video reference: Jam skating in Greenwich Park Bandstand
Location link: Greenwich Park Bandstand, Great Cross Ave, London SE10 8EJ
Battersea Park
Like many parks in London, Battersea Park doesn’t have the smoothest paths but is skateable. The texture means you must put in more effort to maintain your momentum. There is a small area with some smooth concrete slaps opposite The London Peace Pagoda, where you can do a bit of small space jam skating on harder wheels. A regular group of skaters also host a weekly Saturday Skate, although this is a mainly inline skate community.
Floor: Make sure you have some soft outdoor wheels to make the ride easier.
Closest stations: Battersea Park Station or Battersea Power Station
Location link: Battersea Park, Carriage Dr N, London SW11 4NJ
Honor Oak Community Center
Honor Oak Community Center is a small venue used by Empower. On Mondays and Thursdays, they host weekly open sessions and classes and roller skating sessions for adults and children.
Instagram: @empowr.cic
Closest station: Honor Oak (Overground)
Floor: Wooden, slightly textured.
Video reference: Empower Skate Jam
Location link: Honor Oak Community Centre, 50 Turnham Rd, London SE4 2JD
Brixton Recreation Center
Brixton Recreation Center is a large sports hall that hosts regular skate events and parties. Currently, there are regular events in this location held by Skate and Vibes, these are usually once a month and are very populer, especially witht the South London Skate community.
Instagram: @skatenvibez
Closest Station: Brixton (Underground - Victoria Line)
Floor: Wooden sports hall floor.
Video reference: Skate N Vibes event at Brixton Rec
Location link: Brixton Recreation Centre, 27 Brixton Station Rd, London SW9 8QQ
Deptford Lounge
Deptford Lounge has a great hall and adjoining dance studio with mirrors. They run a roller disco every third Thursday of the month. The venue has a great floor and is very welcoming. Also, it occasionally has lessons hosted by Storm Skater.
Website: Deptford Lounge Roller Disco
Instagram: @deptfordlounge
Closest station: New Cross (Overground Line) Deptford Station (National Rail)
Floor: Smooth laminate floor.
Reference images: Deptford lounge Roller Disco images
Location link: Deptford Lounge, 9 Giffin St, London SE8 4RJ
Ark Evelyn Grace Academy (Brixton)
Ark Evelyn Grace Academy has regular open social skate sessions and skate lessons hosted by Roll Happy. The two-hour open skate sessions are held once a month or so, and classes are take place on weekly basis. It’s a large space with a great floor and is very beginner-friendly.
Instagram: @rollhappy.london
Website: Rollhappy.co.uk
Closest station: Brixton - Underground - Victoria line (10/15min walk) Loughborough Junction (5 min walk)
Floor: Nice and smooth
Video reference: Roll Happy Social Skate Ark Evelyn Grace Academy
Location link: Ark Evelyn Grace Academy, 255 Shakespeare Rd, London SE24 0QN
Jam Speed Rollers - Southwark
This community-led organisation hosts events and smaller indoor practice sessions at various venues in Southwark. Check their socials for updates on the current programme. They are a very friendly and inclusive community, and their events are always a good vibe.
Instagram: @jamspeedrollers
Video reference: Storm and Sun Skater teaching a workshop for Jam Speed rollers
Hyde Park
This classic skate venue is home to some of the OG London skaters, who have been meeting weekly for decades. On Sundays from 3 p.m., you’ll see skaters on the strip opposite the Serpentine Lake. They usually stay in one area but also often skate up and down with accompanying music, so you might need to walk or skate up the strip to catch them.
Instagram: @londonhydeparkskaters
Closest station: Knightsbridge (Underground - Piccadilly Line)
Floor: Slightly textured and with a camber.
Location link: Hyde Park, London
Byron Hall - Harrow Leisure Centre
Sk8City London often holds regular skate nights at Byron Hall. These have happened for a while and are very popular with the London skate community. The sports centre hall is large and has a smooth floor.
Instagram: @sk8citylondon
Closest station: Harrow & Wealdstone (Underground - Bakerloo line)
Floor: Smooth sports hall, harder wheels for dance, softer for speed skating!
Video reference: Skate Night at Byron Hall
Location link: Byron Hall, Christchurch Ave, Harrow HA3 5BD
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