Adidas Skateboarding ‘BUILD’ Manchester - Event Recap

Adidas Skateboarding arrived in Manchester this month for a 2 week residency at Factory International, Aviva Studios, as part of their global initiative, ‘Build’. The event is designed to champion the local scene in the city it touches down in. Partnering with credible voices within the city to help build on the already flourishing scene, it aims to educate others on the lesser known parts of skateboarding that sit outside of just the act itself.

Teaming up with local Manchester shop NOTE who celebrate their 25th anniversary this year, Gooseside DIY and local label Drama Call, the 12 Day residency allowed anyone who signed up, the chance to learn how to build their own curb block from scratch, screen print t-shirts, and even take lessons from established and qualified coaches that cater for all abilities.

As well as the activity side of things, there’s been an excellent plaza buildout by adidas and Manchester based agency DENT, which is open for public use throughout different parts of the day each week.

We headed down to take a look at the space on an evening when the park was playing host to a selection of the adidas Team who’d been visiting for the week, featuring riders like Gabriel Summers, Dan Fisher-Eustace, Jarrad Carlin and many more.

An element of the event that had also been active in the background was a video part competition, which challenged the local community to create their own small team, and film and edit their own video section both around the city and using the freshly laid plaza.

The calendar of events ended last week with a premiere of all of the created videos and a celebration of NOTE’s 25 year standing in the city, continually building and supporting the ever growing scene. I’ve managed to get along to a few NOTE events over the past few years and you can really see how much care they’ve given to the culture over their lifespan, there’s a really strong core community that also values their existence as a space to gather and share the passion.

You can find more information about the project here.