London does winter well when it tries. The air sharpens, the lights come on earlier, and suddenly there are ice rinks everywhere — temporary transformations of courtyards, parks and, this year for the first time, even a rooftop.
It squares into something almost magical; roasted chestnuts and mulled wine, the scrape of blades on ice, the occasional spectacular pratfall. It’s all a bit on the nose, isn’t it? Especially the falls. And true, the romance comes with caveats: London’s rinks are expensive — £15 to £20 for a measly 45 minutes, sometimes more — and during peak season they’re crammed with tourists doing their London Christmas pilgrimage. Note the changing fees — below we’ve listed the cheapest tickets available, but beware they can go up when peak time pricing hits (each rink is different).
Still, there’s something about skating outdoors in December. The cold on your face, the warmth of a drink after. If you pick your moment carefully — early morning, midweek, after the initial rush — you might even get space to enjoy it.
Whether you’re an ice-shredding pro or a penguin holding-novice, here’s where to get your skates on.
Skate at Somerset House
Somerset House
A new addition to London’s skating scene, this comes as part of a broader plan to turns Leicester Square into something of a Christmas hub. Clever, really, to find a new way to discourage Londoners from going. Anyway, besides the mulled wine and minced pies, and all the huts (sheds?) stuffed with Christmas gifts, now for the first time there’s an open-air ice rink right in the middle of proceedings. Look out for cabaret from La Clique, too.
This one, open since late October, is a huge rink, coming in at about 875sqm, meaning there’s plenty of space to get practicing without making too much of a fool of yourself. Given the Natural History Museum rink remains closed, this is the largest and longest running festive skating pop-up. If all that skating gets a little much, the restaurants Roe and Marceline are both just a few minutes away.
Until February 22, tickets from £14.95 for children, £17.95 for adults, Canary Wharf, E14 5AB, icerinkcanarywharf.co.uk
The Queen’s House Rink
Press handout
Glide at Battersea Power Station
Now in its third year, Battersea’s Glide rink turns in early November. It’s one of London’s most atmospheric open-air rinks, sitting in the shadow of the power station buzzing with blue light, and with a towering Christmas tree right in the middle of the rink to boot. Don’t miss the skate trail, which offers the best views of the Thames and sets this one apart from the others on the list. There’s an adjacent, covered bar too, for watching skaters whizz by, as well as cosy igloos.
The Somerset House rink was long the rival to the Natural History Museum’s grandeur, given its gorgeous, London-as-a-romcom surrounds. Funny it used to be a civil service car park. No matter. It’s an enormous rink, with DJs playing, a 40ft Christmas tree and food from The Chalet by Jimmy Garcia and Blondies Kitchen. Look out for the Skate Lates, too, featuring sets from Foundation FM, Ruf Dug, queer dance collective Sue Veneers, DJ Shortee Blitz and Studio Wayne McGregor. For those in a suitably charitable mood, there’s a pop-up store where all profits go to the homeless.
November 12 — January 11, tickets from £11 for children, £15 for adults, Somerset House, WC2R 1LA, somersethouse.org.uk
There aren’t many UNESCO world heritage sites at which to ice skate, but this is one of them. Something of a fairytale feeling about this one, with the imposing prettiness of the Queen’s House right beside the rink, and the views of Canary Wharf running into the distance. Light with strings of hanging bulbs, it’s best at night but as impressive during the sunlight. There’s a “pit stop” lane for those in need of a rest mid-session.
November 21— January 4, tickets from £16.50 for children, £19.50 for adults, Romney Road, SE10 9NF, rmg.co.uk
Joshua Atkins
With 100,000 fairy lights, this rink is as photogenic as it gets, and positively glows and flickers like a candle in the dark. It’s also a sizeable rink, as it needs to be for the crowds who flock faithfully to the ever-popular Winter Wonderland. Good music, too. Skaters are welcome to bring their own boots, too, though no speed skates.
November 14— January 1, tickets from £8.50 for children, £11.50 for adults, plus a Winter Wonderland ticket, Hyde Park, W1H 7EJ, hydeparkwinterwonderland.com
Few places in outer London feel as Christmassy as the Tudor palace at this time of year and once again, the venue is again putting on its ice rink for the season. This year it’s upped its game with a skate exchange, cafe and bar inspired by King Henry VIII’s original orangery. Besides that
Ice at the Bussey Building
A new one for London, this year. The Bussey Building has quite literally put its rooftop cinema on ice, replacing for the season with a tree-laded rink with views out over Peckham and across the city. It’s promising to be one of the coolest spots to skate for 2025, especially with the lights and the skates competing with each other. The bar is now an aprés-skate Winter Lodge, with heaters and blakets ready, plenty of warming cocktails (mulled wines, spiked hot chocolates, that sort of thing), and pizzas too. On Friday and Saturday nights, head for DJs spinning disco (and, no doubt, a few Christmas tunes. Can’t be helped).
November 17— January 1, tickets from £9f or children, £14.50 for adults, 133 Rye Lane, SE15 4ST, busseyrooftopbar.com