Prado Beach skatepark, in Marseille, aka Bowl of Marseille, is one of the best in France and also one of the most iconic parks in Europe. Every line was meticulously designed to provide a high, but controlled speed, where physics and aesthetics combine like no other, with the Mediterranean Sea as eyewitness.

Tic Tac, tic tac. Everybody knows Newton’s cradle (or pendulum), a gadget of five balls suspended in which we lift one ball at one edge, we release it and the fifth ball rises. It’s the magic of physics. This is one simple way to understand the difference between kinetic energy and potential energy and that's what inspired Jean-Pierre Collinet when he designed the Bowl of Marseille, the most famous skatepark in France and one of the best in Europe.

“The bowl is the permanent propulsion of a skateboarder. It might seem something natural, but it’s not. A skater doesn’t have a pedal or other mechanical support. The bowl is the way to transform the potential energy into kinetic energy and vice-versa. I always wanted to preserve energy in this skatepark”, Collinet said in several public presentations and interviews.

People say the world is shaped by math and they’re probably right. In the Bowl of Marseille, there is no doubt about it and that’s why it's so unique. Its conception put physics and aesthetics on the same level. In other words: this skatepark was made for speed, high-calculated speed and no waste of power.

“The bowl is the way to transform the potential energy into kinetic energy and vice-versa. I always wanted to preserve energy in this skatepark” Jean-Pierre Collinet

“There was a boy who had a big pool at his backyard that was 3,30 meters deep. That was when I learned what was possible and not possible to do in a bowl. At the same time, I had a teacher who taught me the concepts of physics”, Jean-Pierre Collinet explained.

His studies about how to make interceptions between geometric figures were one of the keys to the success of this project. The best secret of this park: clean and diversified lines and technical transfers. You ride until your breath is over.

The Bowl of Marseille was inaugurated in 1991 and was built by Constructo skateparks, It was one fo the first bowls in France and costed around 220.000 euros (a million francs, the former French currency), something like 440.000 euros (482.000 dollars) with the inflation rate. Its importance for concrete skateparks is consensual and the global skate community (not just the French community) recognize it, because it didn’t take much time to become one of the most searched parks worldwide.

Tony Hawk gave a hand by displaying it on Pro Skater 2 video game, leveraging Marseille to the top level of skateboarding in Europe.

Tony Hawk gave a hand by displaying it on his Pro Skater 2 video game, leveraging Marseille to the top level of skateboarding in Europe. That’s why The Mucem (The Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations) in Marseille showcases a 1983 Tony Hawks’ skateboard. A revolution happened. Nothing new to this passionate Mediterranean city, after all they are used to hold bigger revolutions, like the History books tell us. All this buzz made the Bowl of Marseille the perfect candidate to host major events, like the Quiksilver Bowlrider, which takes place on the third weekend of May.

The resemblances with California are purposeful. Collinet was inspired by the skatepark of Huntington Beach (currently known as Vans Off the Wall Skatepark) and after creating the Bowl of Marseille he found other parks very similar, like the one in Lugano, Switzerland.

But you can’t copy the aura. Each park has its own and the Bowl of Marseille is made of love for skateboarding.

In 2017 the park was totally renovated (with a cost of 590.000 euros/646.500 dollars, financed by the City Hall)

"Prado Beach had some skateble pipelines thanks to the construction of the sewers and I started to ride them. I was used to it because I did that in the USA. People started to go there to see me ripping it”, the skater and architect added.

As representative of the King of Spain group (the name of their neighbourhood with the same name in Marseille) Collinet went to the City Hall, advocating for the construction of a skatepark at Prado Beach. The politicians said yes, and the rest is an ongoing story.

In 2017 the park was totally renovated (with a cost of 590.000 euros/646.500 dollars, financed by the City Hall), featuring a smooth concrete and all distinctive characteristics that make the Bowl of Marseille unique. For those who still don’t know it, take a note: a spine with 1,70 meters, two separated halfpipes, five bowls with a depth from 1,80 meters to 2,70 meters (this one called ‘the mega’) and a street section.

The weather is a perfect ally. Due to the Mediterranean climate, you can skate there almost every day and during night hours, too, because of the artificial lighting. BMXers are allowed to ride but only specific hours, depending on school periods.

If Paris is the capital of France, Marseille is the country’s capital of skateboarding. The oldest French city was shaped by many cultures and that diversity is the heart of skateboarding. If you ride there, you will understand it. So, say ‘bonjour’ and go skate.

Visit Prado beach skatepark