We’d be kidding ourselves if we said Vegas’ nightlife prospects weren’t stellar. But in a 24-hour city where the next great party is always just a stone’s throw away, roller skating is a refreshingly different after-dark activity.

Crystal Palace Rancho (3901 N. Rancho Drive, crystalpalacerancho.com) has been rolling out a club alternative for adults since Micah Sanford’s family opened the rink in the early 1980s. “I don’t own nightclubs, and I don’t want to own nightclubs. I want people who are old-school skaters,” says Sanford. “That’s why I do 30-and-over [skate nights], because I want them to come and actually skate.”

Traditionally a place for families, Crystal Palace adjusts its scene into a ’70s and ’80s roller boogie every Thursday during its adult skate sessions, and it attracts exactly who it’s meant to.

“These are people who have been around forever,” Sanford says. “Most, I’d say, if I skate 110 people, 80 of them have their own skates.”

Locals who came of age at Crystal Palace Rancho—and its former sister location on Boulder Highway, which Floyd Mayweather bought and renamed Skate Rock City in 2021—can recall the magic of a retro rink with an older, more experienced crowd. Jam skaters would make good use of the rink’s maple wood flooring, expressing themselves through fancy footwork one degree removed from 1979’s Skatetown U.S.A. Speed skaters would put comic book heroes like The Flash to shame, and moonwalking on wheels wasn’t so much a rarity as it was a staple. Watching skaters finesse their way backwards and first dates cautiously hold hands on the rink never got old in a place like Crystal Palace.

Sanford, who grew up speed skating and played professional ice hockey for the Las Vegas Wranglers (alongside former Vegas Golden Knight Deryk Engelland, by the way), refused to let his family sell the rink when they were ready to. The memories there held far too much meaning.

“I was off playing pro hockey and I quit everything, came back home and said ‘No, we’re not gonna sell the family business. I’ll take it back over,’” he says.

Since then, it’s remained a place to play for older adults seeking a good night out. But for younger adults who still want to party hard—on wheels—there’s a good roll-bounce happening in Downtown Las Vegas.

Since its launch in 2006, Down & Derby (at Gold Spike, 217 Las Vegas Blvd. North, sk8party.com) has been enticing partiers to relive their childhood on every second and fourth Thursday of Vegas’ warm-weather months. The 21-and-over party rolled through a variety of venues before eventually gliding into Gold Spike in 2016, where it found an ideal home.

Down & Derby founder Richard Alexander describes it as “a throwback to a fourth grade birthday party, but for adults.” Seeing the swarm of quad skaters and rollerbladers circling the pavement of Gold Spike’s backyard is enough to trigger your skating muscle memory.Nostalgia, specialty cocktails, a bumping DJ and friendly attendees keep crowds in motion—whether they’re dusting off an old pair of skates or slipping on a pair of $10 rentals.

Beyond its reputation of being a poppin’ skate event, Down & Derby is a vibrant celebration of community gathering that boasts a variety of themed nights. One week you could be grooving at disco night, the next you’re limbo-ing at the neon cowboy party. “The core theme for skating includes spandex, short shorts and afros,” says Alexander. “People love to dress up, and costumes are always going to be cool.”

Regular attendees who start off renting skates eventually invest in their own for the next season, Alexander says. First-timers who’ve never attempted to skate before are helped along by the pros in attendance.

Down & Derby’s founder believes this event is a key player in the eclectic mix that makes Downtown so special. “It’s another event on that hit list of great things to do,” Alexander says.

For those who’ve yet to cross the drinking age threshold, Crystal Palace Rancho and Skate Rock City both welcome all age groups, though you should check their individual schedules before you visit. For example, Skate Rock City (4680 Boulder Highway, skaterockcity.com) hosts weekly late-night sessions for 18-and-over guests, as well as all-ages skate sessions and even a special skate night for seniors (age 50+). In this way, Vegas’ skate rinks guarantee a four-wheeled good time to everyone who wants it. And everyone should.

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