It was supposed to be the start of the Blade Night year – now it’s falling through, probably in both senses of the word: Due to unfavorable weather forecasts, Blade Night is canceled this Monday. The organizers announced on Monday afternoon that there were severe weather warnings for the Munich city area.
The first Blade Night of the year is scheduled to take place next Monday, April 13th. Every Monday evening until September, up to 5,000 skaters will ride through the city on four different routes. Blade Night will only be canceled on June 17th due to a European Championship game.
Starting at Bavariapark in front of the German Museum’s traffic center, the parade takes around 90 minutes. There were “massive problems” with finding the route this year, reports Christian Reith, Blade Night event manager. But despite numerous construction sites in the city and objections from the MVG and the mobility department, four routes were finally found.
Compared to last year, the south and west routes remain unchanged. However, the east route is no longer available. Instead, a six kilometer long route via Ridlerstrasse, Elsenheimerstrasse, Landsberger Strasse and Theresienhöhe will be declared as the new route to Mitte Westend. Participants can ride two laps on it and choose between a six-kilometer and a twelve-kilometer variant. On Whit Monday, the family version of Blade Night will take place on this route with just one lap, starting at 3 p.m.
The northern route is also completely new, and at 13.4 kilometers it is significantly shorter than last year. “This will be a real highlight,” says Reith. Last year the route was too long at 23.5 kilometers, so that the skaters did not reach the finish line in time for the planned end of the event.
Anyone who can ride and brake safely on inline skates can take part in Blade Night. A registration is not required; There are no participation fees, but the organizer SkateMunich! e. V. asks for donations. For those who don’t have their own skates, 250 pairs are available for rent on site. The supporting program begins at 7 p.m., including offers on traffic safety.