Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace

Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace is a seasonal outdoor roller skating rink that opened in April 2022 in New York City's Rockefeller Center. It marks the revival of the original Flipper's, which operated in Los Angeles from 1979 to 1981 and was dubbed "Studio 54 on wheels" by actor Jaclyn Smith.[1]

Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace
AddressAriel Way
W12 7SL, London
OwnerLiberty Ross, Co-Founder and Creative Director
Kevin Wall, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board
Usher, Brand Ambassador
OpenedApril 2022
Website
www.flippers.world

The Original Flipper's (1979–81)

Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace was founded in 1979 by Ian "Flipper" Ross in West Hollywood, Los Angeles.[2] It was housed inside a golden-domed art deco building on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and La Cienega,[3] the site of a former bowling alley.

The family-owned roller rink attracted an eclectic mix of skaters, from local drag queens and punk rockers to celebrities and exhibitionists who took advantage of Flipper's lax dress code. Prince wore "stockings, pumps [and] silky little bikini underwear"[4] when he performed there on March 31, 1981 during his Dirty Mind Tour.[5] Other celebrities who rolled into Flipper's over the years included the Go-Go's, who performed regularly on a mid-rink stage,[6] Elton John, Sting, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Margaux Hemingway, Robin Williams, Cher, Jane Fonda and Chic's Nile Rodgers, who often skated to the rink from his nearby home to DJ.[7]

Their visits are chronicled in Liberty Ross’ 2021 book "Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace 1979-81,"[8] a visual history of the roller disco that Vogue magazine once called "the West Coast's hottest nightspot."[1]

The original Flipper's closed in October 1981.[9]

Flipper's New York Revival (2022)

Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace launched its first new location on April 15, 2022, at The Rink at Rockefeller Center, the sunken plaza in midtown Manhattan that has been the home of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree since 1933[10] and ice skating rink[11] since 1936.[12] The first roller rink to operate in Rockefeller Center since 1940,[13] Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace is co-founded by Kevin Wall and Liberty Ross, the daughter of Flipper's founder Ian "Flipper" Ross, and her husband, entrepreneur and record executive Jimmy Iovine.

Flipper's brand ambassador is singer/songwriter Usher, an avid roller skater[14] who headlined the opening night party,[15] performing his 2002 Top 10 hit "U Don't Have to Call."[16] Other guests included will.i.am, Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Patti Smith, Jon Batiste and Gayle King.[17]

The Flipper's revival coincides with renewed interest in the sport of roller skating since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.[18] "Roller skating is in vogue these days," reported The New York Times in 2021.[19]

There are spectator viewing areas at rinkside and on the upper-level esplanades and plaza.[20] Flipper's Shop at the Rock, a retail pop-up shop on Fifth Avenue, sells the brand's "iconic roller wear and gear."[21]

Charity

Flipper's donated $1 from every skate rental in 2022 to the Saks Fifth Avenue Foundation,[22] whose mission is to promote mental health awareness and education.[23]

Season schedule

Flipper's Rockefeller Center opened on April 15, 2022 and closed for the season on October 31.[24]

The rink's 2023 season runs from April 14 through October. Flipper's is open Sunday–Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m and Thursday–Saturday from noon to midnight. A one-hour skate session costs $22 for adults and $15 for children ages 4–12 who bring their own skates. The skate rental fee is $10.[25]

Future sites

A second Flipper's opened in West London, England, on November 11, 2022.[26] Its hours of operation: Wednesday–Thursday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 3 p.m to 11:30 p.m.; Saturday, 12 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.; Sunday, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. Closed Monday–Tuesday.[27] Additional locations are reportedly in the works.

References
  1. ""It Was Studio 54 On Wheels": A New Book Captures the Magic of Los Angeles's Most Star-Studded 1980s Roller Rink". Vogue. November 11, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  2. "Info – 𝙵𝙻𝙸𝙿𝙿𝙴𝚁'𝚂 𝚁𝙾𝙻𝙻𝙴𝚁 𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙶𝙸𝙴 𝙿𝙰𝙻𝙰𝙲𝙴". www.flippers.world. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  3. ""Flippers" in West Hollywood in... - Vintage Los Angeles". www.facebook.com. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  4. "Flipper's The Roller Disco Boogie Palace!". us2.campaign-archive.com. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  5. "Dirty Mind Tour dates and venues". Goldies Parade. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  6. "The Go-Go's at L.A.'s bygone Flipper's Roller Rink – 1980 | Flipper, Roller rink, Roller". Pinterest. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  7. "Less Scroll More Roll: The Story of Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace". 10 Magazine. October 11, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  8. "Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace 1979–1981". IDEA Store. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  9. Martino, Alison (June 1, 2015). "The Glorious Disco Days of Flipper's Roller Rink Los Angeles Magazine". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  10. "The history of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, a NYC holiday tradition". 6sqft. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  11. "The Rink at Rockefeller Center | NYC's Iconic Rink". www.rockefellercenter.com. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  12. Warerkar, Tanay (October 13, 2016). "Looking back at 80 delightful years at Rockefeller Center's ice rink". Curbed NY. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  13. Roller skating returns to Rockefeller Center for the first time since the 1940s, retrieved May 17, 2022
  14. "This is why you're seeing videos of Usher roller-skating everywhere". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  15. Nordstrom, Leigh (April 15, 2022). "Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace Opens in New York". WWD. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  16. Usher – U Don't Have To Call (Official Video), retrieved April 26, 2022
  17. "Your Favorite Rappers Can Skate! Inside the Epic Party Opening Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace". Vogue. April 18, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  18. "How to get around, get exercise, get cool this summer: Roller skating". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  19. Krueger, Alyson (May 26, 2021). "New Yorkers Are Crazy About Roller-Skating (Again)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  20. Weaver, Shaye. "A first look of Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace at Rockefeller Center". Time Out New York. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  21. "Flippers Roller Boogie Palace – Iconic roller-wear since 1979 – this is Flipper's Our new rink is open at @rockefellercenter and with it, our store on Fifth Avenue! It's been an amazing opening and we're only just getting started. Up next in our series, shot by the iconic @Inezandvinoodh is @mothtreee A.K.A Dodi wearing some of our new apparel 🔥 Dodi wears one of our heavyweight fleece sweatshirts. ☮️ #inezandvinoodh #rollerskate #nycrollerskating #skatelife | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  22. "Saks Fifth Avenue Mobile". www.saksfifthavenue.com. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  23. "Saks Foundation | Saks Fifth Avenue". www.saksfifthavenue.com. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  24. "Flipper's in NYC 🗽 – 𝙵𝙻𝙸𝙿𝙿𝙴𝚁'𝚂 𝚁𝙾𝙻𝙻𝙴𝚁 𝙱𝙾𝙾𝙶𝙸𝙴 𝙿𝙰𝙻𝙰𝙲𝙴". www.flippers.world. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  25. Davenport, Emily (April 12, 2023). "Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace to return to Rockefeller Center on April 14 | amNewYork". www.amny.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  26. "Legendary Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace To Open In London". Londonist. October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
  27. "Visit London". Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
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