Sarah Oakes says every week, you’ll find her dancing on roller skates at Xanadu in Bushwick.

“The community is amazing,” Oakes, who lives in Greenpoint, said. “So welcoming and warm. Every day you see somebody trying to help a newcomer, a new skater, how to keep their balance!”

What You Need To Know

  • Since the 1970s, the city has seen roller skating rinks come and go, including the Roxy in Chelsea, Skate Key in the Bronx and Empire Roller Skate in Crown Heights

  • When the city’s last rink on Staten Island closed in May 2024, after nearly 20 years in business, it left a void until Xanadu opened in Bushwick a month later

  • After the pandemic isolated people, the founder of Xanadu said it was always his intention to open a permanent space where the skating community could gather
  • Since Xanadu's grand opening, celebrities like Megan Thee Stallion, Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz have all popped by to skate

Oakes says she fell in love with roller skating during the pandemic. And when Roller Jam USA closed on Staten Island in the spring of 2024, it was heartbreaking, since that was the city’s last remaining indoor roller rink until Xanadu arrived in Brooklyn.

“You talk about being able to skate outside during the warm weather,” Oakes says, “but sometimes it’s too hot. Sometimes it’s raining.”

While rainy conditions or extreme weather could have forced roller skating in the city to be a seasonal activity, Varun Kataria, who founded Xanadu, had other plans.

“The idea for Xanadu came out of the pandemic,” Kataria said. “Seeing the community shut down, a lot of community separated. We felt we needed to bring people back together in a really joyful experience.”

Kataria, who lives nearby, says offering a permanent space for skating was always his intention.

“That’s how you build a community, because it’s not a seasonal experience,” Katari says. “It’s a year round permanent thing that people can call home.”

Since Xanadu’s grand opening just over a year ago, celebrities like Megan Thee Stallion, Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz have all popped by to skate.

But for regulars like Sarah Oakes and for Tanya Dean, who has been skating for more than 30 years, Xanadu lives up to its name.

“This means everything,” Dean, who lives in East New York, said. “We were born and raised on roller skating. Roller skating saves lives. Roller skating is a healthy hobby! Roller skating brings worlds together. We love the diversity, the inclusivity."

“A lot of it’s about the music and the community and the feeling of belonging somewhere,” Oakes said. “I’ve made a lot of friends. We do things outside. We go to the beach together. So, it’s not just the fact you have somewhere indoors to come to. It’s also the family.”