Beneath a shimmering disco ball, skaters dance and groove to the sounds of The Bee Gees and ABBA. With their roller skates laced up and bedazzled outfits shining, skaters take to the floor for Rainbow Skate Night.
Since 1985, Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale, Calif., has hosted Rainbow Skate Night, a weekly event where the LGBTQ+ skating community comes together for an evening of sober, safe fun. The evening attracts all ages, from first-timers to skaters in their 80s. The event occurs 8-11 p.m. every Wednesday.
It is the longest-running event of its kind in Los Angeles County, and only stopped for 14 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s very, very popular,” says rink owner Dominic Cangelosi, pointing to the approximately 200 people skating on the oval rink. “Every Wednesday night is like this.”
Under the neon lights, advanced skaters swoop and swerve through the crowd, often skating backward or on one leg. Every Rainbow Skate Night features an advanced backward skate, where the best skaters have the rink to themselves as they fly around the wooden rink backward.
Regardless of skill level, the evening is designed as a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.
“Some of the people from the community asked me for a gay night. I said, ‘Oh, okay, we’ll just start one,'” said Cangelosi.
Published
Updated
