Vacant airport becomes IRL Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater in wild YouTube video

Michael Gwilliam
Tony Hawks Pro Skater IRL

Skateboarders took over the vacant MSY airport in New Orleans to recreate Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and bring the iconic video game to life.

On May 17, Red Bull released a new video where skateboard stars Jake Wooten, Kareem Campbell, Brighton Zuener and Vincent Matheron, Alex Sorgente and others tore up the airport.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater is filled with all sorts of iconic levels and gameplay elements, including clearing gaps and collecting secret tapes – both of which are represented in the footage.

If that’s not crazy enough, the tricks performed are all edited to appear just like they do in the video game with points and other attributes presented on screen.

Tony Hawk pro skater in real life
Is this real life or a video game?

Just like with the game, however, when tricks are botched, you lose out on your points – and that’s exactly what happened in the video, too.

There are some pretty ridiculous tricks being performed, too. In one, Alex Wooden and company were able to clear a luggage cart while doing a 360 BS ollie in the process. Not bad!

The video game-inspired skateboarding playground impressed Kareem Campbell quite a bit. “Everything I’ve seen here has blown my mind,” he said.

“From the course, to the tarmac, to the Red Bull plane and the jam session… it’s unreal. It’s something I don’t think anyone can recreate, except in a video game.”

For anyone who grew up playing the fan-favorite skateboarding games or enjoyed the remakes, this is a must-watch.

About The Author

Michael Gwilliam is a senior writer at Dexerto based in Ontario, Canada. He specializes in Overwatch, Smash, influencers, and Twitch culture. Gwilliam has written for sites across Canada including the Toronto Sun. You can contact him at michael.gwilliam@dexerto.com or on Twitter @TheGwilliam