Skate Parque de Sines

Until 2024 Sines had nowhere public to skate. The Câmara Municipal (town council) opened the Skate Parque de Sines on Saturday 23 March 2024, with demonstrations by professional skateboard, BMX and inline riders from the builder’s team and free have-a-go sessions run by the Sines Surf Clube. The mayor called it “an old ambition of Sines’s youth”.

It sits in the Parque Desportivo João Martins, the town-centre sports ground that locals still call the ex-IOS. The skatepark is on a plot on the west side of the athletics track. The builder, A-Park, describes the spot as the middle of town, close to the castle, the town hall and a children’s playground. The council chose it partly because children can get there easily and safely.

According to Rádio Sines, the park covers 890 m² and is made of ramps and obstacles on a wooden frame, fixed to a smooth, polished concrete slab. A-Park, which built it, gives nearly 1,000 m² and lists:

• a starter box with handrails, meant for beginners
• quarter pipes of several sizes
• a grind box for sliding along
• curbs of different kinds
• a bowl

The layout has separate spaces for beginners and for advanced riders, which is what makes it useful for families. A child on their first board can stay by the starter box and the low curbs while teenagers use the bigger quarter pipes. It was built for skateboarding, inline skating and BMX. Scooter riders took part in the demonstrations at the 2026 festival, so scooters are clearly part of the scene too.

What a young beginner can realistically do

Start on the flat concrete: pushing, turning and stopping. The starter box is the natural first obstacle, and the handrails make it less scary. Quarter pipes are for children who can already ride confidently and know how to fall. There is no published helmet rule, but on concrete and wood a helmet, wrist guards and knee pads are a good idea for any child.

The skatepark is run by the council together with the Sines Surf Clube, and the plan from the start was to bring in schools, clubs and young people. In March 2026 it hosted SK8 Brofest, the centrepiece of Sines Youth Week: a skate championship with local and national skaters, demonstrations of BMX, inline and scooter riding, a DJ, live street art from the Walls Project and a street-art workshop for young people. The festival ran from 10:00 to 19:00 on 21 and 22 March 2026. If it returns in 2027, it’s a lively day to go and watch.

Skateboard School Alentejo, a small school based in Vila Nova de Milfontes, lists Sines among its local parks. Private lessons last 1.5 hours; when checked in September 2026 they cost €50 for one to three people, €60 for four or five and €70 for six, with boards and protective gear included. The school also runs open trial lessons every two weeks at Sines, Santo André or Odemira for five to eight children at a time. Check its website for the current location.

• It’s free and open to the public.
• The builder says there’s free parking nearby.
• The skatepark is in the centre of town, close to the castle.
• We could not confirm opening hours, lighting, toilets or drinking water at the skatepark itself.
• It’s an open, sunny spot. In summer go in the morning or early evening, take water, and watch out for hot surfaces.
• Teenagers and older riders share the park, so younger children need an adult nearby and should keep clear of riders coming off the quarter pipes.

The Sines council pool is covered on our Piscina Municipal de Sines page. For a bigger skatepark nearby, try the concrete Santo André Skate Plaza. Badoca Safari Park is also in the area, near Vila Nova de Santo André.

Is the Sines skatepark free?

Yes. It’s a public council skatepark with no charge.

Is it good for beginners?

Yes. It has a separate beginners’ area with a starter box with handrails and low curbs, away from the bigger quarter pipes.

Where exactly is the skatepark in Sines?

In the Parque Desportivo João Martins (the ex-IOS sports ground), on the west side of the athletics track, near the castle and the town hall.

Are there skate lessons for children in Sines?

Yes. Skateboard School Alentejo gives private lessons and fortnightly open lessons at Sines and nearby parks, with boards and protective gear provided.

Can children ride scooters there?

The park was built for skateboards, inline skates and BMX, and scooter riders took part in the 2026 festival. No published rule bans scooters.