Now's the time to live out your Tony Hawk Pro Skater fantasies. If you're an urban shredder looking for the biggest thrill, no doubt you've heard of Bowlzilla. If you're more of a watch-from-the-sidelines type, this is absolutely still the event for you. It's just as much about gathering as it is about grinding.

The bowl skating competition series is returning for its sixth year in the culture capital, and Bowlzilla is bringing us a sick new addition to the already rad festivities. This year the event will play host to Skateboarding.nz's National Championships for park/bowl skating. Skateboarding is making an official but contentious debut at this year's Olympic Games, and events like Bowlzilla are setting a precedent for an exciting year in the extreme sport. The competition will be sure to ramp up our local skate scene, with people coming from all over the world.

With everything from an art show, kick-back parties and live music, to the old faithful ramp jump and barbecue, you'd better drop in on this four-day froth.