Roller skating takes me back to my youth. It’s fun, liberating, and energetic. Throw in the challenge of learning new tricks, and roller skating is exciting too. Saturday night was roller disco. It was a cool place to catch up with friends and practice moves to funky music.
London is a great place for roller skating. A skate map shows where you can skate, like the Royal Parks, and you can join a meet-up. There are bound to be a few falls, but if you put on a helmet and protective pads and get your skates on, you can roll on down to these fantastic places for roller skating in London.
Roller Skating in London
Roller Nation – London’s Roller Skating Party Venue
Roller Nation arrived in Tottenham North London to create a fun alternative night out. Since the revival of roller discos, Roller Nation is keen to ensure they are available to all abilities.
When you arrive at Roller Nation for a date or party, the rink is the central part of the venue. Plenty of tables and booths surround it, so you can sit, drink, eat and soak up the atmosphere. Booths are available to pre-book. Roller Nation also has a garden area.
The bar serves alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, including slush puppies, if you need to cool down. The retro diner has a hearty selection of good-for-the-soul choices, including burgers, chicken nuggets, hotdogs, and squid rings, all with fries. They serve vegan beyond-meat burgers as an alternative. A kids menu is available.
Roller Nation is open most nights for themed disco events with Own Skate Mondays. Other than Monday nights, skate hire is included in the admission price if needed.
Prices for Disco nights start at £10.00 to £20.00 per person, depending on the session.
During the day is Family Skate with events for juniors, kids, schools, and summer holidays. Prices range from £10.00 to £13.00.
Address: 117 Bruce Grove, London, N17 6UR
Telephone: 020 7720 9140
Skating Haven – Family Roller Skating Disco
The Skating Haven provides a haven for all the family, all ages, and all abilities.
Sundays are for the whole family if you’re over five years. The time for roller disco fever is between 1 – 3 pm, and prices are £12.00 per person. The price includes skates, helmets, and protective pads, which you must always wear when skating. It is a great family experience for two hours.
If you’ve never skated, friendly staff run a boot camp, providing lessons and building confidence until you’re ready to join the disco fun. For those who have skated, the team can teach you new skills and challenge you to some games.
Skating Haven arranges birthday party packages, including all the gear, boot camp, roller disco, and birthday cake, for £15.00 per person with the Silver package.
The Gold package includes the above and hot food, such as pizza and chicken nuggets, and drinks.
Don’t feel awkward and shy. Skating Haven is there to help you feel at ease and have fun at a roller disco in London.
Address: Newham Leisure Centre, 281 Prince Regent Ln, London E13 8SD
Telephone: 07956 131672
Flipper’s Roller Boogey Palace – Reinventing The Legendary 1979 LA Venue
The Original Flippers in LA was an instant hit with LA celebrities. However, despite its success, it only lasted until 1981. Role forward to 2022, and the daughter of original owner Ian Ross has reignited the flame. Liberty Ross opened a seasonal pop-up venue in New York and a permanent Flipper’s Boogey Palace in West London in November 2022.
Flippers have reproduced many aspects of the LA venue with an elevated twist, including the American Diner serving hot dogs and caviar.
Flippers have regular skate events with details on the website. Prices of events currently available start at £12.50 to £17.50. Skate hire is £5.00. Each skate session is for two hours.
Flippers Boogey Palace has a vibrant, upbeat atmosphere, great live music, and mood lighting, and it is a hit with people in their 20s.
Address: Ariel Way, London, W12 7SL
Telephone: 020 3515 0441
Isle of Skating – A Skating Paradise
Isle of Skating rolled into London in the crazy year of 2020. It started small as a one-woman show but has got its skates on and grown into a venue with a team of 20 skaters. Whatever your ideas, there is an instructor for you.
They have several venues across London, providing classes for various skills and abilities.
Tottenham has spaces for Open Skate sessions, costing £7.00. They are for adults with a pair of skates who want to practice on a smooth wooden floor with good music and a coach present.
