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Go Skateboarding Day works to honor and unite participants in the spirit of skateboarding and since its 2003 inception, has prompted cities to build skate parks, promoted local skate shops and raised money for local charities. Go Skateboarding Day started out as a small group of colleagues skating to the Huntington Beach Pier and has grown into a worldwide event with millions of participants. June 21 was selected as the official day because it is the longest day of the year and it marks the first day of summer. The event continues to grow exponentially each year as an official holiday and 2011 is sure to bring great achievements for the skateboarding community.

“Go Skateboarding Day is a great day for everyone to rid all obligations and go skate! This June 21 will be another great day full of smiles, fun and lots of rolling as millions of skaters around the world unite and charge their local terrain” said IASC Chairman of the Board, Don Brown.

Last year, millions of skateboarders participated globally in more than 500 events held worldwide. Highlights from GSD 2010 included numerous events sponsored by IASC members: The Skatepark at Venice Beach, CA was packed and pro skaters Chris Haslam, Matt Mumford, Jake Duncombe, James Craig, Bill Weiss, and Terell Robinson came out to show their support, the Emerica skate team joined forces for Wild in the Streets, and took over in São Paulo, Madrid, Montreal, London, and Tampa. Other international GSD events took place in Columbia, South Africa, China, Philippines, Afghanistan, Czech Republic and Brazil.

In 2008, the first collectable GSD poster was introduced as a way to bring more awareness to Go Skateboarding Day by offering posters specially designed by well-known artists and professional skateboarders. Past artists have included Ed Templeton, Steve Caballero and Shepard Fairey. This year’s Go Skateboarding Day poster was designed by Jim Phillips, the iconic skateboard artist and former art director for Santa Cruz Skateboards.

For more information, go to http://www.goskateboardingday.org/ or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/goskateboardingdayofficialpage to find local Go Skateboarding Day events. Flyers, information packs, and other materials to help skateboarders create their own events and spread the word are available on the Go Skateboarding Day website.