Skate Chicago is a free 4-day recreational urban street skate event where skaters from around the world gather to socialize and explore the city on inline and roller skates. It's Chicago's biggest skate event, much like Big Apple Roll, Skater Migration, and Big Avocado Roll.
Tentative schedule
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Thursday, Aug. 17:
12-mile night skateMeet: Daley Plaza @ 7:30 pmTheme: Disney 100
2023 is the 100th Anniversary of The Walt Disney Company, and Walt Disney was born in Chicago. We'll skate to where he lived, went to high school, worked, and took drawing classes.
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Friday, Aug. 18:
Bonus: 12-mile morning skateMeet: Daley Plaza @ 10:30 amTheme: Chicago music festivals
A bonus skate for all of the early birds who are in Chicago Friday morning! We'll skate to various parks that are home to Chicago's music festivals, like Lollapalooza, Pitchfork, and Sad Summer Fest.
12-mile night skateMeet: Daley Plaza @ 7:30 pmTheme: Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre
We'll skate to where it happened February 14, 1929, and related Chicago gangster locations.
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Saturday, Aug. 19:
20-mile skate, with a refreshment breakMeet: Daley Plaza @ 9:30 amTheme: Neighborhoods
Chicago is known as "The City of Neighborhoods." We'll skate through a variety of neighborhoods, from South side to West side to North side, while the Chicago Air and Water Show takes place overhead.
Meet: Monroe Harbor @ 8:00 pm
Catch breathtaking views of Chicago's skyline and iconic landmarks, with a drink in hand, as you cruise down Lake Michigan aboard a 2-story, open air party boat! A limited number of tickets are available for this 21+ cruise, and prices are lower if you buy early. Buy your tickets today using this link, which applies the discount code "skate" for 10% off.
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Sunday, Aug. 20:
13-mile morning skateMeet: Daley Plaza @ 9:30 amTheme: Wings
This is the Chicago Air and Water Show weekend, so we'll skate to various Wing things around town.
Register
Skate Chicago is a free event, but skaters are required to register by signing this waiver and receiving a wristband. Skaters are encouraged to sign the waiver online ahead of time and can receive a wristband the following ways:
- At the meetup time prior to a skate, locate a Skate Chicago organizer wearing a red Windy City Skaters shirt, show them the confirmation email you received after signing the waiver, and they'll give you a wristband.
- Or you can stop by the registration table on Friday (Aug. 18th) from 3 - 6 pm. The registration table will be located in the Crescendo Room on the 2nd floor of the Allegro Royal Sonesta Hotel.
Rules and safety:
- Skaters are required to register.
- A helmet is required, and protective gear, especially wrist guards, are recommended.
- We skate in city streets. We skate in bike lanes a lot, and less busy side streets. We will skate a busy street now and then, not much.
- We stop at red lights. We keep to one lane. We don’t block cars. We skate in such a way we get to skate again.
- Skaters should be able to stop, turn, manage street hazards such as cracks, potholes, rocks, sticks, railroad tracks, curbs, wet pavement, and hills.
- We stop a lot, and let skaters in the back catch up. We try to keep the group together. We don’t leave anyone behind. It is a group recreational fun social skate. It is not a race. Nobody wins. Rather, we all win. We are skating together.
Location
Here are the important locations, which are all located in the Chicago Loop area:
- Daley Plaza: The meeting location for all of our skates. Look for the huge Picasso statue.
- Allegro Royal Sonesta Hotel: Our host hotel and the location of the registration table.
- Monroe Harbor: The dock from which Saturday's boat cruise will depart.
- Live location: Before each skate, we'll post a link to our Instagram story that you can use to see our live location on a map. You can use this live location tracker to catch up to us if you somehow get separated from the group or you aren't able to make it to the meet up location on time.
2023 official shirts, bags, & hats
We designed some stellar skate gear for Skate Chicago 2023, like this moisture wicking shirt and bags emblazoned with our shiny metallic bean logo. The last day to order items online was August 10th, but we'll also have shirts available for purchase at the registration table on Friday (Aug. 18th). If you ordered items online and picked the "local pickup" shipping option, please stop by the registration table on Friday to pick up your items.
Hotels
Skate Chicago has two host hotels to choose from. Both are near Daley Plaza, the gathering location for our skates. The last day for our special discounted room rates was July 27th.