They arrive one by one, beginning at 11 pm on a Saturday night.
They greet each other with smiles, hugs, and high-fives. The DJ steps into his booth, tests the gear, then starts his set with the latest Drake hit, or with an old-school joint by 2Pac or Geto Boys. After stretching their legs for a moment, they lace up their boots and step into the rink, where they’ll dance the night away on eight tiny wheels.
If your only roller rink experience has been pre-teen birthday parties, cheesy organ music, and sketchy rental skates, you haven’t been to a late-night adult skate party. Though skate parties have existed for over two decades, they’ve mostly been off the radar, familiar only to the most dedicated quad enthusiasts. And, as the name suggests, these ain’t for the kids. Adult skate parties are exclusive to those 21 and older, start around midnight, and can go to five in the morning. You won’t find many wall huggers or tenderfoots here, but you will see grown folks spinning, dancing, skating solo, or rolling deep in tightly synchronized lines. With a live DJ providing a soundtrack of hip-hop and R&B, an adult skate party isn’t much different from a typical night out in the cut, or if Soul Train were held inside a skating rink.