Ice Skating at the Rockefeller Center
When we went to New York in October half term I was so excited to realise that the Rockefeller Center ice rink was opening just shortly before our trip. Ice skating at the Rockefeller Center is such an iconic thing – made famous by Elf in the Christmas movie – that I knew we just had to give it a go!
Where is the Rockefeller Center Ice Rink?
The Rink at Rockefeller Center is on Rockefeller Plaza between 50th and 49th Streets. It sits beneath the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and, being on the lowest level around, can be looked down upon from the streets below. It is beautiful!
However, when we visited the Christmas tree wasn’t in place yet but it still had twinkly lights and festive touches everywhere. There was so much festive spirit even if it was only October!
How much is ice skating at the Rockefeller Center?
The Rockefeller Center ice rink really isn’t the cheapest – which is why so many people go to the Wollman Rink in Central park instead! However, as a bucket list activity, something I doubt we’ll ever have the chance to do again, it is well worth the splurge!
Tickets to the Rink at Rockefeller Center cost from $22 per person for general skate, increasing to a minimum of $112 for a VIP skate. Adults and children aged six and above all have the same ticket cost, it’s only children five and under who have a reduced fee.
We booked skating for 7pm on a Friday evening and it cost us a total of $240 – $47 each for the ice skating and $12 each for skate rental plus taxes. As I said, it isn’t cheap but it’s an experience link no other.
Ice skating at the Rockefeller Center
We arrived about ten minutes early for our ice skating slot and were given a sticker to wear on our clothes to show when to come off the ice. We then made our way to the skate rental counter.
This was slightly tricky as the skates were obviously in US sizes and we’re used to UK sizes so just make sure you know what US size you’ll be needing. We also went up a size and the skates fit us well.
One great thing about the Rockefeller ice rink is that there are free lockers to use. We put our bags, shoes and valuables in lockers and they were kept safely until we were done.
As you can imagine with such an expensive experience – it wasn’t busy. There were probably two dozen of us on the ice at any one time and it’s a really good size ice rink and the ice is in great condition. It’s obviously well looked after.
We were able to skate quite happily with a couple of stewards on the ice looking after everyone and strict rules about skating nicely. There was festive music playing and festive spotlights shone on the ice as we skated. It was lovely.
After a while Little Man didn’t want to skate anymore so he stood by the side and took photos for us but the rest of us carried on and had a great time. However, there was some confusion about when we should get off the ice as we were given the previous session’s sticker colour and were told to get off after 40 minutes when each session is an hour. However, we explained to the stewards and they said we could stay on.
Overall we had a great time ice skating at the Rockefeller Center and it was one of the most uplifting, fun ice skating experiences we have ever had. I don’t think any ice rink will ever compare in the future. It was simply magical.
When does the Rink at Rockefeller Center open for the season?
The Rockefeller Center ice rink opened this year on 11th October 2025 and so should open around mid-October each year. It also runs until the end of March, closing on 30th March 2026.
Alternatives to ice skating at Rockeller Centre
If you’re looking for other places to skate in New York City then there are quite a few alternative open air ice rinks to enjoy over the winter. Here are all the ones we’ve found:
- Wollman Rink – Central Park – From $11 per child, $16 per adult and $12 for skate rental – Open until 22nd March 2026
- Winter Village at Bryant Park – Free to skate but skate rental between $18 and $60 – Open until 1st March 2026
- Roebling Rink – Brooklyn Bridge Park – From $16 per person incl fees and taxes and $7.35 for skate rental – Open until 1st February 2026
- Brookfield Place Ice Rink – Manhattan – From $15 to skate and $5 for skate rental – Open until 1st March 2026
- Skate at Domino Park – Brooklyn – From $18 to skate and $12 for skate rental – Open until 22nd February 2026
- LeFrak Center at Lakeside – Brooklyn – From $10 per person and $10 for skate rental – Open until the spring.
- Riverbank State Park – Manhattan – From $5 per person and $6 skate hire – Open until March
I hope that’s given you some inspiration for ice skating in New York. Ice skating at the Rockefeller Center was one of the best things we did in New York City, a real highlight of the trip and something we would recommend to anyone.
You can find out more about ice skating at Rockefeller Center over on their website.
