Roller Skating Resurgence Brings Two New Rinks to L.A.

Roller skating is older than the United States and no matter what hits it, whether roller blades, video games, or soaring land values, people keep wanting to boogie oogie oogie at a roller rink. Two new permanent skate emporiums are on their way and will join a spate of pop-ups that have kept the sport rolling on wheels. Los Angeles recently took a look at the skate parks dotting the shoreline from Venice to Manhattan Beach to Newport, and fashionable skate shops like Moxi in Long Beach are popping up to meet demand.

During COVID, residents of Santa Clarita began skating on municipal basketball courts. The city listened to their skating citizens and is building a dedicated roller rink. Originally planned as an outdoor venue, the new Rink Sports Pavilion will be an air-conditioned recreation center also offering basketball, volleyball and pickleball, plus food and a DJ. “Visitors will be met with a modern design and a nostalgic feeling,” wrote Mayor Cameron Smyth . “Blending the past with the future.”

Down at the other end of the county in Lakewood, Sunshine Skate Center is slated to open a brand-new center in March at the Lakewood Mall and will operate on an advance reservation plan with a new skate shop inside run by Sk8fanatics . They can even turn your existing shoes and boots into custom skates.

The City of Santa Monica, which offers ice skating during the winter, has gotten into the game with a seasonal roller rink at Fifth and Arizona just a few blocks from the beach. The venue, called Roll @ Santa Monica , will run through October 14 and stays open late on the weekends. Pigeon’s in Long Beach continues to attract crowds to their pop-up at the 2nd & PCH mall offering Jam lessons, artistic skating classes, and kids sessions. The Melrose Rooftop Roller Rink has temporarily displaced the pop-up movie theater three stories above Melrose and La Cienega. Some nights have featured RuPaul’s Drag Race , Y2K fashion, and even a rodeo with a mechanical bull.