Cheltenham Borough Council has announced the return of Cheltenham's popular ice rink, kickstarting the town's Christmas celebrations in November 2024.
Residents and visitors will have the chance to hit the ice on Friday 29 November 2024, with the all-weather ice rink returning to Imperial Gardens for daily skating sessions until Sunday 5 January 2025.
Tourism boomed when the ice rink was in town for Christmas 2023, with over 30,000 people enjoying the festive skating experience — and thousands of visitors coming to eat out, drink, shop and explore in the Regency town as a result.
Organised by Visit Cheltenham, the attraction will once again be undercover, making it usable in all weathers, and suitable for skaters of all ages and abilities.
Just like last year, there will be special sessions for students, families and school groups — along with brand-new activities and events throughout the festive season, too.
Helen Mole, head of place
marketing and inward investment at Cheltenham Borough Council, said: 'Last
year’s ice rink was fantastic. The team loved seeing so many happy people
enjoying our attraction and going on into town to support our local businesses.
We are delighted that we can bring the event back to Cheltenham and we’re
looking forward to making this year’s event even better.'
While full details about this year's ice rink are yet to be confirmed, last year's rink had capacity for over 100 skaters at a time and was fully accessible for wheelchair users.
The ice rink is expected to mark the start of the Christmas season in Cheltenham, which hosts Christmas lights switch-on events and artisan Christmas markets every year — and of course, there's the ever-popular Everyman panto, this year starring Tweedy in Aladdin!
