St Albans has no ice rink this winter. Nearest: Planet Ice Hemel, open Christmas Day 10am to 12pm at £10, and Watford's Big Skate, 5 Dec to 3 Jan.
St Albans has no ice rink this winter. The city’s Christmas programme on Enjoy St Albans lists no skating, a search of that site for “ice rink” returns nothing but directory listings, and we found no 2026 announcement of a pop-up rink in Verulamium Park, the city centre, Harpenden or at Willows Activity Farm, whose Santa Spectacular page lists a grotto, shows and funfair rides but no skating. We checked on 20 October 2026 and will update this page if anything is announced.
The nearest ice is along the A414 at Planet Ice in Hemel Hempstead, which skates every day of the Christmas holidays and opens on Christmas Day. Watford brings back a town-centre rink, the Big Skate at Pondside, from 5 December.
The quick answer
- Nearest real ice: Planet Ice Hemel Hempstead, Jarman Square, HP2 4JS.
- Christmas Day: one session at Hemel, 10am to 12pm, £10 a skater, under 4s £3.20.
- Holiday price at Hemel: £14.10 adult or child, £13.10 each on a family ticket of 3 to 5, £10 for students (16+), under 4s £3.20, carers free.
- Watford’s Big Skate: a covered real-ice rink at Pondside, The Parade, Saturday 5 December to Sunday 3 January. Times and prices are not published yet.
- Synthetic option: Luton Hoo Estate runs a Glice rink (plastic, not ice) on selected December dates, 45 minutes for £12.50 plus an 81p fee.
Planet Ice, Hemel Hempstead
Planet Ice is a permanent rink, and its booking calendar for Hemel runs well into the new year. We read these sessions from the Planet Ice booking calendar on 20 October 2026:
| Date | Public sessions | Billed as |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 28 Nov | 11.45am to 1.45pm, 2.15pm to 4.30pm; disco 5pm to 7.15pm | Public skate |
| Sat 19 Dec | 11.45am to 1.45pm, 2.15pm to 4.30pm; disco 5pm to 7.15pm | Skate and Spot Santa |
| Thu 24 Dec | 10.30am to 1pm, 1.30pm to 3.30pm; disco 4pm to 6pm | Skate and Spot Santa |
| Fri 25 Dec | 10am to 12pm | Christmas Day skate, £10 |
| Thu 31 Dec | 10.30am to 1pm, 1.30pm to 3.30pm, 4pm to 6pm | New Year’s Eve skate |
The Christmas Day session has one price: £10 a skater, £3.20 for under 4s, with no family or student tickets. Every other session in the table costs £14.10 for an adult or a child, £13.10 each on a family ticket for 3, 4 or 5 people, £10 for students online and £3.20 for under 4s. There is no late New Year’s Eve skate: the last session ends at 6pm.
Skate and Spot Santa is the name Planet Ice gives those sessions on its calendar, at the normal price. The booking system does not say when Father Christmas appears, so do not book one as a grotto visit.
Sessions can sell out, so book on the calendar rather than turning up. The calendar has public skating every day of the school holidays; pick a date on Planet Ice’s booking page to see that day’s sessions.
Big Skate at Pondside, Watford
Watford Borough Council’s events page lists the Big Skate at Pondside, the public space on The Parade at the top of the town centre, from Saturday 5 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, with “more information to come soon”. The council’s Cabinet report describes a covered real-ice rink of about 12m by 20m, run by Ice Park Ltd, with 50% of ticket sales going to the Mace Foundation for the charity Become and the council’s 50% share to local charities.
Opening times, prices and the booking link are not published yet. We will add them when the council does.
Luton Hoo Estate (synthetic)
Christmas at Luton Hoo Estate sells 45-minute sessions on a Glice rink, which its listing describes as “a synthetic skating surface designed for use with real ice skates”. Tickets are £12.50 plus a £0.81 booking fee, skaters must be 3 or over, under 8s must skate with a paying adult, and parking is free. It is on Lime Tree Avenue, Luton, LU1 4LF.
Getting there
From St Albans, Planet Ice is reached along the A414 towards Hemel Hempstead. Check our roadworks and travel page before you set off: the A414 has had overnight closures this autumn. If you are driving into the city for anything else over Christmas, our parking in St Albans page lists the car parks and their prices.
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