“There has been an explosion,” says city-based skateboarder Russell Lopez, just before starting his weekend session with other enthusiasts at the Nerul skatepark in Navi Mumbai. He is talking about the increase in the number of skateboarders in Mumbai since March 2020. There are roughly around 500 new skateboarders in the city, reckons a happy Lopez, which means both the skateparks are packed with patrons all the time. However, he informs that it is not just downtime in the pandemic that has led to this spurt in interest but also the fact that a new skatepark opened up on Carter Road in Bandra West just a few months before the lockdown in 2020. 

“While there is a big skatepark in Nerul, the one in Bandra manages to get the eyeballs,” says Lopez, who makes it a point to visit both of them during the weekend. The suburban skatepark certainly managed to attract attention because many skaters who hadn’t had a chance to practice their skills during restricted periods began going whenever the lockdown lifted. Also, many college-goers who did not have to attend college were seen at the skateparks more often. The energy in the skateboarding community is palpable now and is being seen among surfers and slackliners in the city too.