Europe's biggest skateboarding event of the year is just around the corner. On September 12–13, BaySixty6 in London will host the Skateboard GB National Championships – Street, the highlight of the national competition calendar and the closest equivalent to a national final in European skateboarding.
Registrations for the Street event are now closed, highlighting the sport's current status: it is no longer a niche affair. This two-day exhibition showcases the top street skateboarding talent in the country, watched by a community that has expanded more rapidly in the past five years than at any point since the sport's peak in the 1980s.
Spectator tickets are limited and currently available. With the event only weeks away, these won't last long – if you wish to be at BaySixty6 to watch Europe's top skaters compete, purchase your spectator tickets here before they are gone.
What's On at the National Championships
- Dates: September 12–13, 2026
- Venue: BaySixty6, London – one of Europe's most renowned skate parks
- Format: Elite Street competition, featuring the highest-ranked skaters in the country
- Extras: Community activities throughout both days, plus giveaways from event partners Subway and Eager Drinks
- Tickets: A limited number of spectator tickets are available now – entry applications are already closed, so spectating is the only way in
Results from the Championships directly contribute to Skateboard GB's performance pathways, helping determine who advances toward international and Olympic qualification. Attending this event means witnessing the athletes who may represent Great Britain on the global stage in the future.
Who Are Skateboard GB, and Why Are They Important?
Skateboard GB is the National Governing Body for skateboarding in the UK, overseeing everything from grassroots participation to the Olympic performance programme. The organisation in its present form was established at the end of 2017, initially focusing on Olympic qualification, working alongside Skateboard England, which has been supporting grassroots skateboarding since 2015.
In December 2020, the two organisations merged into a single entity under the Skateboard GB name, uniting grassroots development and elite performance. This decision aimed to prevent resource duplication and provide UK skateboarding with a single, clear voice, rather than dividing efforts across separate organisations.
Since then, Skateboard GB has:
- Developed and expanded MySkate, an app mapping over 1,600 skateparks across the UK
- Organized the National Championships as the main route to Olympic qualifying points
- Supported three Team GB skaters at the Paris 2024 Olympics, including a bronze medal for Sky Brown
- Expanded to a team of 18 staff, enhancing coach development and talent progression programmes throughout the country
The organisation collaborates closely with Skateboard Scotland and Skateboard:NI, with a Welsh governing body also being developed, to ensure support for the UK's skate scene at every level, not just the elite tier.
Why Skateboarding Is Growing in the UK
Skateboarding's premiere at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was a pivotal moment. Sky Brown's bronze medal at the age of just 13, as Great Britain's youngest-ever summer Olympian, introduced the sport to a national audience for the first time. Skateboard GB reported a 30% increase in website traffic and a 200% rise in skatepark searches on MySkate immediately afterward.
That interest has persisted. Skateboard GB currently estimates the number of active skateboarders in the UK to be around 750,000, with at least 10% having taken up the sport recently. Growth has not been uniform – female participation has increased by approximately 24% annually, driven by dedicated female-only sessions at skateparks, regional female skate groups, and visibility from riders like Sky Brown and Bombette Martin.
Achieving Olympic status has also altered how local authorities and landowners view skateboarding. Skateboard GB has leveraged this legitimacy to advocate for more skateable public spaces, which in turn makes the sport more accessible to new riders without a dedicated park nearby.
The National Championships are central to all this. It's the event where the results of that growth are visible in one place: more participants, higher standards, and a larger audience every year.
Secure Your Tickets Before They're Sold Out
With the event only weeks away and spectator numbers limited, tickets are selling quickly. This is a rare opportunity to watch Europe's best street skaters compete for national titles and Olympic qualifying points, at one of the continent's most recognisable skate parks.
