Insane Magic Went Down At Pier Parade 2023
You know you're good whenever you arrive at a spot with dudes decked out in hi-vis waving around smoke flares on a bridge and screaming at a landing chopper.
In this particular, we're at Pier 15 Skatepark in Breda, The Netherlands, and no lesser event than The Pier Parade!
A guy dressed as a king is ushered out of the helicopter by a horde of whatever-graphers and, surrounded by a howling, fone-wielding mob, escorted over the bridge onto an awaiting MTB (more flares!), upon which he revs into the very heart of the Parade, announced, courted and celebrated by a raucous sold-out crowd.
This, we find out, is one of the perks of winning the previous Contest, and it's Jason Lijnzaat's turn to bask in skateboarding glory before night falls and the crown is passed.
The center stage is a big quarter to launch and a huge Bones vert extended quarter each separated by different sponsored obstacles. FYI we're talking Red Bull floating rails, Volcom ice cube ledge, and a Baywatch-inspired, crock-infested pool...sick.
With an unbridled work ethic (hard to tell if it's work or fun sometimes), the crew from Nine Yards of Tokio Xgames fame build up obstacles, take them down, float them, line up ice blocks in them, you name it, they're doing it. And finally peaking with an outrageous live fix DURING the rail sesh (seeing pic below is believing!)
Off the back of the Damn Am SPoT Competition grind the two previous days, all the riders are on this one, and the amp in the lineup is real. The all-in attitude obstacle approach is insane. Matched equally with sideshow variety, scanning the Pier 15 area and coming across giant skateboard live painting to tattooing and a full-on dunk tank?
Huge shout out to the beyond best hosts Flatspot Magazine, DJ Redbeard for bringing the heat, and congrats to Nassim Guammaz for gloriously grabbing the crown!
For the next best thing to being there, darken ur room, boot ur laptop and check out the full carnage in pictures below!
Photography: Al Browne @al.browne
