With locations in Innisfil and Collingwood, SKATEVAN co-founders aim to give everyone a chance to ‘enjoy a fun, outdoor, analogue activity together.’
NEWS RELEASE
SKATEVAN
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SKATEVAN is an exciting new mobile roller skating experience set to bring unique pop-up skating and rental programs to southwestern Ontario this summer.
As Ontario’s first mobile roller-skating venture, SKATEVAN starts its summer season with a free community skate event on Tuesday, May 26 at Innisfil Town Square. After that, they will travel to Collingwood, Stouffville, Downsview Airport, Toronto, Newmarket, and London with even more pop-ups planned.
Merging skate culture with recreation, SKATEVAN hopes to encourage people to unplug from their devices and engage in real-life interactions through movement while trying something new and meeting new friends.
SKATEVAN features a specially designed van loaded with various skate sizes and protective gear. It also offers music and helpful tips for beginners so everyone of all ages can enjoy this fun outdoor activity together.
To kick off the summer and celebrate the official launch of SKATEVAN, they’ve teamed up with Evergreen Brickworks (550 Bayview Ave.) for monthly roller skate nights throughout the season at just $18 for 45 minutes of skating. Here are the dates when SKATEVAN will be at Brickworks:
Wednesday, June 24 – 6 p. m. to 10 p. m. Friday, July 17 – 5 p. m. to 10 p. m. Friday, Aug. 28 – 5 p. m. to 10 p. m. Sunday, Sept. 20 – 1 p. m. to 6 p. m.
People can reserve their spot online by choosing an available date on SKATEVAN’s website under the ‘Summer 2026 Skate Tour’ calendar or simply show up at any event listed as ‘first come, first served.’ Reservations for the monthly skate night at Evergreen Brickworks will be available soon.
The idea behind SKATEVAN came from Henry O’Brien and Janine Bartels after they launched SUSO Skate Co. in 2021 at The Bentway in Toronto. They quickly grew their business by utilizing empty retail spaces and malls to spread the joy of roller-skating across the Greater Toronto Area. As demand increased for a mobile experience after appearing on CBC’s Dragons’ Den, O’Brien and Bartels saw a chance to develop a fully mobile roller-skating concept featuring a van equipped with four racks holding around one hundred pairs of skates in different sizes along with necessary protective gear and check-in desks.
“We’re so excited to launch SKATEVAN and bring fun, accessible roller-skating to Ontarians this summer,” says Henry O’Brien, co-founder of SKATEVAN. “When Janine and I launched our first pop-up roller rink in 2021 we thought it would be a one-time summer project. We had no idea how much people would love it but soon realized there was a huge opportunity using outdoor community spaces during summer months. We noticed there was a need for a mobile experience dedicated to bringing roller-skating into communities like schools or parties or even brand events or weddings- that’s how SKATEVAN was born! Starting an experiential business post-pandemic really highlighted how much people crave connection; that’s what we aim for- making connections easy through roller-skating.”
This summer you’ll also see SKATEVAN roll into:
Collingwood: ’80s Roller Jam at the Collingwood Curling Club – Saturday June 13 from 6 p. m. to9 p. m.-$14 skate rentals Stouffville: Youth Roller Skate Nights at Memorial Park Skating Trail – free (first come first served) starting July9that6pm on July9th ,16th ,23rd ,30th , August6th ,13th ,20th ,27th Downsview Airport (YZD runway) Play on the Runway: Saturday July11and Sunday July12from1pmto6pm-free Hyde Park London: Saturdays August22and September26from2pmto6pm-free (first come first served) Newmarket (Mulock Park): Dates coming soon-free (first come first served)
The company takes pride in transforming any reasonably flat area into an engaging roller rink-from office spaces or vacant stores right down outdoor ice rinks or parking lots! Booking your own SKATEVAN event is simple; just submit an inquiry via their website which includes transportation/set-up along with two staff members providing premium skates across various sizes plus all safety gear required along with digital waivers for participants ensuring full insurance/liability coverage! This service caters both indoors & outdoors making it year-round versatile too! Plus brands can customize their own pop-up setup perfectly suited towards launches/corporate events/team building activities too!
Looking ahead O’Brien & Bartels want even greater impacts within communities partnering up schools throughout Ontario launching ‘STEM Roller Recess’ program encouraging movement & building confidence while having fun during school days! Additionally franchise opportunities may arise allowing them introduce these awesome experiences not just here but reaching further communities across Canada & into U. S. A!
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