Lola Star’s Dreamland Roller Rink

I have always been an avid roller skater and before I was aware that there were discos of any description, let alone those involving people flying around on 8 wheels, I would bomb it around the maisonette I once upon dwelled in; though our neighbour below was not a fan.

When we moved to another part of England, one of the first places I was invited to by one of my prospective new best friends was the Roller-D, that’s a cool abbreviation for Roller Disco incase you didn’t already know 😉

This brought the joy of skating to a whole new level and I was hooked! I ended up there every chance I got! I began to revive my roller passion a few years ago with a reasonably retro pink and white pair from Ebay, but I missed my Roller-D days, the local skate park just didn’t cut it.

I have been drooling over all the new (yet still retro) styles of skates that I have noticed popping up everywhere and when I was home last summer I finally decided to treat myself to this Rookie pair from Proline Skates in my hometown of Cardiff, Wales.

As a result I was doing some hard dreaming of Roller-D days when it struck me, I was to be moving to Manhattan within a matter of months and if there’s anywhere that was going to have an adult roller disco, it would be New York City!

Low and behold I discovered Lola Star yet there would be no more roller discos for another eight months when they start up again for the summer! So I eagerly, yet patiently awaited the beginning of what I now think of as “roller disco season” and I was not to be disappointed.

80’s Under the Sea Prom- June 17th

This was my boyfriend’s first time on roller skates and although he didn’t even do one full lap before exclaiming, “I hate this!” I managed to persuade him to get back on with the addition of some thicker and longer socks we bought there, tip: come prepared with socks if you’re renting the skates, they’re made of plastic and they may cut you! It didn’t take long for him to fall in love and he went out and bought his own pair of skates the next week!

Xanadu July 8th

I only just discovered Xanadu a few months ago when I went to a Bad Film Night at Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff which was absolutely hilarious, the best cinematic experience of all time! The Bad Film Club shows films that are so bad they’re almost good but make fun of it the whole through with the use of laser pens and noisemakers for audience participation. So I was super excited when Lola put on a Xanadu themed night!

Roll Bounce- Classic Skate Grooves July 22nd

Left-Right: Me, Donna and Alexa

I managed to represent my brand in the making, Big Fat Rainbow, really well in this shot, I’m wearing the Holo-Geo Warrior swimsuit with Tie Dyed Rainbow shorts and Donna is wearing the Warrior Rave Queen bum bag.

Every single one has had an incredible atmosphere with an eclectic and joyous bunch of people, the kind you would imagine to frequent a Friday night roller disco in Brooklyn!

Each disco features hula hoopers and a dance off where the best or most confident skaters come and show off their mad roller skills! And mad skills they do have.

It’s $18 to get in on the door and $20 to book ahead. Most nights have been pretty crowded but we’re never turned away, yet the floor does get full of people and it can be dicey maneuvering your way through at times, especially if you’re going full speed!

All that doesn’t matter too much because Lola Star really has created a dreamland and it’s become my favourite place to go on a Friday night! In fact it’s hard to keep me away with such enticing themes as Spice Girls and Bowie tribute nights to make costumes for!

Lola Star’s Dream Van

The dance off!

Hula girls are at the epicenter of all of the rolling

80’s Pyjama Party