Last weekend, the 2nd year of Valencia Roll wrapped up its skate p festival with skaters of all levels coming together from all across the globe. What drew us in? The promise of a fresh new skating adventure; good music played by a top notch skate DJ line up, traditional Spanish food, great venues with picturesque backdrops and sunset vibes that [we hoped would] come together for a perfect weekend of roller skating fun.
The location — situated in and around Veles e Vents is perfectly situated by the marina — adding something special: a lovely sandy coastline, sunny November climes and a huge outdoor roller skating arena [that's accessible 24/7] made this 3 day event feel exciting, inclusive, vibrant and affordable. And that's precisely what we flew in for!
The Valencia Roll Program
This years program offered up a nice variety of workshops delivered by skate teachers from across the globe. It's a great opportunity for skaters to develop their roller skating styles in new, or to develop their skate skills further.
Friday: Daytime workshops with Veronica and Nadia at Tinglado 2, a free Roller Jam at Tinglado 2, with an after party at Casa de la Mar.
Saturday: Dutch Ballroom workshop at Torre de Miramar, early afternoon street skate starting at Torre Mirarmar Roundabout [through the countryside and along the coastline, back to Tinglado 2 and then beyond], rounded up with a workshop and free Roller Jam at the spectacular Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias [see image below].
Sunday: A morning of workshops with Big Jim, Dutch Ballroom, and Africa, follwed by the finale Skate Fiesta — skate party on the marina at the beautifully plush Veles e Vents.
Growth, Scale & Community Impact
- Organiser origins & scale: The event is run by MikA [who I had the chance to speak with just after the event] and the Ole Rollers, a collective of four women from various ages, backgrounds and countries, who rediscovered “their spark” through dancing on roller skates, aiming to build community and fun through a passion for skating. MikA has been intrumental in pulling together a great line up of talent to make this festival take off in such a huge way. They've all done such and amazing job of it.
- Increasing programming & venues: Year 1 offered a more modest set up for less than 100 skaters. Valencia Roll has since added more elements to their programs in multiple locations. The organisors were not expecting to more than double their numbers in year 2 — a direct result of raving reviews from the previous years intake of Valencian Rollers.
- Duration & format: The event is held of over 3 days [Friday to Sunday]. There are a range of workshops spread between a few venues that are situated fairly closely together [although the street skating meet point at Mirarmar Roundabout takes a little longer to get to when skating to the location — be prepared to navigate some fairly rough terrain if your skating over from Tinglado 2].
- Ticket & pricing scale: Both the workshops and the Skate Fiesta are paid events, however, there's ample opportunities to enjoy free Roller Jams, or to skate and mingle at Tinglado 2 throughout the weekend [which many skaters certainly did]. You can easily take full advantage of the adjacent beach. This event is very doable for skaters wanting to experience an overseas roller skate festival on a tight budget.
- Community & inclusivity: This event is geared towards skaters of all levels with a mix of workshops suitable for beginners to more intermediate level. Skaters, skate influencers and teachers happily socialise with one another outside of the workshops and at the Roller Jams. The Valencian festival isn't as big as Skate Love Barcelona, however, it's gaining traction and coming up very fast.
My 3 Day Festival Diary
Day 1 – Friday: Arrival, Tinglado & Power Bank Lessons
I got off to a particularly early start — 3 a.m., to be exact — so I could arrive at Gatwick stress free for my 6:55 a.m. flight. [Well, technically our flight — there were at least ten other skate friends on board too!]
We landed in Valencia around 10 a.m. and made our way to our respective hotels and apartments in Cabanyal. After a burger [as I had time to kill] I checked into my apartment, sorted out my bags, and by 2 p.m., was out on my skates exploring the local area.
I headed out to meet up with friends and we headed to Tinglado 2— a huge covered space for skaters [complete with a wonderully smooth polished concrete floor]. Honestly, I needed nothing more than this for the duration of my stay [but I of course enjoyed the full scope and range of what the festival had to offer]. We got social, skated for hours upon hours, and shared skills well into the night.
