House Of VANS London

Yay, FIRST!
I’m an avid attendee of the House of Vans in Brooklyn, NY. I’ve been there quite a few times for quite a few events and it’s always super fun. I’ll tell you what though, I went to the HOV in London this past weekend and all I can say is: Chill B.
That place is like 100x the size of the BK one, and that’s funny because the BK one is REALLY REALLY big (24,000 sq ft allegedly)! First of all, this one has a more underground skater feel to it, mostly because the skate park is literally underground, underneath some arches! It’s set up amazingly, with AMAZING graffiti that greets you upon entering. In fact, the whole opening arch is probably half the size of the BK HOV, and you haven’t even gone inside yet!
Inside there are ramps and such set up for skating, but of course I was there for a show, Vans were doing a collabo with a japanese/​english designer and had their launch party on Saturday night with a slew of UK Grime artists performing. The décor was great, seemingly thousands of inflated balloons were everywhere in the stage room, which of course was huge. There was an art display room as well as 2 bars, one by the stage room and one in it’s own separate space. Adjacent to the 2^nd bar is a movie screening room (WHAT!) and there’s an art room where you could check out the clothing that was launching that night. Oh and I almost forgot, there’s a working kitchen with chairs and tables for you to sit, set up basically like a café! This place is great, and just like the NYC iteration, they have great live (and FREE) concerts that usually have free drinks, though the night we went there were none. *sigh* There was a full bar of course but you had to pay. I guess I’ll just have to come back when it’s free! The also have free skate days where you can show up with your board and just skate for a while, just like the NYC one. There really is no reason NOT to go to this place. Enjoy!