Cabinet papers show the festive rink on The Parade costs £173,803, awarded without a tender to Ice Park Ltd. Half of ticket sales go to local charities.

Watford’s Christmas ice rink will cost the council about £173,803, and the contract was awarded without a tender. Half of the ticket money will go to local charities. Those details are in a report that went to the council’s Cabinet on Monday 5 October.

The report asked Cabinet to note a contract exemption granted on 24 July for Ice Park Ltd to “supply and operate the rink as a fully managed turnkey service”. Council rules say any contract over £100,000 let this way must be reported to Cabinet.

The quick answer

  • Where: The Parade, which the report calls “the preferred location due to its space, visibility and power availability”. The council’s own events site lists the rink at Pondside, at the top of The Parade.
  • What: a covered real-ice rink of about 12m by 20m, with chillers, boot and changing facilities, a kiosk and a marquee.
  • How long: “approximately 5 to 6 weeks”. Our ice rink page has the published dates, 5 December to 1 January.
  • Cost: about £173,803, funded by sponsorship from the Mace Foundation and an allocation of Community Infrastructure Levy.
  • Prices and times: still not published.

Why there was no tender

The council’s contract procedure rules allow a direct award where the market is limited. The report says market engagement found Ice Park Ltd was “the only provider identified as able to supply the rink infrastructure and manage day-to-day operations within the timescales available following the mayoral election”.

The signed exemption form, published as Appendix 1, adds that:

  • Ice Park Ltd was recommended by Wimbledon Quarter, the shopping centre in south-west London, which has used the company for its seasonal rink for three years and has booked a fourth
  • only one other specialist rink operator was found, and it “responded slowly to the request for quotation and did not provide complete responses”
  • alternative quotes were obtained for supplying and installing the rink and marquee, but the council wanted one firm to do both supply and operation, because splitting them “can lead to disputes over responsibility for operational issues”
  • the ice rink was “only formally mandated through the Council Plan approved by Full Council on 14 July 2026, leaving a limited delivery window”

The form records the exemption as approved by the managing director, Donna Nolan, on 24 July, with the Elected Mayor, Peter Taylor, informed the same day. It gives the contract as let on 31 July with an end date of 15 January 2027.

Timeline of Watford's 2026 ice rink: 14 July Council Plan approved with the rink in it; 24 July contract exemption approved; 31 July contract let to Ice Park Ltd for £173,803; 5 October Cabinet notes the exemption; 5 December rink opens at Pondside; 1 January rink closes; 15 January contract ends.
How the rink went from manifesto to contract. Graphic by Watford Today
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A town centre ice rink was a commitment in the Mayor’s 2026 election campaign, the report says, and the plan is “to reintroduce the ice rink in Watford town centre for winter 2026 to strengthen the town’s festive offer”.

Where the money goes

The report sets out a financial model that is unusual for a council event:

  • the contract is funded by sponsorship from the Mace Foundation and Community Infrastructure Levy, the charge developers pay on new building
  • 50% of ticket sales go to the Mace Foundation, restricted to its partnership with the national charity Become
  • the council’s 50% share goes to local charities

The chief finance officer notes that tax advice was taken on the sponsorship arrangement, and that “final contract terms, VAT treatment, ticketing assumptions and revenue-sharing arrangements will be confirmed before contract completion”. So the £173,803 is described as approximate, and the report does not say what ticket income is expected or which local charities will benefit.

The risks the council lists

The report’s risk table gives its two highest ratings, 4 on the council’s scale, to:

  • Ice Park Ltd being unable to mobilise in time, so the rink “may not be installed, tested and opened in time for the festive period”
  • a health, safety or public liability incident during installation or operation

Both are marked as to be treated through a mobilisation programme with milestones, and through risk assessments, event management plans and insurance evidence approved before work starts. The report says no extra permanent council staff are needed, but officer time will go on contract oversight during the event.

What it means for you

  • The rink is funded, contracted and has a site. That is further on than the council’s public events listing, which still says “more information to come soon”.
  • Prices, session times and booking are the missing pieces. The council’s listing has none of them. We will add them to our Watford ice rink page when they appear. Judging by the contract end date, expect the rink to be dismantled in the first half of January.
  • Your ticket money is going to charity, by design. The 50/50 split means the council is not treating the rink as an income line.
  • It sits inside the wider festive programme: the Christmas lights switch-on at Pondside on 21 November and the Cassiobury Park fireworks on 7 November are both already dated. Town centre car park tariffs are on our parking in Watford page.

Cabinet’s minutes for 5 October had not been published when we checked on 11 October. The printed decisions list from the meeting records only one key decision, on software for the Museum of Watford, because the ice rink item was for noting rather than decision.

Sources