BOWLZILLA Wellington is CANCELLED for 2024

It is with deep regret that we announce the cancellation of BOWLZILLA Wellington for 2024. The current global financial challenges have impacted the ability of BOWLZILLA Wellington to secure the necessary sponsorship funds required to conduct the event successfully. Despite the dedicated efforts of the BOWLZILLA Wellington team, the legacy National Bowl Skating Championships cannot proceed without adequate financial support.

BOWLZILLA Wellington has been a cornerstone of the community for the past eight years, and it is disheartening to make this decision. The BOWLZILLA team takes great pride in supporting local and skater owned businesses and acknowledge the impact this cancellation will have on Wellington's skate economy.

While New Zealand’s National Bowl Skating Championships is on hold for this year, we strongly urge the skate community to rally behind other skater owned and run events such as Mangawhai Bowl Jam and other SBNZ (Skateboarding New Zealand) supported competitions. In these challenging times for many it is crucial for the community to show their support by getting behind skater-owned and run businesses and events, who are all no-doubt doing it tough too.

The BOWLZILLA team extends heartfelt gratitude to every individual, business and organization that has played a role in making BOWLZILLA Wellington the premier skate festival in New Zealand since its inception in 2016. Thanks to Wellington City Council for your ongoing funding and support of BOWLZILLA. Your support has been invaluable, and we look forward to the possibility of resuming the event in the future.

SAVE THE DATE: BOWLZILLA Wellington 2024

PEACE IS WORTH SKATING FOR

BOWLZILLA Wellington, Waitangi Park 17/02/2023

BOWLZILLA Wellington is celebrating its 9th year as New Zealand’s biggest skateboarding festival the week of the 17th of February and capping it all with the New Zealand National Bowl Skating Championships.

For the ninth consecutive year, BOWLZILLA Wellington will be putting on the biggest week of skating in New Zealand. With more events, bigger gatherings, larger celebrations and the best week of skating Aotearoa is likely to see. The weeklong festival highlights all the best of skating through ARTZILLA, music, barbecues, catch ups, our incredible friends and family and of course the competition.

“The BOWLZILLA community has always been enthusiastic in their celebration of the most important parts of skating; fun, unity, music, arts, creativity, and all-round heavy ripping. There have been many changes to skate gatherings the last few years and we believe the best parts of skating that have always bound us in fun are worth that extra effort to ensure we maintain the stoke. For our ninth year we are dialling up the good times and making sure everyone knows how grateful we are for all their years of support in the best little city in the world.” BOWLZILLA Director – Chad Ford

BOWLZILLA is renowned for its full week of festival happenings and this year there will be new additions celebrating the wider skate community and their awesome talents. The biggest week of skating in New Zealand is growing even larger. Everyone is welcome to come along and cheer and be part of the whole festival for free. There are exciting announcements coming in the New Year about sponsors and the festival.

Wellington City Council, Wellington Skateboarding Association, Redhead or Dead Events and Miryoku Agency have joined forces once again to bring this fantastic festival to the New Zealand skaters.

BOWLZILLA was born out of likeminded friends in the skateboard community looking for new platforms to promote the extraordinary talents of their friend’s talents that run in oversupply within skateboarding but are not often seen in the outside world. BOWLZILLA Wellington is the biggest platform for showcasing all of this amazing talent in skateboarding in New Zealand. There is an open invite for everyone to come and be part of the celebration.

15th February: Women’s Learn To Ride Clinic

15th February: Welcome Party

16th February: WSA Street Jam

16th February: ARTZILLA

17th February: BOWLZILLA™ Wellington competition – Waitangi Park, Wellington

17th February: Dive In – official after party

18th February: Karori Vert Jam, Ian Galloway Park, Karori, Wellington

BOWLZILLA Wellington 2023 Highlights

BOWLZILLA Wellington brought the heat this summer for the National Bowl Skating Championships. As

winter sets in in the southern hemisphere this clip will get everyone all fired up again. After the last few

years of weather and lockdowns it was the celebration everyone wanted and needed – watch, enjoy and

GO SKATE.

The best skate comps are just excuses to get the tribe together for a week of good times and ripping sessions. Wellington is the perfect city for an event like BOWLZILLA where the community is the focus. The week is full of free learn to ride clinics, street jams, parties, art shows, barbecues, free jams and the excuse of the National Bowl Skating Championships.

Many were not able to attend BOWLZILLA Wellington at the last minute because of a cyclone hitting the North Island. Everyone in attendance went above and beyond to make it another legendary year though, but more importantly, celebrate for those in our community who could not.

Having the support year in year out from Wellington City Council has ensured not only that BOWLZILLA

Wellington is the largest skate gathering in the country every year but that Wellington is also home to the most thriving skate scene because of the We Skate Poneke initiative. The BOWLZILLA Wellington week is growing and becoming more representative of the whole colourful community and the best is yet to come.

