Send It 100 brings vert skating and live music to Portsmouth

Portsmouth’s Pitt St. Skatepark will host Send It 100 on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September 2026, marking 100 years since Portsmouth became a city. The two-day festival is being held with Portsmouth City Council, with money raised going back into the skatepark. Tickets start at £25, making it a relatively straightforward option for anyone looking for a weekend event built around both wheeled sports and live music.

The main visual focus will be a specially built vert ramp in the old Sainsbury’s car park behind Pitt Street Skatepark. Its lower section is a flat U-shape before rising to vertical sides, giving experienced athletes space to compete and perform. The programme is not limited to skateboarding: riders from skateboarding, scootering, BMX, inline skating and roller skating are expected to take part. Exhibitions will run across the weekend, alongside free classes from the Academy of Wheels and workshops aimed at different ages and abilities.

Music is a major part of the bill. Scouting for Girls, the London pop-rock band behind “This Ain’t a Love Song” and “She’s So Lovely”, will appear alongside Toploader, known for “Dancing in the Moonlight”. The lineup also includes DJ, filmmaker and musician Don Letts, drum-and-bass artist Wilkinson and Ardee. With performances taking place indoors and outdoors, the event will use the skatepark as more than a sports venue; Pitt St. has already hosted live gigs as part of its wider community programme.

For families, the weekend also includes a market with local traders, food and drink, and activities away from the ramp. The Academy of Wheels offers coaching in skateboarding, roller skating, inline skating and BMX, with qualified, DBS-checked coaches and equipment available through its programmes. That makes the festival accessible to people who want to watch rather than compete, while younger visitors can take part in organised sessions and workshops.

Pitt St. Skatepark opened to the public in December 2022 after the former Sainsbury’s building was transformed by the not-for-profit Undercover Skatepark Project, founded by Jacob and Jenna Skinner. The indoor and outdoor facilities include ramps, rails and flat areas for several wheeled sports, with Pitt St. Kitchen, a café and bar, on site. Entry to the skatepark is via Clarence Street, while Send It 100’s activities will also extend into the former car park behind the venue. The festival offers a chance to see the facility operating on a larger scale, with sport, music and community activities sharing the same weekend.