Hello there!

Welcome to Rollfolk.

After a long time in the making, we’re excited to finally launch this project. Rollfolk is a platform created to foster, preserve, share, and grow roller skating culture, with a special focus on park and street skating.

Roller skating has always attracted creative, open minded and free spirited people. Over the years, it has grown into one of the most welcoming, respectful, and active communities, not only within so called action sports, but also as a powerful cultural and social movement. For many of us, roller skating has been a lot more than a hobby. It has been a place of belonging, expression, and connection.

With more than two centuries of history, roller skating has continuously reinvented itself. From ballroom dancing and silent cinema to roller derby, figure skating, roller dance, racing, slalom, hockey, jam skating, and urban freeskating, each era has added new layers to the culture. In the 1970s, the first pioneers rolled into bowls and ramps, reimagining what was possible on quad skates. By the late 80s and early 90s, a new generation took over vert ramps and street spots, developing airs, flips, stalls, grinds, and slides that helped lay the foundation for what we now call extreme sports.

The rise of inline skating in the 90s shifted the spotlight, and roller skating as a distinct culture faded, or evolved, with only a smaller group of quad skaters remaining active within the scene. It wasn’t until the 2010s, and especially after 2013, that a new generation of roller skaters emerged with their own style, confidence, and attitude. They turned heads, inspired others, and helped bring roller skating back into the global conversation. After the pandemic of 2020, that energy reached new heights.

In recent years, we’ve been lucky to witness an explosion of creativity: new brands, magazines, product innovations, videos, and events have been built by skaters who poured their time, love, and effort into the culture. Many of these projects strengthened our roots and carried messages of inclusivity, empowerment, and respect. During this time roller skating has continued to inspire and be inspired by skateboarding and rollerblading as well, bringing action sports closer together as one big wheeled family.

At the same time, as popularity began to decline and skate sales dropped, many of these projects quietly disappeared. We also started to notice a shift within the culture itself. Even though the level of skating has never been higher, the community has become more fragmented. Connections feel weaker, and some of what once made roller skating so unique and special risks being lost.

Rollfolk exists because we believe roller skating needs a neutral, open platform that brings people together. A place where all skaters, brands, and projects can coexist, connect, and support one another. Everyone is welcome here. We are not a brand. We don’t sell products. We have no hidden agenda. Our goal is to create a safe space built on respect, and shared passion.

We are inspired by the work of CIB and many others who came before us, and we hope to continue that spirit by helping to unite and inspire skaters around the world. We believe in lifting each other up, sharing stories, and creating opportunities for voices that deserve to be heard.

Rollfolk is a DIY project. We don’t have funding or outside support. What we do have is a deep love for roller skating and a strong belief in this community. With your support, participation, and contributions, we hope that one day we can give back by supporting skaters, organising events, funding writers, photographers, and videographers, and helping to strengthen this culture for future generations. So they can learn from it, enjoy it, and keep it rolling.

Thank you.