Your guide to Innoskate: ‘One-of-a-kind experience’ coming to town

Here’s the first thing to know about the upcoming Innoskate event: It’s only the eighth time this event has been held worldwide, and the last one was in London.

Which means if you miss it in Sioux Falls this week, don’t count on it coming back.

“This will really be a one-of-a-kind experience,” said Rose Ann Hofland, director of communications and community engagement for Levitt at the Falls.

Innoskate, which is in town Thursday through Saturday, is a partnership between USA Skateboarding and The Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation.

The idea is to bring the skateboarding world and local communities together, “exploring innovation and creativity within skateboarding culture,” Hofland said.

Here’s the full Innoskate Sschedule.

What to expect

Innoskate will be three days of discussions, demonstrations and live concerts, centered around Levitt at the Falls and the adjacent north end of downtown.

A pop-up skatepark will be installed downtown, where you can watch Olympians and local pro skaters and try it out yourself.

“There will be a learn-to-skate area, so if you want to try a skateboard for the first time, there’s a safe spot to do that,” Hofland said.

There also will be a large vendor area, including skateboard and other vendors.

“So there will also be people selling clothing, nonprofits with information, all sorts of different places, plus food and drink vendors throughout the days,” Hofland said.

Art & invention

The Smithsonian will bring interactive invention activities directly from its Lemelson Center.

“We’ll have a giant tent set up for their mobile Spark Lab, which is at the museum, and they’re bringing activities mostly for kids to get them thinking about how they’re inventors and designers,” Hofland said. “It’s all with the lens of skateboarding.”

In addition, 65 local artists have created works of art on skateboard decks that are displayed in a new underground gallery at Rehfeld’s Art & Framing at Sixth Street and Phillips Avenue, and an Art Alley will be set up between Rehfeld’s and the Jones421 Building.

“We’ll have seven mural artists doing graffiti art, so people can check in on the progress of the pieces. We’ll have screen printing and public art where people can pop in and do a project,” Hofland said.

Who will be there

Expect to hear from the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra ensemble, national and local artists, professional and Olympic skateboarders, inventors, scientists, artists and local community leaders.

The Innoskate Festival will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday with an Innoskate 360 panel discussion followed by a performance by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra.

Hip-hop artist Dessa will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, and punk-pop trio Meet Me @ The Altar will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Levitt.

The classic skate film “A Visual Sound” will be shown with live music from the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Levitt. Filmmakers Chris Pastras and Jason Lee will be there for a discussion after the screening.

“This is the first time they’ve ever done this in the Midwest,” Hofland said of Innoskate. “The first was in D.C., and the last was on London, so come this year. Come experience skateboarding, and come see all of this in action.”