At one point, I veered off to skate to and through the large local supermarket [which had a beautifully smooth floor — every skaters dream!], picking up two mahoosive bags of groceries and drinks before skating back to Tinglado 2 for yet more skating!
After a few more hours of skating, I left and made it back to my apartment around 10:30 p.m. — still on skates — after a bit of a chaotic detour. My phone had died halfway back to my apartment, and with no idea of the exact location of my apartment [and rain starting to fall], I had to skate back to Tinglado 2 with my shopping bags to find a charger [shout out to Nadia for rescuing me]. Moral of the story: Always carry a power bank when skating abroad!
➡️ Watch Video: Me catching a skate vibe at Tinglado with friends
➡️ Watch Video: Tinglado Skate Cypher
Day 2 – Saturday: Smooth Vibes & Recovery Mode
After nearly nine hours on skates the previous day, my legs were feeling a whole new level of stiff — even after a good stretch session. Fortunately, a hot shower, proper hydration, and a decent breakfast worked a bit of magic, and I was relatively recharged and ready to roll again by 12:30 p.m.
I met a friend [Kat] and skated to the street skate at Torre Mirarmar Roundabout — what should’ve been a 12 minute easy paced skate turned into a 25 minute trek [thanks to some very rough terrain. It's [definitely not Barca or Bada level smooth — if you know, then you know!]. Torre Mirarmar however is really smooth and pretty colourful. As I had suspected, there was actually no need for us to had rushed; we hung out and enjoyed the location for another 30 minutes or so before setting off — easily more than a hundred skaters strong!
The route was scenic — through countryside, along the river, and over sleek marble along the beach — before circling back to Tinglado 2. I chose to skip the second half of the street skate so I could enjoy the Tinglado floor again.
I skated until 5 p.m., then headed back to my apartment to change, fully intending to go to the jam session at Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. However, after lying down “just for two minutes,” the next thing I knew… it was 2 a.m, but hey, it was fine as I had 3 days to hang out and visit wherever after the festival — I time.
➡️ Watch Video: Street Skate From Torre Mirarmar Roundabout
Day 3 – Sunday: Sunshine, Skate Fiesta & the Perfect Finale
With only the final Skate Fiesta to go, I took it easy and headed to Tinglado around midday for a chilled skate sesh. The sun was out, so we skated the outdoor area between Tinglado 2 and the beach, soaking it in.
A few hours later, I mosied on over to the Skate Fiesta [located just two minutes away] to join the party. By then, the vibe was riding high; smooth concrete floors, great music pumping through a top tier sound system, with panoramic views of the harbor — it was picture perfect. Skaters were either jaming on skates or on foot — a perfect way to end an already great weekend. We skated to sets played by international DJs and ate paella by the sea. Around 200 skaters were able to enjoy one of the most picturesque [and skatable] outdoor venues on the skate circuit. The clear night sky, sunset and mild evening temperatures were such a gift.
Even after the party wrapped up, a bunch of us stayed behind for some Ballroom Skating, swapping partners and making the absolute most of it. We eventually made our way back over to Tinglado 2 for yet another late night skate. I eventually left Tinglado and arrived back at my apartment 1 a.m.
Finally, after more than 12.5 hours on skates, I was so ready to call it a night — but what an unforgettable weekend it was. Valencia Roll 2025 delivered with abundance: sunshine, a vibrant and welcoming community, good music, and pure skate vibes.
➡️ Watch Video: Skate Fiesta at Veles e Vents
Summary
Having made it through the 3 dayer in one piece [and hours upon hours in my skates], I can honestly say that the Valencia Roll Skate Festival was a fantastic experience. Considering it was only their second year, the organisirs did a really wonderful job of putting their 2nd event togther — especially with more than double the numbers. It felt cosy and friendly with th perfect blend of excitement and chill vibes.
Tip: If you do decide to go to their next event, get yourself a hotel room or apartment close to Tinglado 2 as you'll be very well located.
Kelly
Cranial Osteopath | Wellbeing Coach | Roller Skate Instructor
🗯️ Have you attended the Valencia Roll skate festival? If not, is it on your bucket list? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
