Parque de Sinçães (skate park and playground)

Parque de Sinçães is a park close to the centre of Vila Nova de Famalicão. Over the winter of 2024 to 2025 the council rebuilt two of its main attractions. The playground reopened in January 2025 with new inclusive equipment, and a new concrete skate park opened on 15 March 2025 with DJs and a performance by Groove Spot. Both are free.

That makes Sinçães one of the handier places in the district for families with children of different ages. A teenager can skate while a toddler uses the swings, and neither parent has to be in two places at once.

The skate park covers about 1,000 square metres and is built in reinforced concrete on two platforms. It has 11 obstacles, which the council’s sports portal lists as ramps, stairs, handrails and curbs. It was designed by the architect André Castanho to the specifications of the Pro Skate League, so it can host competitions.

The part that matters for families is that the architect also designed it for informal, beginner practice. When the council unveiled the project in October 2023, he said the park responds to people just starting out as well as to competitive skaters. Local papers reported skateboarders, BMX riders and inline skaters using it straight after it opened. The investment was reported at €337,000.

For a child who is just starting, the flat areas between obstacles and the lower ramps and curbs are where to practise rolling, turning and small drops. Stairs and handrails are for experienced riders.

The old playground had three play structures. In late 2024 the council replaced them with seven new pieces of play equipment, described as inclusive, in a larger space. The works started on 29 October 2024, cost about €85,000 and the playground reopened in mid-January 2025. The mayor, Mário Passos, described it as a meeting place for young people and families.

The council hasn’t published a list of the equipment, the age range or the type of safety surface. Check on the day which pieces suit your child.

The same round of works added an outdoor gym to the park, and the council has been extending the park north by about 22,000 square metres of new green space. The municipal library nearby was also renovated and extended.

Toddlers and children up to about 7 get the most from the playground. Children of 4 to 7 on scooters can roll around the flatter parts of the skate park at quiet times, with a parent close by. Children of 8 to 12 who skate, ride BMX or scooter will want the skate park, starting on the curbs and small ramps. Teenagers who already skate will find proper stairs, rails and ramps built to competition standard.

The council hasn’t published rules for the skate park, including whether helmets are compulsory. A helmet is a good idea for any child, and knee and elbow pads save a lot of grazes on concrete. Remind children to wait their turn at the top of a ramp, to look before crossing a line someone else is riding, and not to sit on the obstacles.

After school and at weekends, expect older teenagers and adults. Younger children usually have an easier time in the morning. On sunny summer days concrete gets hot and there is little said about shade, so bring water and hats.

Neither the council nor the local press has described toilets, parking or lighting at the park, so plan as you would for any town park. It is outdoors with nothing indoors to fall back on in the rain.

Famalicão has plenty more for children. The Museu do Automóvel has old cars, the indoor karting track is there for speed fans on a wet day, and INAC circus classes teach juggling, acrobatics and aerial skills. For a swim, try the Piscinas Municipais de Famalicão.

Is the Famalicão skate park free?

Yes. It’s a public council facility in Parque de Sinçães with no charge.

Is the Sinçães skate park good for beginners?

It was built to competition standard, but the architect designed it with beginners and informal practice in mind too. Beginners should stick to the flatter areas, curbs and lower ramps.

Can children use scooters and BMX bikes?

Local reports after the opening describe skateboarders, BMX riders and inline skaters using it. The council hasn’t published a rule about scooters, so ride considerately and follow any signs.

Is the playground suitable for children with disabilities?

The council describes the seven new pieces of equipment as inclusive, but hasn’t said which. Check on the day what your child can use.