With the joy of Christmas Eve in the air, skaters will gather at Pigeon’s Roller Rink on Friday, Dec. 24 to skate the holiday away from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The free event (including free skate rentals) is sponsored by the April Parker Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on empowering children and families through culturally engaging services.
“I’m a skater, my family are all skaters, and we know that there’s a huge skating culture in Long Beach, so as a part of us being concerned about the health and wellbeing of the community we thought ‘Let’s get the community out skating,’” April Parker, director of the nonprofit, said of the event.
The event at the 2nd and PCH outdoor rink is a partnership with Urban Society, who will provide music (DJ’s every hour), and Nikki Phae Productions.
Parker noted that the event was created in part to make sure people had something they could get out and do on Christmas Eve while enjoying a cultural and physical experience.
Care packages centered on safety will be given away to some of the first visitors and include a COVID safety keychain, hand sanitizer, masks and a glass breaker, designed to break through glass in an emergency.
Long Beach cupcake company Sweet Butter Bakery will provide cupcakes at the all-ages event.
For children, there will be a toy giveaway, with toys donated by Project Optimism, a nonprofit serving the LA area.
To preserve the night’s memories, a photobooth with a large snowman will be available at the rink.
“Skating, it’s just the type of culture that brings everybody together,” Parker said, noting professional skaters will give demonstrations to those in attendance.
About 400 people are expected to attend the event, 100 per hour, Parker said.
Registration is required to attend the event. Although slots were added during the week, there is currently a waitlist for reservations. To join the waitlist, click here.
Part of Parker’s goal with the event is to gauge community interest in skating to work with city officials in 2022 to bring a permanent and accessible skate rink to Long Beach.
“We’re looking to create something that is for the community where families can come and be a community,” Parker said.
In 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a surge in skating, as observed on Google trends, where the term “roller-skates” had a spike in searches during May 2020—and its popularity hasn’t waned much.
The spike in interest was felt in Long Beach, where Shayna “Pigeon” Meikle’s sales erupted at her 4th Street shop, Pigeon’s Roller Skate. Her employees hosted meet ups in 2020 at Signal Hill Park where over 50 skaters drifted through the basketball court.
The growing community interest eventually led to the opening of Pigeon’s Roller Rink pop-up in 2021, however the rink is only scheduled to be open until Dec. 31.
Parker noted her appreciation for Meikle, and her vision to bring the rink to the Long Beach community.
“We’re so proud that we can actually have this event here,” Parker said. “It’s a beautiful facility.”
For the event, Parker is merging her love of helping the community through the foundation with her love of skating this holiday season, noting that it validates the need to pursue more skating opportunities for the community.
“The work we do as a foundation is the most rewarding work I’ve ever done in my life,” Parker said, noting she’s excited to make the event free. “Having an opportunity to bring so many people together to skate, it’s a dream come true.”
For more information on the event, follow Urban Society on Instagram @urbansocietylb. To join the event’s waiting list, visit apcares.eventbrite.com.
Pigeon’s Roller Rink is located inside the 2nd and PCH shopping center at 6400 Pacific Coast Highway.
