Ice skating in Austin: where to skate, 2026 dates, and prices.
Chaparral Ice at Northcross has public skating all year, and the Four Seasons’ outdoor Ice Rodeo rink runs Nov. 20, 2026, to Jan. 3, 2027.
Right now, the place to skate inside Austin’s city limits is Chaparral Ice, at 2525 W. Anderson Lane, with public sessions almost every day for $14 plus $6 skate rental. The seasonal rink is Ice Rodeo at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin, 98 San Jacinto Blvd., open daily from 4 to 9 p.m., Nov. 20, 2026, to Jan. 3, 2027, at $40 a skater with skates included ($45 from Dec. 18). To learn, Skate VIDA teaches Saturday beginner classes at The Pond Hockey Club, and the Long Center, which has had a holiday rink before, had not announced one for 2026 as of Oct. 30, 2026. Every price, date, and rule here comes from the rink’s or organizer’s own page, checked Oct. 30, 2026. Rinks in the suburbs are left out on purpose: this guide stays inside the city.
The four rinks side by side, checked Oct. 30, 2026
A side-by-side of the picks below, from the same rink and organizer pages. It adds no new facts, and every time is Austin time.
Chaparral Ice is the only rink here with public skating all year, at $14 plus $6 skate rental. Ice Rodeo is the 2026 outdoor rink, Nov. 20 to Jan. 3 at $40 with skates ($45 from Dec. 18), and the Long Center has not announced a 2026 rink.
| Rink | Where | 2026 dates and hours | Cost | Before you go |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaparral Ice | 2525 W. Anderson Lane, in the Northcross center | Year-round, with public skate almost every day. Session times are on its online calendar. | $14 admission and $6 skate rental, for children and adults. | A signed waiver for every skater. Adult-only sessions are 18 and up. |
| Skate VIDA at The Pond Hockey Club | 9402 United Drive, North Austin | Year-round. This fall and winter, Level 1 classes are on Saturdays, 4:45 p.m. for youth and 5:45 p.m. for teens and adults. | $30 pre-registered or $35 drop-in, plus the ice fee: $20 for an hour or $30 for a day. | Classes, not public skate. Rental skates come with the ice fee from Nov. 1. |
| Ice Rodeo | Four Seasons Hotel Austin, 98 San Jacinto Blvd. | Nov. 20, 2026, to Jan. 3, 2027, open to the public daily, 4 to 9 p.m. | $40 ($38 plus a $2 fee) through Dec. 17 and $45 ($43 plus the fee) from Dec. 18, with skates and up to 60 minutes on the ice. | Timed, non-refundable tickets online. Bring socks. Hotel valet is $32 a car. |
| The Long Center’s rink | 701 W. Riverside Drive | Not announced as of Oct. 30, 2026. | Not announced for 2026. | Check the Long Center’s calendar before you plan on it. |
Waivers and gear. Chaparral Ice and Ice Rodeo both require a signed waiver, and Ice Rodeo asks that it be signed online before you arrive. Socks are required at Ice Rodeo and it has none on hand, and it has no helmets, though skaters of any age may bring and wear their own. Chaparral says beginner skaters should wear a helmet, and Skate VIDA encourages one for young or first-time skaters.
Weather. Ice Rodeo is the only outdoor rink here with 2026 dates: skating continues in light rain and drizzle, and affected tickets are refunded if bad weather closes the rink.
Learning. Chaparral Ice runs eight-week Learn to Skate USA sessions for $180, with one 30-minute class a week, free skate rental, and $6 public-session admission for the registered skater, in classes from age 4 to adult. Ice Rodeo offers no lessons.
For the meal after the rink, subscribe free and the kid-friendly restaurant directory unlocks in this browser: spots with a kids’ menu or high chairs, ranked, with real play areas flagged. Then an email from Carissa on Thursday mornings.