You can work through the six-week Ultimate Beginner Courses for £100.00 to Masterclass Skills classes at varying prices.
Enthusiastic coaches will aim the sessions at the appropriate level and push you just outside your comfort zone, and soon you will be achieving what you thought was impossible.
Isle of Skating has around 15 roller rinks in London, so check out their website for rollerblading near you.
Email: [email protected]
Skating in The Royal Parks
One of the exhilarating things about roller skating in London is that there are places to go that do not cost anything, like The Royal Parks. It is actively encouraged, providing you follow a few regulations to keep everyone safe, as most park visitors are pedestrians.
Through the parks, you can skate on roads and tracks and, in some parks, the cycle routes, such as Hyde Park and in St Jame’s Park, there is the Mall North Horse ride cycle track.
The 15km (9 miles) London Cycle Royal Parks & Chelsea circular route takes in iconic sights, such as Buckingham Palace, the Royal Albert Hall, Victoria & Albert Museum in Kensington, and Tate Britain.
BaySixty6 – Underneath the Westway
Baysixty6 is in bays 65 and 66 of the once derelict land underneath the Westway, a dual-carriageway section of the A40. The all-inclusive skate park is predominantly skateboard focused; however, quad skates and rollerblades are welcome.
Baysixty6 has a variety of obstacles in the well-developed park for practising and challenging your skills. There is a shop to buy equipment, lockers provide safekeeping for valuables, vending machines offer snacks and drinks, and there is a seated area to view and relax with free wifi.
The skate park is members-only but is free to join. It has different weekly sessions, including girls only, beginners and an old man night. Baysixty6 operates as a not-for-profit park, so prices are very reasonable, and staff are always on-site. The park is also disabled-friendly.
Prices for skating depend on the session and are for 2 hours. They start at £6.00 to £10.00.
Baysixty6 offers lessons with a one-hour one-to-one lesson for quads for £45.00.
The staff at Baysixty6 are exceptionally friendly, with great communication skills and tonnes of patience.
Address: Bay 66 Acklam Road, North Kensington, London, W10 5YU
Telephone: 020 8969 4669
Battersea Park – No Hills and Car Free
Battersea Park is a beautiful 200-acre Victorian Park with plenty to see and do, including roller skating. Cyclists, rollerbladers, and skaters must keep to the outer carriage drive.
The outer circuit is a great place to keep out of the way of walkers, let off steam, skate for fitness, or for beginners to learn in a safe environment.
There are social meetups with Easy Peasy Skate, who meet on Saturdays at 10.30 am by the pagoda and skate around the park’s perimeter as a group.
Battersea Park is a superb outdoor destination for free rollerskating in London.
Address: Battersea Park, Carriage Dr N, London SW11 4NJ
London Street Skate – Get your Skates On
Roller skating is seeing a revival since the pandemic. People crave to spend more time outside and be active, mentally and physically. Skating takes your mind off the heavy things and gives a sense of freedom flying in the wind.
There’s a sense of community participation, particularly if you join one of London Street Skates. They hold weekly events, a London Friday Night Skate, a 12 – 14 mile fast skate through the streets of London. A Sunday Stroll is a more gentle-paced skate, 7 – 9 miles.
You must be able to stop, turn, and control your speed while skating. Turn up for fun, free, marshalled roller skating in London.
Roller Skating in London: FAQs
- What are the benefits of roller skating? It’s a good, low-impact, full-body workout. It puts minimal pressure on your joints, improving strength, balance, and core stability and increasing cardio fitness.
- Do you need protective gear? It’s a good idea to wear protective equipment to cushion the impact, protect your joints, and reduce the risk of abrasions. At some point, you are likely to fall.
- Should I practice at home first? If you have a driveway or car park to practice, somewhere quiet is a good idea. Or heading to a local skating rink that gives beginners classes can be a big confidence booster.
