Cincinnati uses roller skating nights to engage teens downtown

Sawyer Point’s Riverfront Skating Rink turned Friday nights into a supervised hangout for Cincinnati teens, with Riverfront Social skate sessions running from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. for ages 13 to 17. Cincinnati Parks and Skate Downtown Cincy built the riverfront rink into the city’s summer safety plan, putting music, games and organized activity in front of teenagers.

At 907 Riverside Drive, between the Montgomery Inn Boathouse and the pickleball courts, teens had DJs, raffle prizes, ping pong, lawn games, outdoor lounges, crafting, chatting, snacks and skating. The summer calendar includes themed nights including Juneteenth Jersey Skate, Rainbow Roll Skate Party, All-American Birthday Bash Skate, Derby Night, Street Style, Sweet 16 Birthday Skate, On Point Music Festival, Funk Rebellion and Glow Up. The broader Riverfront skating season runs through the summer, with some programming continuing into October.

The city has tied the sessions to the third year of Summer in Cincy, its violence-reduction campaign built around youth programming, free meals, job training, mental-health referrals, recreation and added police presence. Cincinnati’s curfew for unaccompanied minors is 11 p.m. citywide and 9 p.m. in the urban core, including Downtown and parts of Over-the-Rhine, so the 7-to-10 window gives teenagers a place to stay occupied before the curfew clock tightens.

The Riverfront rink is the largest outdoor rink in the region, according to Skate Downtown Cincy, and the current program includes free skate rentals to make the nights easier to use for families who might not own equipment. Greg German, a skate instructor involved with the effort, said the nights are a way to keep young people away from dangerous situations, while Morgan Rigaud, the director, said the design gives teens a place to be together, have fun and still have adults nearby when needed.

The Riverfront rink has a longer history than the current schedule. Cincinnati Parks Foundation moved it from Cincinnati Recreation Commission control to Cincinnati Parks in 2011, when formal programming ended even though skaters, roller derby teams and community groups kept using the space. A new chapter started in 2020, when local skaters organized outdoor meetups during the pandemic, and the foundation is now fundraising to resurface the rink, improve safety and support future programming.