The Story of Vibe ·
Végapolis rink at Odysseum - the skating season opener
The community's second outing onto the ice at Végapolis within a year, and the first in autumn: on Sunday 4 October we met at two o'clock by the rink in Odysseum with hats, gloves and “a bit of courage to actually get out on the ice”, as the announcement put it. We went round the main rink and through the tunnel with its coloured lights, held the hands of those on skates for the first time in a year, and laid our skates in a circle for the group shot.
| When | |
|---|---|
| What it cost | Entry and skate hire at the rink's own prices, everyone paying for themselves; there was no community fee |
| What was on | Sunday 4 October, meeting at 14:00 by the Végapolis rink (Place de France, Odysseum): skating on the main ice and through the lit-up tunnel, a group photo, then everyone off their own way |
| What we brought | A hat, gloves and “a bit of courage”, straight from the announcement; skates are hired at the rink, so you don't need your own |
Photos from the meet-up
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How we got together
The announcement was short, as a Sunday outing’s should be: “Hey everyone, this Sunday we’re meeting at the ice rink at 14:00. Patinoire Végapolis - Odysseum, Place de France. Bring hats, gloves and a bit of courage to actually get out on the ice. If you’re in, drop us a line in DMs.” The day before, a picture went up in the channel: a raccoon in a beret and skates, captioned “Skating tomorrow? Let’s go!” That’s what the community’s day-before reminders look like these days.
Végapolis isn’t new ground for us. We’d been here already in August 2025, in forty-degree heat, when the ice was the only cool place in town. In October the reason was different: it’s still warm outside, but a skating season is a season, and opening it on the first Sunday of October felt right.
What happened on the ice
Végapolis is a big indoor rink in the Odysseum district, with a main arena and a tunnel lit in coloured stripes. We started with the tunnel: four of us in hats and hoodies took a selfie on the ice under red, green and yellow light, and that was the first frame to do the rounds of the chat.
Then the main ice. Of the three frames we have, the most honest is the one where one of the group, in a red-and-blue hat, is holding the hands of another, in a green one: she’s leaning forward, arms out, clearly not moving of her own free will, but moving. That’s what half the community looks like in the first hour, and it’s exactly why the announcement asked for a bit of courage.
At the end we laid the skates in a circle, toes inward, and shot them from above: black hockey skates, red-and-black ones, white figure skates. The hire counter hands out all sorts. It’s our traditional group picture for when faces are tired of posing.
What it cost and how it worked
No fee and no till: everyone bought their own ticket and hired their own skates at Végapolis prices. The community only named a time, 14:00, and gathered the group by direct message. That’s how all our free meet-ups work: beach days, hikes, bars. You pay only for what costs money with someone else, and you pay them directly.
It’s easy to get to without a car: Odysseum is the terminus of tram line 1, and the rink is a few minutes on foot from the stop. Those who drove parked at the shopping centre. The rink itself is indoors and open all year, so the season here opens by mood rather than weather: in August 2025 it was a way to hide from the heat, in October 2026 a reason to put on a hat for the first time this autumn.
What’s next
The community’s autumn is a full one. On 11 October, a picnic on Carnon beach to close the beach season (a guitar, karaoke, games and a fishing rod). On 23 October, a solo guitar concert at La Chistera. On 30 October the community leaves for three days in Toulouse for the Slavic Weekend, «Славянский движ» in the chat: a banya, shashlik, an Anti-Halloween, crayfish and Mafia. Every announcement appears in the community chat, usually a few days ahead; Sunday outings like the rink get a day’s notice.
If you’re new to Montpellier and looking for people to get on the ice with, or to go to a bar or the beach with, the full event chronicle shows how it goes with us, and the chat is where you’ll find out where it happens next.