For the first time in sixteen years, York has an outdoor ice rink in the heart of the city — and the long-standing one out at the Designer Outlet is back for its twenty-first season. Between them, the two rinks give the city something it has not had in a long while: a proper choice of where to skate.
Both open on
Friday 13 November 2026 and run through to
Sunday 3 January 2027, so they cover the whole Christmas market season and the quieter days between Christmas and New Year. They are quite different experiences, though, and which one suits you depends on how you are getting into York and who you are bringing.
THOR'S on ICE — York Museum Gardens
This is the new one, and the setting is hard to beat. The rink sits in Museum Gardens behind York Art Gallery, with the ruins of St Mary's Abbey lit up alongside it. Real ice, under a clear canopy, so a wet afternoon does not cancel your plans.
Sessions run
45 minutes and, at the time of writing, tickets are
£12 for adults, £11 for children and £31.50 for a family pass. There are quieter parent-and-toddler sessions as well as general public skating, and the rink can be hired privately for groups and Christmas parties.
The team behind it are the THOR'S Tipi people, so the food and drink side is taken seriously: there is a balcony bar above the ice, and the tipi itself is a few steps away with firepit seating if you would rather watch than skate. It is a five-minute walk from the Minster and about ten from the station, which makes it the easy option if you are already in town.
Yorkshire's Winter Wonderland — York Designer Outlet
The original, and still the biggest. At 975 square metres this is the largest open-air rink in the North of England, with a thirty-foot Christmas tree in the middle of it. Twenty-one years in, it has grown into a proper winter site rather than just a rink.
Alongside the ice there is a funfair — the vintage Dodgems date from 1937, and there is a Waltzer, a Twister, a Miami ride and four smaller rides for younger children. Santa's Cabin takes separate bookings. The Chalet handles the warming-up: mulled wine, hot chocolate, and marshmallow fire pits that were added recently and are, predictably, very popular with children.
Two practical points in its favour:
entry to the site and parking are both free, and skate hire is included in the price of a skating ticket. You only pay for what you actually do. Check their site for current session times and prices before you book.
Which one should you choose?
If you are staying in the city centre and want to fold skating into a day of wandering — market, Minster, a pub afterwards — go to Museum Gardens. The walk back through the Gardens in the dark is half the appeal, and there is no car to think about.
If you have children in tow, or you are driving in for the day, the Designer Outlet makes more sense. The free parking, the funfair and the shops mean you can fill several hours without anyone getting cold and bored, and there is more room on the ice.
And if you are in York for a few days, there is no reason not to do both. They are a fifteen-minute drive or a short bus ride apart.
Making a day of it
Skating lands neatly in the middle of York's busiest season, so it is worth building the rest of the day around it.
- York Christmas Market (St Nicholas Fair) runs 12 November to 21 December. Note that it is
closed on Tuesdays this year — a new rest day — and shuts at 17:00 on its final day.
- Christmas at Castle Howard opens 12 November and runs to 3 January, with this year's house dressed as "A Dickens of a Christmas". It is around half an hour from the city by car and makes a good contrast to a city-centre day.
- Quieter weeks: the stretch between Christmas and New Year is calmer than early December, and both rinks stay open. If you can choose your dates, that week is the one.
A few practical tips
- Book ahead. Weekend sessions in December sell out, and both rinks run timed slots rather than open skating.
- Gloves are not optional. Wet hands on cold ice is the fastest way to end a session early, and most people fall at least once.
- Arrive fifteen minutes before your slot to collect skates — the hire queue is the thing that eats into your session.
- Layers rather than one thick coat. You warm up on the ice far more than you expect to.
- Skating aids (penguins and similar) are usually available for younger or first-time skaters — worth checking when you book.
Where to stay in York
Both rinks are easiest if you are not watching the clock for a drive home — and a winter weekend in York is much better unhurried. We look after a collection of apartments and houses across the city, most of them within walking distance of the Minster, the market and Museum Gardens.
Booking direct with Violet Homes gets you the best rate. The booking sites add their commission on top of ours; coming to us directly means you do not pay it. Have a look at what is available for your dates, and if you are not sure which part of the city suits you, ask us — we live here, and we are happy to help you choose.
Deciding where to base yourself for a winter trip? Our
area-by-area guide to where to stay in York covers each part of the city, including how close you will be to the Museum Gardens rink.
