A certified legend of the action sports world, US skateboarder and entrepreneur Tony Hawk is headed to Brisbane in January for an immersive IRL experience – that's a worldwide exclusive – celebrating the 25th anniversary of his revolutionary 'Tony Hawk's Pro Skater' video game.
If you were a gamer in the early '00s then there's zero chance you did not play THPS (at least once) – absolutely zero.One of the most iconic video games of its era, and a title that introduced the mainstream to the thrills and spills of skateboarding (at least in a virtual world) as players tried to master ollies, grabs, flips and slides, 2024 notches the 25th anniversary of the title – which was released September 1999 (back when the Millennium Bug was a real threat!).
To celebrate the game and Hawk's legacy, Brisbane's The Fortitude Music Hall will be transformed to replicate one of the levels from the original 'Pro Skater'. Gnarly.
An 11-foot vertical ramp will be installed with Hawk to partake in a live demo session. Other skaters from Hawk's Birdhouse skate crew will be present including world-class female ramp skater Lizzie Armanto, five-time X Games medallist Elliot Sloan, as well as nine-year-old skateboarding prodigy Reese Nelson and Felipe Nunes, a double-amputee, Brazilian-born pro skater.
Set to make it a fully sick, rad day will be a host of live music led by Aussie punk-rock legends Bodyjar (whose track 'Not The Same' featured in the third instalment of THPS in 2001), alongside 'Every Day's The Weekend' indie rock singer-songwriter Alex Lahey, 'High Hopes' rockers Yours Truly, and 2020 triple j Unearthed High winners Teenage Joans, while DZ Deathrays will provide a special DJ set.
Hawk's own cover band Birdman will also play a couple of sets, providing hit after hit across all the game's soundtracks including bangers from Rage Against The Machine, Millencolin and, of course, Goldfinger.
Attendees will also have the chance to play THPS on a five-metre video wall situated behind the bands while Tony and the crew skate; there'll be plenty of other console stations set up to play each game of the series as well.
The event will be split into two sessions – an all-ages matinee followed by an 18+ evening period.
Matinee session and night-time session tickets on sale from 9am (local time) on 2 November.
Tony Hawk's THPS25: Celebrating 25 Years Of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater takes place at The Fortitude Music Hall (Brisbane) on 27 January, 2024.
Tony Hawk's THPS25 2024 Line-up
PRO SKATERS
Tony HawkLizzie Armanto
Elliot Sloan
Reese Nelson
Tate Carew
Felipe Nunes
'JAWS'
Shawn Hale
David Loy
Clint Walker
MUSIC
NIGHT SESSION (18+)Bodyjar
Birdman (Or the Unexpected Virtue of a Tony Hawk Cover Band)
Alex Lahey
DZ Deathrays DJ set
DAY SESSION (all-ages)
Birdman (Or the Unexpected Virtue of a Tony Hawk Cover Band)
Teenage Joans
Yours Truly
DZ Deathrays DJ set
