Vans to launch "Skate the Strand" with Westminster City Council

US skate and streetwear brand Vans is launching a two-week series of free skateboarding events from 8-24 September 2021 called "Skate the Strand".

It’s in collaboration with Westminster City Council and Somerset House, and it will highlight a newly pedestrianised public space between Temple and Charing Cross in the heart of London, and is part of Westminster City Council’s Inside Out Festival – bringing art, entertainment and culture to the streets of Westminster.

It’s also in association with Somerset House’s "No Comply: Skate Culture and Community" exhibition, and there will be a purpose built pop-up skatepark erected on the Strand Aldwych, just outside the entrance to Somerset House.

There will be free skateboarding lessons, professional demonstrations and open public skate sessions for skaters of any level.

Councillor Matthew Green, Cabinet Member for Business, Licensing and Planning at Westminster City Council, said: “This month we saw a once busy and polluted stretch of the Strand transformed into a brand new pedestrianised area for Westminster’s communities and visitors. And following the huge skateboarding successes from Team GB at the recent Olympics, what better way to celebrate this new public space than with our exciting ‘Skate the Strand’ project?

“With the trucks and buses of traffic jams replaced by the trucks and decks of skateboards, we want the Strand to be dominated by different sets of four wheels as people come to enjoy this fantastic sport, right in the heart of London.”