The support that goes into festivals like these are so important and everyone in attendance: fans, staff, friends, family and the competitors all step it up a little bit more to show their appreciation. Watch the ripping skating in the Hot Wheels 16 & Unders, Masters, Women and Opens and you'll see the future really looks bright for New Zealand skating.

Sponsors and partners like The Cambridge Hotel that housed all the crew and competitors and all the other sponsors combined; Radioactive.FM, Monster, Hot Wheels, Kangol, Santa Cruz, Independent, Dickies, Manual Magazine, Powerhaus Automotive, Manky Chops, Wellington Skateboarding Association and Skateboarding.NZ were bloody awesome.

The BOWLZILLA Wellington Champions for 2023 are; Hot Wheels Skate 16 & Unders: Monty Graham, Masters: Ramon Thackwell, Women: Yeva Butler and Open: Shaun Boucher, and a special congratulations to Yeva Butler for taking out the Hot Wheels Skate fingerboard competition as well, she’s going to need extra baggage allowance to get home.

A huge THANKS goes out to all the friends, family, fans, media, sponsors, supporters, community, crew, and skaters for what was truly one of the best years ever for BOWLZILLA Wellington.

WSA Kicker to Bin Jam

‘Twas the night before Bowlzilla…

We’re bringing down the heat from treetops to the city park again, this time the infamous kicker to bin. Come to

Waitangi next Friday 17 Feb for a fun skate jam with a free bbq and spot prizes. The space will run a schedule of

activities and events over the weekend to break it up from the main event over at the big ol’ bowl.

Huge thanks to the legend and massive talent @th0mas.aitken for the awesome flyer illustration

Radio Active Announce Media Sponsorship of BOWLZILLA 2022

We are proud to announce we are officially partnering with Radio Active for BOWLZILLA Wellington in 2022.

Radio Active know BOWLZILLA is one of the most important events in the Te Whanganui-a-Tara calendar. Aotearoa's biggest gathering of skaters alongside art, music and community, it makes perfect sense we team up with the capital's best alternative station.  Following two postponements due to COVID-19 this year is going to huge and we are looking forward to Radio Active being part of it.

Listen in to Radio Active to hear about all the BOWLZILLA news and events information running up to the event then join us on October 29th down at Waitangi Park for the main competition.

BOWLZILLA Wellington – Once Again Back Is The Incredible

Wellington is set to again be the Capital of Skateboarding with the return of BOWLZILLA Wellington on Saturday 29th October. New Zealand’s National Bowl Skating Championships will be roaring back bigger than ever to crown the Nation’s best skaters.

BOWLZILLA Wellington is going to be the biggest gathering of skaters in New Zealand this year. With New Zealand opening back up again, this year’s festival is going to be a celebration like no other. The week offers; parties, music, art shows, industry catch ups, governance meetings, barbecues, ramp jams, the competition and most importantly community.

BOWLZILLA was established as a foundational event that the New Zealand skating community can depend upon and utilise as a platform for all things skate every year without fail. The competition is what makes it all possible but the whole week of all the things is the point. That is why this year there are a couple of new gatherings being added to the permanent schedule.

In addition to the Welcome Party, ARTZILLA, BOWLZILLA Wellington National Bowl Skating Championships, Dive In after party and the Karori Vert Jam and barbecue, a free women’s Learn To Ride clinic will be added at Waitangi Park during the week and some surprises with the inclusion of the more diverse creative outlets of New Zealand’s skate community for the art show. There are a few other awesome gatherings being announced as we get closer to the festival.

This is the second year in a row that BOWLZILLA Wellington has had to postpone due to COVID lockdowns and it will be the second year in a row New Zealand skaters will come out the other side with a bigger and better gathering to celebrate the awesomeness and resilience of their community. More skaters, more events, more fun and it’s all free.

There are returning sponsors ensuring the Tech Deck 16 & Unders, Santa Cruz Open, Masters and Yeah Gnar Women’s divisions will be just as spectacular as always and to make it more interesting Protec are doing a special prize for the hardest skating most spectacular slam of the day. The parties are getting a bit of extra wow this year that will be announced shortly and Wellington Skateboarding Association, Skateboarding New Zealand and Wellington City Council via its Community Events and Sports Event funding are lifting the week to even bigger heights. To top it all off there is international broadcast via the live webstream with an international media partnership being announced shortly.

“Wellington City Council is excited to welcome back the annual BOWLZILLA Wellington event. Following the debut and success of so many incredible skaters at the Olympics, we look forward to seeing these athletes in action at the National Championships in the Capital. An incredible opportunity for our community to witness the skill of these skaters. To all of those competing at BOWLZILLA Wellington 2022 – we look forward to seeing you in action.” Mayor Andy Foster

Wellington City Council, Wellington Skateboarding Association, Redhead or Dead Events and Miryoku Agency have joined forces once again to bring this fantastic festival to the New Zealand skaters.

