4 events you don’t want to miss this summer

Summer is finally pumping full blast in Montreal. We know AC sounds good and comfy, but the heat sure isn’t a reason to stay inside, we do it all winter anyway. To keep you busy playing outside this summer, check out these 4 events you ABSOLUTELY have to attend. SEE YOU THERE.

The Montreal Vans Park Series

This one’s coming up real soon! July 12-13th will highlight the first ever Vans Park Series stop in the beautiful city of Montreal, at the Olympic Stadium’s Esplanade. Come see the best bowl riders in the world compete at the newly built professional level Vans bowl and get ready to witness the greatest skateboarding you’ve ever seen.

All the biggest names in park skating will gather in Montreal next weekend to skate the epic bowl that Vans created for the event. With Pedro Barros, Corey Juneau, Tristan Rennie, Roman Pabich, Alex Sorgente and more, you can expect nothing but gnarly skateboarding.

The best thing about the Montreal Vans Park Series stop is that the bowl they just built at the Stadium will stay there permanently. There’s even talk about building a street course around the bowl in the future. The Stadium will finally have a permanent world class facility for athletes to shred all year round.

The top park skaters from all over the world + the first permanent Vans Legacy Park in Canada + a $160k prize purse = An event you have to check out!

The Jackalope Fest

Another event you don’t want to miss this summer is the Jackalope Fest. A weekend filled with everything we like. Food, drinks, extreme sports, activations of all kinds, the Skateboarding World Cup and a demo by some of the best vert skaters of all time, including the legendary Bob Burnquist.

This event is also taking place at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium and is not free, but trust us though, it’s well worth the price. Seeing Bob Burnquist skate live is worth it alone!

From August 16th to August 18th, the Olympic Stadium’s Esplanade will be lit with all kinds of activities and shows, including skateboarding of course, but also base jumping, motocross, slack line, bouldering and a lot of other stuff. Join us at the Olympic Stadium on August 16th and get ready for an adrenalin filled weekend you'll remember forever.

The Empire Open

The Empire Open, formerly called the Am Getting Paid will be another fun filled weekend, that’s for sure. The main difference between the old contest and the new one is that the Empire Open is now for Professionals AND amateur skateboarders and will truly highlight the best of the best, competing for a 40k cash prize that’s separated equally between Mens and Womens. (20k/20k).

The event will take place at Taz Skatepark on August 29th to 31st and is free to attend. Come join us and watch the best skaters in the world battling to get their hands on a chunk of our prize money and to climb up the rankings for the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo. There’s also going to be a tons of activities on site like games, activations, food, contests, gifts and much more! 

Stay tuned for more infos about the Empire Open, coming up on our blog later this week. 

The Empire 20th anniversary block party

As well as being the biggest Pro/Am contest in Canada, the Empire Open also highlights the kickoff of Empire Skateshop’s 20th anniversary year. To celebrate two decades of dedication to the local skateboarding scene, we prepared a bunch of surprises for you so you remember that weekend forever.

The day will start at 11am at the corner of Milton and Saint-Laurent Streets with free skateboarding lessons with the Vans and Empire crews, followed by the Vans Best Trick contest, activations from our partners, games, giveaways and the Empire 20th anniversary party & after party. It’ll be wild!

Last but not least, the Empire 20th anniversary party, starting at 7pm right after the Vans Best Trick Contest. Stay with us or join us on the corner of Saint-Laurent and Milton streets to get the real party started with a fresh drinks and outdoor live performances until 10pm.

Want more? Follow us at Don B. Comber after 10pm for the Empire Open after party. Make sure you don’t have to work on Monday as good drinks and music will be available to enjoy in large quantities until 3pm. Don’t miss it.