This year marks Global Skate Athlete Geoff Rowley’s 25-year anniversary with the brand.
Read moreVANS SHOP RIOT
BACK WITH A NEW FORMAT FOR 2024
June 20, 2024
- SKATEBOARDING
A NEW APPROACH TO THE FORMAT
Vans Shop Riot – a staple of the European skate calendar – is now in its 14th year and back with a brand-new updated contest format.
The original concept by Vans celebrates Europe’s finest skate shops whilst offering the core skateboard scene and the best skate shop riders from all over Europe an authentic platform for recognition and community.
One of the big updates to the 2024 edition of Vans Shop Riot is the calendar cadence. Regional qualifiers will take place across Europe over the course of 7 months, culminating in the Vans Shop Riot Grand Finals in February 2025 – coinciding with Skate Shop Day.
And speaking of Skate Shop Day – Vans will be working alongside the organization this year to further celebrate and support local skate shops. Skate Shop Day (February 17th), which is now in its 5th year of operation, is the day that the skateboard community celebrates our cultural hubs, the foundations of every skate scene, the places that bring skaters together and act as the glue for skateboarding as a whole.
Changes to the contest format will include a mix of individual and team skate competitions, creative team challenges and most importantly will celebrate the diversity and inclusivity of skateboarding. The focus will be on team spirit, fun and relentless progression – not the standard judging criteria. A full breakdown of the updated format, prize pot and locations will be released soon. Another addition to this year’s updated format will be the production of a content series with the aim to elevate and celebrate the qualifying shops even further. Each team that progresses to the Vans Shop Riot Finals will be supported by a shop profile video piece, filmed by Paul Labadie. Kicking off the series will be reigning champions, Venero (Barcelona).
And it wouldn’t be a Vans Shop Riot without the collaboration, creative vision and support of our partners – both artists and non-profit organizations. This year Vans is proud to announce that Jay Howell will be the creative partner for the 2024 series and the Ben Raemers Foundation will be present at all events, creating a platform and safe spaces for people to talk about mental health within the context of the skateboarding world.
A full schedule of the Vans Shop Riot Regional Qualifiers will be released soon.
NEXT STOP:
The challenge between Skate Shops from all over Italy for the international final returns to Milan on Saturday 16th of November
Milan, October 28th, 2024 - The Vans Shop Riot, now in its 14th edition, is an original event by Vans created to celebrate the best skate shops in Europe, offering the skate scene and the best skaters an authentic opportunity to represent the local communities. An essential part of the format are the national qualifiers, which have been held in the main European capitals over the years: the Italian one will take place in Milan on Saturday 16th of November, at Pinbowl DIY Skatepark, starting at 2pm. Each skate shop in the competition will try to win the highest prize, glory and a place in the international final with a team of 4 skaters.
The Vans Shop Riot Grand Final will be in February 2025, on Skate Shop Day, when, for the past five years now, the skateboard community has celebrated its cultural hubs, the foundations of every skate scene, the places that bring skaters together, as a glue for skateboarding as a whole.
One of the most important updates for 2024 edition of Vans Shop Riot is the judging criteria, with two competition areas (Team Contest and Team Challenge) that will include a mix of individual and team skate competitions and creative challenges, all in order to celebrate the diversity and inclusivity of skateboarding. In fact, each team had to take gender inclusivity into account when choosing their four skaters.
Each shop will have two 2-minute runs and will be judged on criteria such as performance, brilliance, fun and team execution. The sum of the Team Contest and Team Challenge points will determine the winner.
Which of the 17 shops in the Qualifier Italy will win the first prize and fly to the final of Vans Shop Riot 2025?
BARCELONA
Vans Shop Riot Qualifier Spain
21/06/24
LONDON
Vans Shop Riot Qualifier UK
05/07/24
- 07/07/24
BERLIN
Vans Shop Riot Germany
19/07/24
- 20/07/24
GOTHENBURG
Vans Shop Riot Qualifier Nordics
08/08/24
- 09/08/24
ZURICH
Vans Shop Riot Switzerland
30/08/24
- 31/08/24
DEVENTER
Vans Shop Riot Qualifier Holland
08/09/24
ATHENS
Vans Shop Riot Qualifier Greece
15/09/24
PARIS
Vans Shop Riot Qualifiers France
11/10/24
- 12/10/24
KATOWICE
Vans Shop Riot Poland
18/10/24
- 19/10/24
LISBOA
Vans Shop Riot Portugal
26/10/24
WEVELGEM
Vans Shop Riot Qualifiers - Belgium
10/11/24
MILANO
Vans Shop Riot Qualifier Italy
16/11/24
VANS SHOP RIOT: A LOOK BACK
Vans Shop Riot was born out of a grassroots event at Burnside Skatepark in the Netherlands in 2009. It evolved quickly and hasn’t stopped growing since then.
Skate shops are the backbone of skateboard culture and Vans Shop Riot is dedicated to shops and their teams, with this original series of contests across Europe. Local qualifiers lead to a European finals event in a different country every year.
Long before skateboarding at the Olympics was even an idea – team and competition skateboarding didn’t exist. When skaters ride in competitions, generally you ride on your own against everyone else to win the prize purse. Every skateboard shop has a team of riders and what a fun idea it was to get these shop teams riding with each other and against other shops in a European skateboarding championship that’s about giving back to the community and celebrating the culture of skateboarding.
Vans Shop Riot is a strict street contest. Each European stop sees the country’s top shops battle it out in one of their best skateparks. Everything is about the team effort when it comes to results and a trip to the finals.