JACKALOPE’s coming in hot this summer, and the bar just got raised… again.
The 2025 setup in Virginia Beach doesn’t just play with the pirate theme ; it goes all in.
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From a shipwrecked skatepark built to shred, to a poster that looks like Poseidon himself commissioned it, we’re steering straight into uncharted waters.
Not just a beach town with boardwalk fries and sunburned tourists, Virginia Beach holds secrets beneath its waves with real pirate legends and shipwrecked tales. In the early 1700s, Blackbeard himself is believed to have sailed these waters, and legends say he even buried treasure along the nearby shores.
The coastline was known as a treacherous stretch for ships, earning nicknames like the “Graveyard of the Atlantic.”
The wreck of the Dictator, a Norwegian bark lost in a storm in 1891, is still commemorated by the haunting Norwegian Lady statues that face each other across the ocean, one here in Virginia Beach, the other in Moss, Norway. These aren’t just tourist tales; they’re echoes of a gritty, dangerous maritime past that still shapes the region’s character.
Blackbeard, Tridents, and Tentacles: The Wild Story Behind the JACKALOPE 2025 Official Poster
If the skatepark is the stage, the poster is the story that sets the scene. Erek Jones is the twisted mind behind this year’s visual identity. Based out of Richmond, Virginia, his style pulls from sci-fi worlds and old-school rubber hose animation, resulting in characters that feel both whimsical and slightly cursed.
The concept? Blackbeard jacked Neptune’s trident and is now trying to dip out before the sea gets revenge. In one hand: the stolen trident. In the other: a goblet, a nod to the OG Blackbeard flag where he’s seen toasting the devil. The vibe is wild, over-the-top, and just cartoony enough to make your inner 10-year-old want to rip it off a wall and pin it up forever.
It’s clear the poster doesn’t hold back. Chaos unfolds: a motocross rider launches off a swell, a DJ skeleton rides the storm, and the treasure chest bobs in the distance. Look closer and you’ll spot the hidden details that root the illustration in Virginia Beach lore, from the siren’s silhouette to sea creatures woven into the curl of the wave. It’s a visual deep dive, and every glance reveals a little more of the legend.
From Features to Full Shipwreck: How Jackalope’s 2025 Skatepark is turning into a full Pirate’s Playground
Last year, the pirate vibes came through in scattered features: a plank-out ledge here, a crow’s nest extension there. This year? The whole course is the ship, and this one’s gonna hit differently. Expect rails, ledges, transitions and decks that feel like the aftermath of a maritime battle, with just enough sketch to keep things spicy.
We talked to Kyle Pretka, the designer from California Skatepark behind this monster, and here’s how it came together.
“The scale worked out, and it just made sense, since the contest is on the beach, to make the entire form look like a shipwrecked pirate ship. The most challenging part was getting the scale to feel right and designing obstacles that will skate well and still maintain the feel of the ship” Kyle explains.
Why You Can’t Miss JACKALOPE Virginia Beach 2025
Whether you’re coming for the next-level skateboarding or just to stand in awe of a shipwrecked pirate skatepark on the sand, Jackalope Virginia Beach 2025 is not just an event, it’s THE show of the year. From Kyle Pretka’s fully immersive pirate ship design to Erek Jones’ legendary poster full of mischief and marine magic, every detail is built to blow your mind. It’s about turning the beach into a living, breathing world of ramps, rails, sea monsters, and stories.
It’s where top skaters meet mythology, and where the crowd becomes part of the narrative.
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📍Be there when Barbe Noire faces Neptune.
🛳️ Be there when the shipwreck erupts into tricks and chaos.
🌊 Be there when the East Coast becomes the epicenter of skate culture.
