If you’re looking for that sign to try out roller skating, here it is.
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While basketball and volleyball usually dominate the conversation when it comes to sports in the Philippines, there are many other kinds of sports played along Manila’s colorful streets. Such is the case with roller skating. At first glance, roller skating might seem like a sport of the 80s where people go around the roller rink as they bop along to disco tunes.
But roller skating is so much more than a nostalgic throwback or the catalyst for one of the most memorable scenes of Stranger Things season 4, it’s a sport done by quite a few Filipinos. Manila is home to a small yet growing community of skaters who are as diverse as the streets they skate on. This is an aspect Johnnie Walker is looking to celebrate with an event that will remind us that there’s nothing wrong with trading those sneakers for a pair of roller skates.
FOR THE ROLLER SKATERS
Aside from being the world’s #1 Scotch whisky brand, Johnnie Walker also inspires many to celebrate what makes them unique and turn the streets into their canvas of self-expression. With their Walk Beyond campaign, they’re doing just that by highlighting and championing the subcultures in modern culture that make society as vibrant as it is. The Manila roller skating community takes center stage with Rhythm & Roll, the Walk Beyond campaign’s event, which was celebrated at Kondwi in Poblacion, Makati on June 17, that will see music, dance, and skates come together.
Photo taken from the Skatebomb Girls’ Instagram
Photo taken from the Skatebomb Girls’ Instagram
Serving as the highlight of Rhythm & Roll, the event will see a screening of Johnnie Walker’s documentary in collaboration with Vice Asia following the local roller skating community. The episode produced as part of the timeless brand’s Walk Beyond: Collabs series will see James Reid trade in his microphone for a pair of skates as he gets an up-close look at the thriving Manila rollerskate community with Steffi Lucero and the rest of the boss ladies of the Skatebomb Girls, an all-female skate squad.
Steffi, who is one of the proponents of Everywhere We Skate PH, a local community of skaters that grew to thousands throughout the pandemic, has seen first-hand how skating in Manila has gone from a niche and even misunderstood sport into a growing activity. The rise of skate shops, as well as new and restored rinks in and around the Metro has made the sport more accessible. She brings along James into the welcoming community for a one-of-a-kind pop-meets-roller-skating collaboration.
A SKATER’S PARADISE
Rhythm & Roll will see skate groups, musical acts, and live acts come together as Johnnie Walker toasts the best of the local roller skating community. Some highlights will include an afternoon skate session from invited skate groups to the beats of guests DJs. And if the skating energy has guests wanting to try roller skating themselves, they can have free skating lessons from Rolyo Sk8 House.
Photo taken from James Reid’s Instagram
As skaters grind on rails, guests will have the opportunity to watch a different form of art courtesy of a live art session from Bea Policarpio, who created a Walk Beyond-inspired mural. And the fun doesn’t stop when the sun sets as the Rhythm & Roll is about to get lit up with performances by ATEAM, Lesha, Massiah, August Wahh, and James Reid, the latter of who will perform his recent single, So Fire. More DJ sets will then close the night.
Rounding this all up will be the Johnnie Walker highball bar, where guests can get a drink (or two) of signature Johnnie highballs and cocktails. The iconic Scotch whiskey brand is pulling out all the stops to let people know that the Manila roller skating scene has arrived, and we’re here for it.
If all this talk of roller skating has got you itching to see James Reid and the Skatebomb Girls zoom across Manila, you can watch the documentary here.
And don’t forget, drink responsibly. Visit DrinkIQ.com to learn more about alcohol facts.
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