Year-round rinks
- Northcross · $14 plus $6 skates · public skate most days01
Chaparral Ice
The facts: Chaparral Ice, at 2525 W. Anderson Lane in the Northcross center, calls itself Austin’s skating community home since 1996, and its site describes the rink as the city’s only publicly accessible NHL-regulation sheet. Public skate runs almost every day: standard admission is $14 and skate rental is $6, for children and adults alike, and every skater needs a signed liability waiver, which you can sign online ahead of time. Adult-only sessions, 18 and up and mostly 60 minutes long, cost the same. Sessions can change or be canceled without notice, so the rink points to its online calendar rather than a fixed timetable. The entrance is reached from Burnet Road, behind the Sonic, and the rink lists A Whoville Holiday Show for Dec. 12 and 13, 2026.
My read: Of the rinks here, it is the only one with public skating all year, so it works for a first time on skates, a summer afternoon out of the sun, or a weekly habit. Check the calendar the day you go, since the session you planned on can move. For more plans that keep you out of the heat or the rain, see the indoor things to do guide.
Checked October 30, 2026 at the official sources: public skating and pricespublic skate calendarabout the rink
- North Austin · beginner class $30 · Saturdays02
Skate VIDA at The Pond Hockey Club
The facts: The Pond Hockey Club, at 9402 United Drive just south of The Domain and Q2 Stadium, has two sheets of ice and free on-site parking, and its own site lists hockey leagues rather than public skate sessions. The way in for a non-player is Skate VIDA, the figure skating school that trains there. This fall and winter, its Level 1 beginner class meets every Saturday, 4:45 to 5:15 p.m. for youth and 5:45 to 6:15 p.m. for teens and adults, at $30 with pre-registration or $35 as a drop-in. Skate VIDA bills classes separately from the ice fee every skater pays to use the facility, $20 for a single hour or $30 for a day pass, and from Nov. 1, 2026, rental skates are included with that fee. No experience is needed, and helmets are encouraged for young or first-time skaters.
My read: For someone who wants a coach and a plan rather than laps around the rink. A family after a casual drop-in skate is better served at Chaparral Ice. For more weekend plans with children, see the things to do with kids guide.
Checked October 30, 2026 at the official sources: Learn to Ice Skate classesfeeslocationThe Pond Hockey Club
Seasonal rinks
- Downtown · Nov. 20 to Jan. 3, 4 to 9 p.m. · $40 to $45 with skates03
Ice Rodeo at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin
The facts: The hotel’s holiday rink, back for a fifth year, is a 3,360-square-foot outdoor rink of real ice built above the pool at 98 San Jacinto Blvd., with Lady Bird Lake behind it. It runs Nov. 20, 2026, to Jan. 3, 2027, open to the public daily from 4 to 9 p.m., and you reach it by the pedestrian walkway on the west side of the property. A ticket is for a set date and time and covers up to 60 minutes on the ice, rental skates from toddler size 8 to adult size 15, and entry to the Ice Rodeo area; the ticket page lists it at $40 ($38 plus a $2 fee) for dates through Dec. 17 and $45 ($43 plus the fee) from Dec. 18, and notes that price and availability may vary. Everyone who enters pays, skater or not, and minors must be with an adult. Tickets are non-refundable unless weather closes the rink, but you can reschedule at least 24 hours ahead. Bring your own socks, sign the online waiver before you arrive, and know that on Nov. 22 all skating and cabin proceeds go to Dell Children’s Foundation.
My read: The outdoor, holiday version: a timed hour on real ice by the lake, priced as an outing rather than a habit. Buy ahead, since the hotel says quantities are limited, and budget $32 for valet if you drive. For the season’s other holiday nights, the Trail of Lights included, see the Christmas lights guide.
Checked October 30, 2026 at the official sources: hotel announcement, Oct. 27, 20262026 guest FAQtickets
- W. Riverside Drive · 2026 rink not announced04
The Long Center’s holiday rink
The facts: The Long Center, at 701 W. Riverside Drive, has put an ice rink on its terrace for the holidays before, and its members’ holiday skate party on Dec. 7, 2025, offered complimentary ice skating. As of Oct. 30, 2026, it has not announced a rink for 2026, and the ticket link on its rink page has expired. That page, written for an earlier season, listed tickets from $22 with skate rental and hours of 3 to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends, so treat those numbers as a past season’s, not 2026’s.
