RECAP: Paris 360 Longboard Dancing Open

Those of you following the blog and Instagram know that I was fortunate to attend the very first Paris 360 Longboard Dancing Open this past weekend. What was unfortunate is that I am currently writing this with a broken foot (Pangea Fail) so I wasn’t able to do the one thing I wanted to do most in Paris – go longboard dancing.

Anyways, we’re not here to talk about my woes and sadness currently, so here’s our short recap and report on the event, and what you can expect from Paris and the event should you choose to come next year!

The 360 Open at a glance

How big was the event?

For its first run, quite big actually! They had about 30 big name brands sponsoring the event. About 200 men registered to compete between sponsored and non-sponsored, and 130 women competing between sponsored and non-sponsored. I can imagine it will only get bigger with time.

How much did it cost to compete?

For non-sponsored categories it was 10€

What were the prizes?

Standard competition prize fare, decks, wheels, trucks etc from various brands that sponsored the event. But there were some really cool custom made medals and trophies for the winners. There were also some really cool raffle prizes.

What was the level of people competing?

Sponsored riders are self explanatory, I mean these guys ride a lot and were good enough to get picked up by a brand. For non-sponsored, the skill level was all over the place, from beginner + to riders who could definitely skate alongside some of the pros.

Technical specs on competing

Contestants skate two at a time with a 90 second run time, most runs ended a typical “last trick.” The grounds had good asphalt (provided it is always going to be hosted at the same location) and measured roughly 70 meters one way. A live drummer / DJ laid the tracks the whole time, while adding live drum beats on his tracks.

What were the overall vibes like?

Very chill, as expected. Considering how many big names in the scene were present, everything was always comfortable and down to earth. Everything from sitting around, chatting during breaks, to the after party was just super fun and relaxed.

Is there vegan food available at the venue?

To my fellow vegans, nope. Come prepared with your own food for the day. The area where the event was held also wasn’t really close to any restaurants a far as I could tell.

Paris as a longboard dancing city

For those of you who have even been shortly involved with longboard dancing, you know that Paris is one of, if not THE biggest, longboard dancing cities in Europe. Some of the best practitioners of our our sport call Paris home, and you instantly feel that in the city.

THE Paris skate spot

As mentioned, I was at the event with a busted foot, so I wasn’t able to scope out too many skate spots personally. But the original Docksession Spot is right along the river in Paris. It’s a wonderful skate spot, lots of space, beautiful asphalt, some amazing riders of all levels, and there is even a bar and bathrooms on site. It’s the perfect skate spot to spend an entire day boarding, chilling, and laughing. If you’re ever in Paris, it is a MUST! You can find it in the Google Map below.

Paris is quite expensive

Depending on your individual money situation, you may want to consider saving up some cash before heading to the French Capital City. Especially if you’re paying for accommodation as well. To give you an indicator, a 0,33L Beer (not even a great one) will run you between 4-7 Euros depending where you are in the city.

Is it a recommended event?

Yep, we’d definitely recommend checking it out. It’s Europe’s second biggest longboard dancing event behind only So You Can Longboard Dance. I hope the continue to have it at the same venue because that spot was really cool, and the skate grounds were really great. If you wanna get some insight into the cool vibes at the event, be sure to check out our video post where we asked some riders the question – What is longboard dancing all about?

If you’ve got some funds saved up, and are looking for a great reason to get to Paris for a bit, base your trip around the next 360 Event!