Big Skate opens at Pondside on 5 December, with adults at £14 and children at £10, or £12 and £8 if you book before 23 November. Checked November 2026.

Tickets for Watford’s Christmas ice rink are on sale, at £14 for adults, £10 for children and £45 for a family of four, or £12, £8 and £38 if you book before 23 November. Big Skate opens at Pondside on Saturday 5 December and runs to Sunday 3 January, its first return since 2019, Watford Borough Council has announced.

The rink is a covered real-ice one of 20m by 12m, with a Christmas tree in the middle of the ice, and all proceeds from ticket sales go to four charities and good causes. A launch event at noon on the opening day starts the run.

The quick answer

  • When: Saturday 5 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, closed on Christmas Day.
  • Where: Pondside, at the top of The Parade, WD17 1NA.
  • Cost: adults £14, children £10, family of four £45. Before 23 November: £12, £8 and £38.
  • What you get: a one-hour booking with 45 minutes on the ice, skate hire included.
  • Book: the Big Skate box office, or bit.ly/Big-Skate-WBC as printed on the council’s posters.
Skaters and children with skate aids on a covered ice rink with a lit Christmas tree in the middle, coloured lights on the ice and a marquee roof overhead
A covered rink of the kind coming to Watford, with a tree in the middle of the ice. This is an example of a similar facility, not the Watford rink. Photo: Ice Park Ltd, supplied by Watford Borough Council

What the Mayor and the sponsor say

The rink was a promise, and the council credits sponsorship from the Mace Foundation with making it happen.

“I made a commitment to bring back the ice rink to Watford, and I’m delighted to see Big Skate returning to Watford this Christmas,” said Peter Taylor, the Elected Mayor. “It’s a fantastic way to bring families and friends together, support our town centre and create some festive magic. I’m especially pleased that the Mace Foundation has helped make this possible and that local good causes will benefit.”

Mark Reynolds CBE, executive chairman of Mace Construct and chairman of the Mace Foundation, said: “We are passionate about making a positive difference in communities, and this is a fantastic opportunity to bring people together while supporting charities doing vital work. Knowing that proceeds from ticket sales will benefit four worthwhile causes makes this initiative even more special, and we hope families across Watford will come along, enjoy themselves and help make a real difference.”

The four causes are Become, chosen by Mace, and New Hope, Pump House Raise the Roof and the Watford Community Fund, chosen by the council.

The council’s Cabinet papers put the contract at about £173,803, funded by the Mace sponsorship and Community Infrastructure Levy; we covered how that contract was awarded in October.

Prices

Table of Big Skate Watford prices. Standard: adult aged 13 and over £14, child aged 4 to 12 £10, family of 4 £45, skate aid hire £3. Before 23 November: adult £12, child £8, family of 4 £38, skate aid hire £3. Carers with proof and spectators are free.
What a session costs at Big Skate. Graphic by Watford Today
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The council’s prices are matched by the box office, which adds some details the announcement leaves out:

  • Who counts as what: an adult is 13 or over and a child is 4 to 12. The family ticket is two adults and two children. The minimum age on the ice is 4.
  • Carers go free, but proof of carer status has to be provided within 24 hours of booking.
  • Spectators are free in the marquee’s viewing area, where space is limited.
  • Skate aids are £3 a session, for children under 10 and under 110cm. Numbers are limited, so the box office recommends booking one.

Walk-in tickets go on sale on the day only if a session has not reached capacity, so booking ahead is the safe course. Refunds are not given. Bookings can be changed through the box office’s “Self Serve” option at least 48 hours beforehand.

Session times

We read these from the booking calendar on 5 November. Each is the first session’s start to the last session’s finish, with sessions on the hour. The box office warns that some sessions may be removed for private hire.

  • Saturday 5 December: the noon slot is marked as a private event, so public sessions run from 1pm to 8pm.
  • Mondays 7 and 14 December: 3pm to 7pm.
  • Tuesdays to Thursdays, 8 to 10 and 15 to 17 December: 3pm to 6pm.
  • Fridays 11 and 18 December: 3pm to 8pm.
  • Saturdays 12, 19 and 26 December: noon to 8pm.
  • Sundays 6, 13, 20 and 27 December: noon to 7pm.
  • 21 to 23 and 28 to 31 December: noon to 8pm.
  • Christmas Eve: noon to 7pm. Christmas Day: closed.
  • New Year’s Day and Saturday 2 January: noon to 7pm.
  • Sunday 3 January: noon to 5pm.

Quiet Skate

Dedicated Quiet Skate sessions are for people with special educational needs and disabilities, or anyone who prefers a quieter, smaller session. The council says they are at 3pm on weekdays and noon at weekends. The booking calendar, read on 5 November, matches that up to 18 December, with two differences: the opening Saturday’s session is at 4pm, because the noon slot that day is a private event, and from Monday 21 December the weekday sessions are at noon too. There is one every day, and the calendar marks each one.

General sessions have festive music and colour-changing lights, which the council says may not suit people with photosensitive conditions or light sensitivities. The box office says colour-changing lights and music are used in all sessions, so anyone affected should ask before booking. It also says the rink is fully accessible.

What it means for you

  • Book before 23 November to save. A family of four pays £38 instead of £45.
  • Under-12s need a skating companion. The council says children under 12 must be accompanied on the ice by a responsible person aged 16 or over.
  • Arrive 15 minutes early to get your skates on, as the box office asks. Lockers take £1 coins, which are not returned and go to charity.
  • Food and drink stay off the ice. Glass is not allowed in the marquee, where a refreshments stall sells drinks and snacks, and anyone drunk or carrying alcohol will be asked to leave.
  • Parking: the box office names the Avenue car park as the closest, with Gade too, and Sutton and Church car parks a few minutes further away. Tariffs are on our parking in Watford page.

The Christmas lights switch-on is at Pondside on 21 November, and the Santa Dash is the morning after the rink’s opening day. Everything else on the rink, including how to find Pondside, is on our Watford ice rink page.

The Big Skate poster: The Big Skate, Pondside, Watford. Skate, smile and make memories. Saturday 5th December to Sunday 3rd January. A QR code and bit.ly/Big-Skate-WBC for booking. Sponsored by Watford Borough Council and Mace Foundation. All proceeds from ticket sales go to Become, New Hope, Raise the Roof and Watford Community Fund.
The Big Skate poster, with a QR code for booking. Image: supplied by Watford Borough Council

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