According to Factory Media: For nearly 20 years, Sidewalk Skateboarding Magazine (formerly Sidewalk Surfer) has been a public reflection of the UK skateboard scene. Established in 1995, Sidewalk’s mantra has always been to represent skateboarding from the inside and has documented the ever-evolving nature of one of the most dynamic street cultures in the world.
Back when Sidewalk began, endorsement of skateboarding by mainstream sports brands or coverage on the TV were unheard of. By 2000, when the Tony-Hawk-computer-game effect kicked in, skateboarding participation numbers exploded bringing new opportunities and global recognition to British skateboarders. Since then, skateboarding in the UK has grown exponentially and, through a third Golden Age of skatepark construction, skateboarding has finally been enshrined as a permanent part of the UK cultural landscape.
Throughout all these changes Sidewalk has been there, reflecting on the evolution of skateboarding and offering a voice to skaters of all nationalities, genders and age groups. Having embraced the Internet revolution, Sidewalk has also gone on to embrace the cyber-world with skate content through Sidewalkmag.com and the Sidewalk forum. Yet through all the transitions of the constantly evolving culture, the physical magazine has remained a permanent fixture on the scene.
Issue 200 of Sidewalk contains interviews with 25 of the most influential skaters to be featured on Sidewalk covers, tracing the magazine’s history right back to the launch issue with Tom Penny. British underground legend Jimmy Boyes graces the cover of the anniversary issue itself – his first cover since 1988.
