What to Know
- Moonlight Rollerway is located at 5110 San Fernando Road in Glendale
- The first rink to debut in the former airplane-building facility opened in 1956; the destination is popular today with roller skaters as well as TV and film productions
- The rink recently shuttered — only temporarily — in order to roll out a refreshed version of its eye-catching, '80s-inspired carpet
- Moonlight Rollerway reopens to skaters on Wednesday night, Aug. 28
Bring up the conversation-starting topic of "iconic carpet" and you'll likely have a friend who is soon singing the praises of the Portland International Airport's famous floor covering, a teal fantasia that has made its whimsical way onto jewelry, tees, and postcards, too.
Cool carpets have garnered intense fandoms across the country in the age of social media or, at the very least, caught the attention of those visitors lucky enough to call upon a destination with a memorable underfoot design.
And locally? Moonlight Rollerway has long been on this particularly plush list.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
True, the Glendale roller skating spot is loved for its rocking and ultra-retro rink, and there's no wonder as to why: The "skating floor is the original 2 1/4 inch maple flooring," a tongue-and-groove expanse with "no nails."
But the look-down love continues beyond Moonlight Rollerway's energetic oval: The vibrantly vintage skate center boasts a carpet that is, well, totally rad, an '80s-awesome expanse of bright colors and geometric oomph.
The rollerway recently shuttered as new carpet rolled in but fans shouldn't fret: Fresh batches of the Omega Carpets design, a design that Moonlight Rollerway has been using "for at least two decades," have been installed.
The Scene
Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.
The rink shared that the carpet, which gets plenty of wear, understandably, from both wheels and soles, is typically changed out every three to five years, give or take.
But Moonlight Rollerway delayed its most recent carpet refresh by a little bit as the rink remained closed for over a year during the pandemic.
You can check out the new-but-the-same carpet in person starting on Wednesday evening, Aug. 28 when the rink reopens to skaters.
Buying your ticket ahead of time is always recommended, as is checking out the calendar before you go; the schedule stays as busy as the carpet that's synonymous with the rollicking rollerway.
And while the carpet may spunkily speak to the charms of the Neon Decade, the playlists at Moonlight Rollerway absolutely run the shake-your-stuff gamut, with mirrorball-flavored disco hits and the new-new hits of today rocking the sound system, depending on the night.
Truly, there are so many exquisite carpets around Southern California, the historical beauties that are preserved and tended to with care, but Moonlight Rollerway's kinetically charged carpet has, like, an awesomeness that transcends the decades.
