Harold Hunter Weekend 2023 | New York City Recap by TransWorld SKATEboarding

Words by Blair Alley. Originally published 6/12/2023. Check out the full recap with photos + credits on www.skateboarding.com.

Whew! What a fun-filled whirlwind of a weekend the Harold Hunter Foundation just put on! Last week started with smoke, but the events all weekend were fire! The Blitz Jam under the K Bridge had to be postponed and the LGBTQ skate jam had to be moved indoors to Homage Skateboard Academy due to poor air quality, but by Saturday, the Supreme skate jam and Sunday's Harold Hunter Day in Manhattan all went off! Check the photo galleries [in the original article], and if you didn't make it out, you missed out and you gotta pull up next year.

Thursday night saw a private premiere of Charlie Samuels' documentary Virgin Blacktop, trailer here. You probably know Charlie from his seminal photos of Harold Hunter skating NYC in the 80s (and the new Element deck). It's a great documentary about the skate scene in the 70s and 80s from a group of kids around Nyack, New York.

On Saturday, Supreme and Tyshawn Jones' Hardies Hardware put on a proper summer block party at 12th & A. The day started off with a woodworking demo, showing kids how to build boxes and quarterpipes. Then the best trick contests cracked off with Alex Corporan on the bullhorn. There were food trucks outside from Tyshawn's restaurant Tastes So Good. There was a side yard full of carnival games and a dunk tank—a big draw when TJ's girlfriend was offered up for dunking. A product toss went crazy—free Supreme gear getting thrown out! It was wild.

Simultaneously downtown there was a Grillo's Pickles pop up with a collab deck by Shut and Russ Pope. As evening descended, we all ended up on The Delancey rooftop for a fundraiser auction to benefit HHF. The Gnarmads' Matt Kruz was tending bar and our friend Boogie was running the kitchen, bringing out banging chicken sandwiches with the famous pickles in them. ​

​On Sunday, it was Harold Hunter Day! Everyone converged on the famed Tompkins Park asphalt and tricks for cash ensued. The transplant street hockey dorks tried to shut down the session but the local skaters weren't having it. They've been skating this spot for years before these goons started playing street hockey there. It was great to watch them back down to King and his crew. 

Harold Hunter Day XVI 2023 by: R.B. Umali from Parlour Productions on YouTube.

Every skater followed Leo Heinert down Avenue A to the LES park where more Best Trick contests ensued. Girls' contest over the pyramid, a wallride contest, and finally a comp on the gap to rail. Check out the full best trick on the handrail video below.

​It all ended with a mad product toss and we were off to ride City E-Bikes back over the Williamsburg bridge. Major shouts to Ray Mendez and Barbara Heisler at the HHF, Michael Cohen, Steve Rodriguez and everyone that made this weekend happen. It's always a great way to commemorate Harold Hunter. His legend will never die.

Photo by Vito Corleone (@sensewars)