NYC’s Rockefeller Center is reviving retro America with roller rink replacement
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New York City’s world-famous Rockefeller Center is undergoing a retro rewind for the warmer weather.
For the next six months, the iconic ice rink — which during spring and summer typically turns into a terrace of umbrella-covered tables — will be replaced with Flipper’s Roller Palace Boogie, a late ’70s roller rink that’s making a comeback after more than four decades.
The roller rink will be officially open to the public from April 15 through October 2022.
The roller-skating venue thrived from 1979 to 1981 at its family-owned location in West Hollywood, California.
Flipper’s described these those years as a “mecca of uninhibited fun” in a press release.
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Now, Flipper’s sets out to revive the vibe and unite the public through the “joy of roller skating” in New York City in 2022.
“Roller skating at Rockefeller Center will be a quintessentially New York moment,” Tishman Speyer CEO Rob Speyer said in a statement. “We are thrilled to welcome Flipper’s as a partner in transforming the rink level at the Center, and can’t wait to see everyone out there.”
The roller rink will be officially open to the public from April 15 through October 2022. Tickets are $40 for adults and $30 for kids with skate rentals for hour-long blocks.
The rink will be open Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to midnight; Saturday 8 a.m.-midnight; and Sunday 8 a.m.-10 p.m.
Flipper’s Boogie Palace NYC roller rink at Rockefeller Center is shown pre-opening in New York City, N.Y., on Sunday, April 10, 2022. (Angelica Stabile/Fox News Digital)
Not only will Rockefeller Center be decked out in a fresh and vibrant aesthetic — under set designer Bureau Betak’s rink design — but the campus will also have a new food program, a viewing deck and a retail store at Channel Gardens.
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Seasonal programming such as live music performances and kids’ entertainment will follow.
Flipper’s co-founders Liberty Ross and Kevin Wall, with other collaborators, are hoping to resuscitate the world of roller skating, beginning with Rockefeller Center, they indicated.
They’re aiming for new rinks, lessons, community events, performances and retail stores and merchandise to follow.
Advertising for Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace decks out its retail storefront at Rockefeller Center’s Channel Gardens in New York City, N.Y., on Sunday, April 10, 2022. (Angelica Stabile/Fox News Digital)
“Our goal is to build world-class spaces where everyone is welcome, spaces where connection and self-expression roll free, without judgment or prejudice,” Ross said in a statement.
“It’s my hope to support the amazing roller-skating community and the future of the sport, while welcoming the curious to the freedom and fun that is roller-skating.”
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The Rink at Rockefeller Center first opened on Christmas Day 1936; it was intended as a temporary attraction for shoppers.
The ice rink, which was a perfect fit for the sunken plaza, earned permanent popularity and has served as the landmark site of the Prometheus Statue and world-famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree ever since.