My read: One to watch rather than plan around for now. If it returns, it would be a second holiday rink close to downtown. Ballet Austin’s Nutcracker plays the Long Center in December; it and the season’s other events are in the guide to Christmas events in Austin.
Checked October 30, 2026 at the official sources: rink page2025 member skate nightLong Center calendar
How this guide was checked
Every price, date, hour, and rule here was read on the rink’s or organizer’s own page on Oct. 30, 2026, and each pick links its pages. Each address was checked against the City of Austin’s jurisdiction map, and rinks outside the city limits are left out. Where a 2026 detail has not been posted, the guide says so. No rink paid or was contacted for this guide, and the four are not ranked.
What we considered and didn’t include
The things we passed on are part of the value. Documented for editorial discipline.
- The Pitch’s holiday rinkOlder listings put a synthetic-ice holiday rink at The Pitch, 13000 Harris Ridge Blvd., but The Pitch’s web address now forwards to PopStroke Austin at that address, and its page mentions no rink.
- The Whole Foods rooftop rinkOlder listings mention holiday skating on the rooftop plaza of the Whole Foods flagship at 525 N. Lamar Blvd., but the store’s own page mentions no rink as of Oct. 30, 2026.
Common questions
- Where can you go ice skating in Austin?
- Inside the city limits, Chaparral Ice at 2525 W. Anderson Lane has public skating almost every day of the year, and the Four Seasons Hotel Austin’s outdoor Ice Rodeo rink runs Nov. 20, 2026, to Jan. 3, 2027. Skate VIDA teaches beginner classes at The Pond Hockey Club on United Drive. Ice & Field at The Crossover and Bee Cave on Ice are outside Austin’s city limits, in Cedar Park and Bee Cave.
- Is there outdoor ice skating in Austin?
- Yes, for the holidays. Ice Rodeo at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin, 98 San Jacinto Blvd., is an outdoor rink of real ice built above the hotel pool, open to the public daily from 4 to 9 p.m., Nov. 20, 2026, to Jan. 3, 2027. Skating continues in light rain, and tickets are refunded if bad weather closes the rink.
- How much does ice skating cost in Austin?
- At Chaparral Ice, public skate admission is $14 and skate rental is $6, so $20 with rentals. An Ice Rodeo ticket at the Four Seasons is listed at $40 ($38 plus a $2 fee) for dates through Dec. 17 and $45 ($43 plus the fee) from Dec. 18, and includes skates and up to 60 minutes on the ice, and the ticket page notes that price and availability may vary.
- Can you rent ice skates in Austin?
- Yes. Chaparral Ice rents skates for $6, for children and adults. Ice Rodeo includes rental skates, from toddler size 8 to adult size 15, in its ticket, but you have to bring your own socks. At The Pond Hockey Club, Skate VIDA includes rental skates with its ice fee from Nov. 1, 2026.
- When do the seasonal ice rinks open in Austin?
- Ice Rodeo at the Four Seasons Hotel Austin opens Nov. 20, 2026, and runs through Jan. 3, 2027, daily from 4 to 9 p.m. The Long Center offered ice skating at a members’ holiday party on Dec. 7, 2025, but had not announced a 2026 rink as of Oct. 30, 2026.
- Where can adults learn to ice skate in Austin?
- Chaparral Ice teaches Adult 1 to 6 classes for skaters 14 and up in eight-week sessions that cost $180, with one 30-minute class a week and free skate rental. Skate VIDA’s teen and adult beginner class meets Saturdays this fall and winter, 5:45 to 6:15 p.m., at The Pond Hockey Club, for $30 pre-registered or $35 as a drop-in, plus its ice fee.
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