The George Street Ice Rink is back again at the West End of George Street as part of Edinburgh's Christmas festival. The temporary, covered ice rink opened in late November and will be host to slipping and sliding, festive frolics until 4 January 2025.
In spite of a few gap years, the organisers of Edinburgh’s Christmas have managed to maintain the temporary ice skating rink as one of the main attractions of its Winter festivals.
Since it was introduced in 1999, the ice rink has moved around Edinburgh’s New Town from its original location, when it was called Winter Wonderland, on the sunken lawn beside Waverley Station in East Princes Street Gardens, to the elliptical rink in St Andrew Square to its current location at the East End of George Street where it has had two different configurations over the years - the post-pandemic, open-air rink and the current rink.
The current rink is covered which should keep you protected from the Scottish elements and minimise the impact of events like the recent severe weather.
The Skate
Skating sessions are for 40 minutes at various times between 10am and 10pm and you need to book ahead (see the web site).
A quick queue to check tickets processed by efficient staff took us into the boot room (I'd say you should arrive 15 minutes before your session to get fitted).
Shoes are quickly replaced by a blue pair of skates. The changing area is spacious with plenty of benches to put your skates on. Unlike previous years, the floor was dry, so your socks weren't damp by the time you’d buckled up your skates.
The skates were a snug fit, with four buckles to clip and easy to walk about in. Top tip: wear a pair of thick socks and order a size up.
Once the ice cleaner had finished resurfacing and polishing the ice everyone shuffled onto the rink.
This being Edinburgh, where ice skating is still very much a novelty for many, the majority of skaters decided to use the wall for balance which left the rest of the ice relatively free.
Skating aid penguins are available for younger children at an additional cost of £5. Only children under 1.2m tall can use the Penguins, as my daughter found out on the night.
If you are a confident skater, I'd imagine you could put the laps in at a decent pace. The rink is the same rectangular design as my last visit in 2022, measuring 65m (213 ft) by 15m (49ft).
There are two exit points at the top of the rink to allow non-skaters to watch or to allow for skaters to rest.
On the rink there's a middle section filled with lightly decorated Christmas trees, mood lighting, and a disco ball at either end. A DJ provides a mix of Christmas tunes and classic party bangers.
Everyone skates in the same direction. The ice was smooth, having just been “cut” and polished and I found myself moving surprisingly quickly, due to the lack of ridges.
For a novice I found the skates were well balanced and gave confidence to go faster without falling over.
The 40-minute session might not seem long, however, after concentrating on not crashing onto the cold hard ice for most of the time it seemed like enough.
An announcement lets you know when your time is almost due to end so you can bag a final lap.
There’s a different exit from the entrance that leads you into the hall to take off boots. Another quick queue and then you're off.
Overall, the Uniqlo skating rink is a good hour out - on a scale of ten we would give it a seven.
The beauty of the Edinburgh’s Christmas rink is you are in the city centre and close to other attractions in the festival in Princes Street Gardens and St Andrew Square.
We didn’t visit the Polar Ice Bar, just a block away at 77 George Street. Everything in the ice bar, including the glasses and the furniture, is made out of ice. If you are over 18 it’s worth a look in (booking required though).
Back at the rink, there is a festively decorated bar between the changing area and the rink where non-skaters can linger for a drink.
Special Skating Sessions
We were at the general skating session, but the rink also has relaxed sessions and sessions for toddlers.
The relaxed sessions are lower capacity and quieter, with ambient lighting and sound but no flashing or moving lights. There’s also ice marshals on hand to help people find their skating legs. Skaters can come on and off the ice as they wish.
Toddler sessions are aimed at 2 to 5 year-olds, who want to skate with their families in a reduced capacity session. Bobskates, with their double runner blades, are available. Junior skates start from kids size 8 (EU 25).
There’s also a limited number of Adult only late skates which are 18+ from 8pm to 10pm today, 12th, 19th and 30th December.
Murrayfield Ice Rink
Finally, if you haven’t got your fill of skating, then hop on a tram or your bike to one of the regular public skating sessions at Edinburgh’s ice skate rink in Murrayfield - the Murrayfield Ice Arena. Public skating sessions vary in length, but are around two hours long.
Prices are very reasonable, although it’s more of a cavernous sporting venue at 200ft (61m) by 97ft (29.5m) compared to the Christmasy George Street Ice Rink.
One particularly good (and festive) deal at Murrayfield is the Jingle Bell Skate on Christmas Eve which offers 11 hours of skating over 10 hours. Tickets are limited.
After that, there's no chance you'll be awake enough to catch Santa coming down the chimney.
UNIQLO ICE RINK
Pros
- Easy changing
- Lots of space on the rink
- Good ice to skate on.
- Helpful staff
- Close to Christmas attractions
Cons
- Lots of people on rails going at a slow speed.
- Boots slightly tight - size up
- Panoramic view of George St lost to the top cover
Ticket Prices
Adult skating tickets are from £12 to £18.50 depending on when you go. At time of writing there is plenty of availability.
Skating aid penguins are available for younger children at an additional cost of £5.
Note: For safety reasons, bags must be checked in for a fee of £2. Payment by card only
The minimum skate size boot on the rink is a children's size 8, and the maximum is an adult size 15
The 20% EH postcode discount is applicable to Ice Skating at George Street.