Ready to hit the rails? One of Saudi’s biggest purpose-built, and most centrally located skate parks has opened, and it’s right here in the heart of Riyadh.
Now open in at the Boulevard in Hittin, Saudi Skate Parks has opened BLVD Skate Park and it offers all manner of wheels, from BMXers to those on scooters.
“Saudis have always had this fantastic scene within all of those kind of pillars of street culture, and for me the one area that was missing and one of the coolest spaces that could tie it all together was street sports,” explains Oliver Wood, chief development officer at Ebda, an adventure, sport and wellness company that aims to develop and Spanning a massive 15,050 square metres, the Boulevard site offers skateboarding, scootering and BMX biking sessions – with experts on hand to help introduce the course, and assist those using it.
At any one time, the Saudi Skate Park permits 40-50 riders, to ensure that every single person riding the concrete gets the space they need.
Before you hit the ramps at Saudi Skate Park, you can rent gear including boards, blades and protective wear from the store – though if you want to get your own kit, head for LocaSonix in Nakheel, one of the best spots in the city for all things wheels.
Back at the Park, Wood explains, “We offer skateboards, in-line and scooters available for rental right now at the park or you can bring your own. Then you enter the park and depending upon your level, you’re paired up with an instructor immediately when you get through the door who’ll make sure that you are padded up correctly and that you have the right safety gear.”
“We have a good group of instructors who really know what they are doing and the good thing about the space is that you’re not going to be alone. There are a lot of people that come into the park of all ages that want to get involved but they find it intimidating. The reality is that we start slow and allow people to have this kind of entry process.”
Once you’re all geared up and ready to go, you’re all set to enter the park. And when you do, you’re greeted with an instructor that analyses your expertise, skill and ability. After they’ve judged if you’re wheelie good or not, they can finally tailor a lesson perfectly to
your needs.
Wood adds, “It’s more considerate than it is commercial, as we want people to get on a board and experience for the first hour they are with us riding a board along a flat surface. You have different features that allow you to go on rails, and the things you see on videos, we’ll get there.”
Right now, Saudi Skate Park is home to one of the coolest vibes in the city.
On opening night, people from all over the Kingdom, from Jeddah to Dammam, flew in for the experience, with a sizeable chunk of Saudi’s skating community in attendance for the big event.
For developer Ebda, at the heart of everything is making sure its experiences are truly local, whether through the Saudis who have worked on the artwork for the park or the operation managers running the show day to day. It’s all about delivering a Saudi-curated experience by a Saudi-made brand.
“We’ve built something really special here,” Wood explains, “And we’ve created it so it’s that facility where kids come and learn something new, experience something that makes them stronger, more confident, and builds communities. It connects them to other kids and gives them that real sense of achievement.”
Future park plans include opening up another two skate parks, including one in Jazan, on Saudi’s southwest coast, and having it reflect the waves of the water.
“We’re being forthright and ambitious,” Wood acknowledges. “We’re looking to create several more because it’s like a network. We can connect what we’re doing in the Kingdom and then it can spread and have the sports tourism come in.”
For now, Saudi Skate Park is looking forward to watching a community develop at the Boulevard, and hopefully see some Saudi skaters scale new heights on the sport’s global scene – which as of 2020, included the Olympics.
“We want to have a positive impact on the change when it comes to active communities and healthy lifestyles and create this healthier happier nation,” Wood says.
“If we can use this as an unintentional academy to grow street sports in the Kingdom, then maybe at the end of the day some kid on an Olympic podium will say ‘Shout-out to my first skate park in Riyadh’, and we can all be proud of that.”
Starting to feel like it’s time to get on board? We’ll see you there.
From SAR80. Open daily 2pm-midnight. Boulevard Riyadh City, Hittin, saudiskateparks.com
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