Edinburgh’s skate family are gearing up for one of the year’s most anticipated street takeovers: Pieute’s 13th Birthday Jam. On Saturday 23rd August, the normally tourist-clogged Chambers Street flips into a full-blown skatepark, music venue, and block party, with decks, decks, and DIY energy running until the sun goes down.
Headliners Doss and Hometown Sound System bring the noise, alongside Volens Chorus, UBZ Collective, and Link City Skills, with everything from rap and beats to live freestyle energy. There’s a strong DIY spirit throughout — a full IMPORT FLINTA takeover, live mic mayhem, and “stunts for prizes” from the skaters bold enough to hurl themselves down the makeshift ramps set up in front of the National Museum.
But Pieute Jams have always been about more than just skating. This year, Living Rent and Palestine solidarity tables set up shop right beside the sound systems — a nod to Pieute’s long-standing role in tying together local counterculture, grassroots politics, and the city’s independent identity. For years, the Jam has been seen as a middle finger to the Fringe — a way of reclaiming space in the city centre during Edinburgh’s most corporatised month and reminding everyone that public streets are for locals too.
Founded in 2012, Pieute isn’t just a shop — it’s a community hub and cultural marker. Based out of Candlemaker Row, the store was started by Robbie “Bob” Walker to push Scottish-made, Leith-crafted streetwear that rejects fast-fashion and embraces local pride. In thirteen years, Pieute has grown from a few T-shirts and a rebellious idea into a symbol of Scottish DIY independence, regularly collaborating with skaters, artists, and musicians across the country.
The Birthday Jam has become the ultimate expression of that spirit. No tickets, no corporate sponsors, no stage barriers. Just locals showing up, sound systems rattling, boards slamming against concrete, and the sense that for one night only, the centre of Edinburgh belongs to skaters, musicians, and the communities that make the city alive.
Whether you’re dropping into the ramps, shouting along with the MCs, grabbing a pint on the sidelines, or just watching the chaos unfold, the Pieute 13th Birthday Jam is a guaranteed highlight of the summer. Come for the skating. Stay for the culture. Leave with the reminder that Edinburgh’s streets are not British, they’re ours.
