The Rockefeller Center ice rink turns 90: the 2026-2027 season opens on 10 October
New York’s most famous ice rink has announced its opening date: The Rink at Rockefeller Center opens on Saturday 10 October 2026, launching its ninetieth season. Tickets are already on sale, with access from 22 dollars per session.
Ninety winters under the flags
The rink debuted on Christmas Day 1936 as Rockefeller Center’s “skating pond”, already with evening ice, music and a heated clubhouse. Since then, skating between the international flags of Rockefeller Plaza has been a winter tradition in the heart of Manhattan.
New for the anniversary season
For its 90th season, the rink gains a fully renovated Skate House and a heated VIP lounge with hot drinks, a 60-minute session with priority access, skate rental included and a discount in the gift shop. VIP tickets start at 131 dollars and season passes at 550 dollars. The busiest Christmas dates usually sell out first.
What such an iconic rink demands
An outdoor rink that welcomes thousands of skaters a day for months demands smooth, level ice, a stable ice temperature and regular machine passes between groups. That is exactly the standard Napapiri has applied since 1993 to its mobile and permanent real-ice rinks for municipalities, event organizers and recreational and professional skating facilities worldwide, with installation and technical support included. Quotation within 24 hours.
Cover photo: skaters on the Rockefeller Center ice rink in New York. Photo by Marc Ruaix (Unsplash, April 2017), via Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0. Archive photo of the rink: it does not show the 2026-2027 season nor a Napapiri installation.
