Photo by Slowpoke Studios
Audio By Carbonatix
Maybe you haven’t laced up a pair of roller skates in twenty years, but your New Year’s resolution is to take up a new hobby. Perhaps you’re looking for a great indoor activity to keep the kids busy this winter. Or maybe you’re a roller skating enthusiast looking to meet other like-minded individuals. No matter what the goal, Denver’s roller skating scene has plenty to offer.
Ken Hamblin
Tracks
3500 Walnut Street
For 45 years, Tracks — one of the largest LGBTQ venues in Denver — has created a nightclub rooted in inclusivity and fun. And for the last ten years, on the third Friday of the month, Tracks hosts Roll Night, a place where people of all ages and walks of life can enjoy roller skating. If you want to throw on a wig and some glitter, you won’t be alone. But if you really want to get into the spirit, find out the theme and plan a costume. Past themes include K-Pop demon hunters, Golden Girls, Wicked, Down the Yellow Brick Roll — you get the idea.
“It’s a really fun night for adults to do something we did growing up,” says general manager Justin Laine. “We are an all-encompassing nightclub; we welcome everyone. We want you to get on some skates and just let loose.”
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The skating rink has a full bar, and we already know what you’re thinking: spilled drinks and roller skates don’t mix. That’s why sippy cups are available. Listen, you don’t host roller skating nights for ten years and not think of everything.
If you haven’t been on skates in decades, Tracks offers lessons before it opens at 7 p.m. (not a bad idea if you’re rusty). There’s no cover 7-9 p.m. and you can pre-purchase tickets and lessons online. Tracks provides free roller skates and rollerblades to rent, or you can bring your own.
“We have everything you need,” Laine says. “I can’t get over how fun it is. If you like roller skating, you are going to have fun. If you just want to dance and watch others, you can do that too. It’s a good time for everybody.”
Skate City
Skate City
Multiple metro locations
Skate City is just how you left it in sixth grade: neon lights, carpet speckled with crazy colors and the smell of concession stand nachos wafting through the stale air. You may still skate close to the wall “just in case.” The employees, who are technically on the floor to keep things safe, still can’t help but show off their skating skills (Why is skating backwards so darn impressive?). The only thing missing is your crush asking you to join them for couples’ skate. But some things never change, and if you’re looking for a touch of nostalgia, a place to bring the family, or even date night (adult skate is 9-11:30 p.m. on Fridays), Skate City’s familiarity is welcomed.
Roller City
6803 West Alameda Avenue, Lakewood
Roller City says it’s Colorado’s biggest roller-skating rink with one of the largest floors this side of the Mississippi (35,000 square feet to be exact). Like Skate City, this is a traditional roller arena where children’s birthday parties reign supreme. However, with adult nights twice a week, the occasional DJ, and beer/wine available at the snack bar, it’s not just a destination for the kiddos. There’s an unwritten rule that roller skating rinks are required to have busy, neon carpeting — and Roller City is no different. Grab a hot dog, roll into the arcade for a quick break and work up the courage to try to “shoot the duck” on wheels (good luck).
Wagon Wheel Skate Center
14501 Brighton Road, Brighton
Wagon Wheel Skate Center opened in 1958 and has been owned by the Trevena family since 1968. If you’re looking to skate on a true wood floor — which is rarer than you’d expect because they can be pricier — this is your place, as it’s the only true wood floor for skating in the Denver metro area. It’s also one of only four wood floor rinks left in Colorado (but not if Rainbow Dome has anything to say about it, see below). And you already know the carpet game is on point.
Susan Froyd
Rainbow Dome
Location coming soon
Co-founders Therin Zimmerman and Frankie Toam met working together at an art collective. Someone said there needed to be a queer roller rink in Denver, and an idea was born. One problem: neither of them knew how to skate.
“We still gravitated toward having a movement activity in a space where people are gathering,” Zimmerman says. “It gives people more opportunities to engage, gives you something that is not alcohol focused. As queer adults, we are looking for more of that.”
At first, Rainbow Dome just hosted pop-ups, which began in 2021. Today, they have found a space to build a proper roller arena, which is set to start construction in January on the corner of 17th and Federal, with tentative plans to open in fall 2026.
“Rainbow Dome is really necessary right now in this time period of anti-trans and a lot of hate,” says Zimmerman. “Our intention is that it’s a place of respite and recovery. We want to foster joy and connection so people feel refueled. Community is our focus.”
What makes Rainbow Dome different from a traditional roller arena or even a fun skating pop-up: its foundation is art. “We want to create environments that spark imagination,” says Kate Speer, Rainbow Dome’s creative strategist.
The vision for the new space is part performance venue, part open skate, part art installation. In the evenings, expect DJs, dance parties and bands in the middle of the floor, so you’re skating around live music, or a catwalk with audience on either side. Roller skating will always be the anchor. The team’s goal is to install a wood floor because it’s the nicest to skate on.
“We started this because it was a space that was lacking in Denver,” Speer says. “There aren’t enough queer spaces ever. I hope this inspires others.”
Donate here to help fund the new space.
More Skating Opportunities
For roller skating enthusiasts, check out Sk8d8 in Boulder for a robust list of classes ranging from beginner to a freestyle dance skate workshop (taught by Paul Norton, who has been skating for fifty years).
For all your roller skating needs — helmets, toe stops, protective gear, literally anything you could want — pop into Beehive Skate Shop on South Broadway.
If you like to ice skate, we have a whole other list for that.
And if you’re looking for a more casual meetup of inline and quad skaters for weekly skates at different locations across the city at various skate parks or places like Sloan’s Lake, follow Denver Urban Skate Troop on Instagram for all the details.
And hey, maybe you’d rather watch skating than partake. If that’s more in your wheelhouse (pun intended), snag tickets to the Denver Roller Derby and catch some extreme bad ass-ery happen before your eyes.