“Skaters are some of the most resilient people in the world. We are brilliant at adapting and taking whatever is in front of us and turning it into the best moments possible. BOWLZILLA 2022 is going to be a case study in this and we can’t wait to reunite with our friends and family in Wellington for the week of the 29th October to celebrate. The continuing support of Wellington City Council and our sponsors, which make it all possible, will be rewarded with the biggest skate party Wellington has seen to date. The whole week is free and everyone is welcome to come celebrate with us.” BOWLZILLA Director – Chad Ford.

With the new run date and borders now open, overseas friends are able to return. BOWLZILLA will be working with everyone to make this possible with accommodation being provided by the legendary Cambridge Hotel, which will also be the daily gathering spot away from the bowl for the week.

BOWLZILLA was born out of likeminded friends in the skateboard community looking for new platforms to promote the extraordinary talents of their friends and their talents that run in oversupply but are not often seen in the outside world. BOWLZILLA Wellington is the biggest platform for showcasing all of this amazing talent in skateboarding in New Zealand. There is an open invite for everyone to come and be part of the celebration.

There will be more information coming shortly about all the great events and sponsorships happening as part of BOWLZILLA Wellington 2022.

26/10/2022: Women’s Learn to Ride clinic – Waitangi Park Skatepark - FREE

27/10/2022: Welcome Party – The Cambridge Hotel

28/10/2022: ARTZILLA

29/10/2022: BOWLZILLA™ Wellington competition – Waitangi Park, Wellington

29/10/2022: Dive In – official after party

30/10/2022: Karori Vert Jam, Ian Galloway Park, Karori, Wellington

BOWLZILLA Wellington – BARRIER BREAKING

BOWLZILLA Wellington is going to be the Celebration Capital on the 5th of March, capping off an amazing year of skateboarding Breaking Barriers. New Zealand’s National Park Skating Championships are returning once again to crown the Nation’s best skaters.

BOWLZILLA always delivers the biggest week of skating in New Zealand and nothing gets in the way. Through border closures and travel restrictions the celebrations continue. This March marks the seventh year of Wellington’s skateboarding festival bringing everyone together.

2021 saw the largest gathering ever of fans and competitors from outside of Wellington for the BOWLZILLA celebrations and given the massive increase in participation in skating the last two years the larger attendance is expected to continue.

Gathering friends and family together to celebrate them and the awesome community that is skateboarding is always the most important part of the week. The weeklong festival highlights all of this through art shows, music, barbecues, catch ups and of course the competition.

“Wellington City Council is excited to welcome back the annual BOWLZILLA Wellington event. Following the debut and success of so many incredible skaters at the Olympics, we look forward to seeing these athletes in action at the National Championships in the Capital. An incredible opportunity for our community to witness the skill of these skaters. To all of those competing at BOWLZILLA Wellington 2022 – we look forward to seeing you in action.” Mayor Andy Foster

It is fair to say this seventh year of BOWLZILLA Wellington is a triumphant celebration given the last couple of years. The growing field of inter-city fans and competitors, the full week of festival happenings and the continuing growth in participation will all be culminating in the biggest week of skating seen so far in New Zealand. The competitors will be going all out to give everyone the best show of the year with Tech Deck 16 & Under, Women, Masters 40+ and Opens. Everyone is welcome to come along and cheer and be part of the whole festival for free.

Wellington City Council, Wellington Skateboarding Association, Redhead or Dead Events and Miryoku Agency have joined forces once again to bring this fantastic festival to the New Zealand skaters.

“Skateboarding in New Zealand has seen a lot of change since the inception of BOWLZILLA Wellington seven years ago. Through all of the developments we have worked extra hard to stay consistent in our support and representation or our clan because they are our friends and family. No matter how big the skateboard, event or organisation, we have not been distracted and beguiled from doing our part to present our community how they feel they want to be. BOWLZILLA has and always will be the voice of the people and the platform for them to create opportunity for all. Everyone is invited to come enjoy, participate and celebrate with us.” BOWLZILLA Director – Chad Ford.

BOWLZILLA was born out of likeminded friends in the skateboard community looking for new platforms to promote the extraordinary talents of their friend’s talents that run in oversupply within skateboarding but are not often seen in the outside world. BOWLZILLA Wellington is the biggest platform for showcasing all of this amazing talent in skateboarding in New Zealand. There is an open invite for everyone to come and be part of the celebration.

There will be more information coming in the New Year about all the great events and sponsorships happening as part of BOWLZILLA Wellington 2022.

All photos: David Read for Manual Magazine