Skate Park de São João da Madeira (Parque Radical)

São João da Madeira is a small industrial town in the north of Aveiro district, home to the Museu da Chapelaria, a museum of hat-making. Its skate park, which the town’s tourism site calls the Parque Radical, sits right in the centre of Praça Barbezieux, a square on the Avenida do Casaldelo next to the municipal cemetery.

A-Park, the skate park design company that lists it, gives the size as more than 1,500 square metres and describes it as one of the most complete parks in the north of Portugal. That makes it a good deal bigger than the average council skate spot, and big enough for beginners and experienced riders to share without getting in each other’s way.

Between the two published descriptions, the park has:

• A beginner zone, the part to head for first with a young child.
• A half-pipe, a U-shaped ramp riders go back and forth in.
• A spine, two ramps set back to back so you can ride over the top.
• Quarter-pipes, small and large.
• Pyramids, a step-up and an incline, sloped and raised shapes for rolling over and jumping off.
• A wallride, a steep wall riders briefly ride along.
• Funboxes, flat-topped boxes with ramps on the sides.
• Handrails and stairs, the classic street-skating features.

The municipal tourism site says it’s built for skateboarding and BMX. Scooters are common at parks like this, but no rule on them is published, so watch how the locals use it and keep to the quieter parts.

The beginner zone is the reason this park works for families as well as for teenagers. A child of five to seven on a scooter or a first board can practise pushing, turning and stopping on the flat, then try rolling down the smallest slopes. Once they can ride up a gentle ramp and come back down facing forwards, the incline and the smaller quarter-pipes are the next step.

Children of eight to twelve who already ride confidently will find plenty to learn on the funboxes and pyramids. The half-pipe, the spine, the big quarter-pipes and the stairs belong to confident riders and teenagers.

Each July the skate park hosts the Semana da Juventude, São João da Madeira’s youth week, run by the Associação Jovens Ecos Urbanos with the council. The 2025 edition was the 27th. It ran over three days from 14:30 until midnight, and until 2:00 on the Saturday, with art, sport, music and talks built around the park.

The 2026 edition ran from 16 to 18 July, opening at 18:00 on the Thursday. The council listed thinking workshops, yoga classes, a reading club, an arts fair, an agony-aunt session and a DJ set. It’s pitched at teenagers and young adults, but the afternoons are a good time for younger children to watch riders and soak up the atmosphere. Check the council agenda in early summer for the next dates.

• Cost: free, open access.
• Parking: A-Park mentions free parking nearby.
• Opening hours and lighting: none are published. Plan daylight sessions until you’ve seen it for yourself.
• Facilities: no toilets, water fountains or café are listed at the skate park itself, so bring water and plan a stop in the town centre.
• Getting there: A-Park says it can be reached by bus and, less easily, by train, and by road from the A1.

• Helmets are the first thing to pack for a beginner, with knee and elbow pads and wrist guards if they’re still falling a lot. No council rule on protective gear is published.
• Take turns. Riders queue for features, so don’t cut in or stand at the bottom of a ramp.
• Weekend afternoons and summer evenings bring older riders to the bigger features. Mornings are usually calmer for learners.
• Concrete gets hot in summer and there’s no shade listed. Go early or late on hot days.

In summer, pair the skate park with the Piscinas Municipais de São João da Madeira, which have an outdoor 50-metre pool and two long water slides. Santa Maria da Feira is next door, with a medieval-themed playground below the castle. For another big skate park in the district, the Skate Park de Aveiro has a beginners’ area, a street course and a bowl.

Is the São João da Madeira skate park free?

Yes. It’s a public skate park in a town square with no entry charge.

Is it suitable for beginners?

Yes. It has a separate beginner zone, which is the best place to start with a young child.

Can children ride BMX there?

Yes. The municipal tourism site describes the park as built for skateboarding and BMX.

Where exactly is it?

In the middle of Praça Barbezieux, on the Avenida do Casaldelo, next to the municipal cemetery.

When is it busiest?

During the Semana da Juventude in July, and on weekend afternoons and summer evenings when older riders come out.