Supported by Canada Water
Skate Haven at Canada Water Plaza all summer in 2026
Free, beginner-friendly skateboarding sessions every weekend. Two public skateboarding events. All ages, all abilities, all welcome. Bring your board, or borrow one of ours.
Help us shape the future of skateboarding at Canada Water and take 5 minutes to share your views on the plaza.
What’s Happening?
Sessions Every Weekend
All summer, we'll be down at the plaza every weekend with beginner-friendly ramps, boards, pads, helmets and a friendly crew of coaches.
Saturdays and Sundays, 1 - 3 pm
June 27 - September 27
1 - 2 pm: an hour of coached skating, focused on beginner skills and further skills workshops.
2 - 3 pm: an hour of supervised free skating on Skate Haven’s obstacles or the wider plaza with Skate Haven’s gear — free time to practise and play, with coaches ensuring everyone is safe.
To book a session, you have to be signed up. Once you have signed up, booking in is easy and you can also just turn up on the day.
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We encourage anyone who is curious to join!
Our coaches have experience with all ages and abilities.
We also have experience in accommodating young people with a range of disabilities -
Bring your own gear if you’d like!
If not, we provide boards, helmets and full sets of pads to those who need them!
Our inventory can accommodate up to 15 people.
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Our policy is that helmets are mandatory for anyone under the age of 16, and for any other first-timer.
Helmets and pads will be strongly recommended, especially for beginners.
Our policy only applies to skaters signed up in our sessions using our gear or ramps! -
You will only have to sign up once. After that, the coaches will make sure to get your name whenever you participate.
We are collecting data on who will be using the space. This is for funding purposes, and all data will be treated professionally and confidentially.
June 21 - Go Skateboarding Day
On Go Skateboarding Day, we are kicking off Skate Canada Water off with a Jam, prizes and rewards, and family-friendly workshops alongside the skateboarding activities.
Events
September (exact date TBC) - End of Summer Skate
We will close Skate Canada Water off with another skate jam, alongside presentations showcasing Skate Canada Water, including a short documentary, skate footage, photography, artworks and more!
Why Skate Canada Water?
This is a chance for skateboarding to deepen its roots at Canada Water and have more of an impact in the future of the space
Canada Water Plaza is one of the few wide, smooth, open public spaces in London where you can pretty much skate any day at any time, despite everything else that goes on in the plaza. It is rare to find public spaces in London where skateboarding is not actively unwelcome by surrounding businesses and pedestrians. Skaters know this, and it is becoming an increasingly popular skate spot.
From June to September, Skate Haven is running a programme on the plaza. We want it to feel busy, welcoming and full of life. We welcome families to bring their young ones to take their first push, we encourage brave parents to join in, and we want to entertain the surrounding pedestrians and businesses.
As much as we want to enrich and enliven the existing skate culture, we will also make sure our activities aren’t disrupting the existing skate culture. Part of our ethos is to teach young people and beginners how to share public spaces and parks with other skaters.
Skate Canada Water is part of a wider redevelopment plan at Canada Water — a long-term British Land project, undertaken by the Canada Water Masterplan, transforming this corner of Rotherhithe — and we're proud to help bring the new public space to life. Skate Canada Water is a chance for skateboarding to deepen its roots in the space and have more of an impact in the future of this space.
Have Your Say!
This is your plaza, and we want to hear from you — whether you skate with or alongside us, pass through the market, run a nearby business, or just enjoy the space. Our short survey will help shape how we use the space, and your information will help us show what a place like this means to the community!