Where To Go Ice Skating in London – Winter 2024 | Get Your Skates On
Nobody likes skating on thin ice, so here’s a list of solid suggestions for places to go ice skating in London over the festive season.
We’re talking indoor rinks. We’re talking open-air rinks. And we’re talking about the real reason you want to go ice skating in the first place: soaking up the crisp night air with your closest friends and loved ones boozy hot chocolate and fondue.
Behold, the best pop-up ice rinks in London…
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Owen Harvey
It’s the ultimate London ice rink, with beautiful surroundings, DJ nights and a 40ft Christmas tree. Skate Lates offer ice-capades that go on into the wee hours, while the Whispering Angel rinkside bar and Alpine fondue restaurant from pop-up king Jimmy Garcia take care of the après-skate.
Details: 13th November 2024 – 12th January 2025 | Somerset House, Strand, WC2R 1LA | £15-26.50 for adults and £10-15 for kids
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If Henry VIII hadn’t been so mercilessly riddled with gout, no doubt he would’ve enjoyed a spin on the ice rink now perched outside his majestic abode, Hampton Court Palace. The mandatory mulled wine and mince pies can be found at the nearby cafe, alongside other delights of the palace grounds, including a cracking maze.
Details: 22nd November – 5th January 2025, 10am-9pm | Hampton Court Palace, East Moseley, KT8 9AU | £18+ (adults)/£13+ (kids)
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It’s the largest rink for outdoor ice skating in London, built around a Victorian bandstand centrepiece and illuminated by thousands of twinkly lights. Plus, it’s right next to all the other ludicrously festive attractions at Winter Wonderland, which this year include an ice slide; ice sculpting workshops and that time-honoured traditional favourite, the three-storey Haunted Mansion.
Details: 21st November 2024 – 5th January 2025, daily from 10am-10pm | Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park, W2 2UH | £11.50+ (adults)/£8.50+ (kids)
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Joshua Atkins
Battersea Power Station has been regenerated: and as well as housing 1950s-themed cocktail dens, ping pong bars and dozens of restaurants, it’s also home to a shiny new pop-up ice rink. Sandwiched between that iconic 1930s architecture and the Thames, Glide boasts three interconnected rinks circling a giant, 30ft Christmas tree – plus there’s funfair rides, street food and mulled wine huts to check out afterwards.
Details: 8th November 2024 – 5th January 2025 | Battersea Power Station, Circus Rd W, Nine Elms, SW8 5BN | £16+ (adults)/£10.50+ (kids)
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Arguably the venue’s biggest draw, the rink at Queen’s Skate, Dine, Bowl is one of the few places you can go ice skating in London all year round. It’s a huge space – almost the size of two football pitches – overlooked by a bright, festoon-lit ceiling, and a buzzy rink-side bar/diner running its whole length. Here you can get your skates on for an hour or two, or hit the ice for an intense bout of curling on Thursday & Friday nights.
Details: Open daily | 17 Queensway, Bayswater, W2 4QP | £12.75+ (cheapest to book ahead)
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JW3 | Finchley
JW3’s piazza is transformed every year to become home to their 200 sq m ice rink, which is surrounded with warming seasonal food, mulled wine and hot choco. It’s also open on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
Details: 8th December 2024 – 5th January 2025 | 341-351 Finchley Road, NW3 6ET | £18-19.50 (adults)/£12-14 (kids)
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Another of the few London ice rinks open all year round (it’s where the Dancing On Ice stars train), Ally Pally steps it up a notch around the festive season with a huge Christmas tree, disco nights and actual falling snow. Plus, you can hole up in the fairy-lit East Court café afterwards for a mulled wine & a mince pie.
Details: Open all year, festive sessions 11th December – 5th January | Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way, N22 7AY | £16
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Canary Wharf’s ice rink is back, and it’s covered – which is partly for your benefit, given the delightfully mercurial nature of the British weather, and partly for the benefit of everyone in the surrounding offices, by shielding them from FOMO. Beneath that shield you’ll find a huge Christmas tree, a dazzling disco ball, and 1,275 sqm of glittering ice to throw some shapes on. And as always, there’s a rinkside bar with mulled wine and boozy hot chocolates to retreat to afterwards.
Details: Until 23rd February 2025 | Canada Square Park, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5AB | £13.95+
NOTE: The Queen’s House Ice Rink in Greenwich is sadly closed for this season.
Feeling festive? Check out our guide to London’s best Christmas markets