Ice Skating in NYC 2026: Every Rink, What It Costs, and When It Opens
Rockefeller Center opened October 10. Wollman's season runs from October 28, and Bryant Park opened October 28. What each NYC rink costs in 2026, and which one to pick.
On this page 10 sections
New York’s ice rinks open in October. The Rink at Rockefeller Center opened on October 10, 2026. Wollman Rink’s season in Central Park runs from October 28, and the rink at Bryant Park opened October 28. Prospect Park’s rink opened Saturday, October 31, and Riverbank’s season runs from November 1. Gottesman Rink in north Central Park is delayed, with no new date yet.
The short version: Bryant Park is the cheapest, Wollman has the view, and Rockefeller Center has the tree. Here’s each rink, what it costs this season, and when to go.
The rinks at a glance
- Bryant Park. October 28, 2026 to February 28, 2027. Free admission, and free skating if you bring your own skates. The best value in the city.
- Wollman Rink, Central Park. October 28, 2026 to March 16, 2027. From $16. The skating rink with the view: Midtown’s towers over the trees.
- The Rink at Rockefeller Center. Open since October 10, 2026. From $22. Small, famous, and right under the tree from late November.
- Gottesman Rink, north Central Park. Delayed. It was due to open November 1, 2026, then November 4, and the Conservancy hasn’t set a new date yet. The new rink at the Davis Center on the Harlem Meer.
- LeFrak Center at Lakeside, Prospect Park. Opened October 31, 2026. Brooklyn’s rink, and cheap: $10 on weekdays.
- Riverbank State Park, Harlem. November 1, 2026 to March 13, 2027, Friday evenings and weekends. $5 for adults: the cheapest paid skating in the city.
Bryant Park: the free one
Dates: October 28, 2026 to February 28, 2027, daily, weather permitting. Hours: 8am to 10pm, and until midnight from November 19 to January 3. Getting there: B, D, F or M to 42 St–Bryant Park, or the 7 to 5 Av.
Admission is free. If you own skates, you skate for free. You still need a free “Bring Your Own Skates” reservation, and those open one week ahead, a day at a time, for the rest of the season.
Rental is where the money goes. This season a skate rental ticket runs $18.72 to $64.48 with fees, plus tax, priced by demand. Weekday mornings are the cheapest.
The rink sits inside the Bryant Park Winter Village, so the holiday shops, the food and the best public bathroom in Midtown are all around it. Our NYC Christmas markets guide has the rest of the market.
Wollman Rink: the view
Dates: October 28, 2026 to March 16, 2027. Getting there: N, R or W to 5 Av–59 St, or the F to 57 St. Walk into the park at Sixth Avenue and Central Park South.
Prices this season, including tax:
- Adults (13 to 64): $16 off-peak, $28 peak, $40 on the busiest “prime” dates
- Children (4 to 12): $12, and one non-skating adult (21+) comes in free with each child
- Seniors (65+): $12
- 3 and under: free
- Skate rental: $12
Wollman is the one for actual skating. It’s a big open rink, and the skyline along Central Park South rises over the trees on the far side. Go on a weekday morning, at off-peak prices, and you’ll have room to move.
Make a day of it: our Central Park guide has what’s around the rink, and the Central Park wild north walk ends at the Pond and Gapstow Bridge, just below it.
Cheaper with a library card. Bring a physical IDNYC or New York Public Library card and you pay $16 for admission, skates and hot cocoa, any day. Walk-up only, at the box office.
The Rink at Rockefeller Center: the tree
Dates: open since October 10, 2026, through March 27, 2027. Closed Tuesday, December 1 and Wednesday, December 2 for the tree lighting. Getting there: B, D, F or M to 47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Ctr.
Tickets start at $22, and that’s the floor. That buys a 60-minute timed session, and skate rental is $12 more. Weekend and holiday sessions can top $70. Book online, and check your date’s price before you fall for the photo.
It’s small. You’re skating in a sunken plaza, under the gold Prometheus statue, with a crowd watching from the railings above. That’s the point of it. From late November, the Rockefeller tree stands right over the ice.
This season it opens with a temporary check-in. The new Skate House opens November 14.
When to go: before the tree goes up, or early on a weekday morning after. The weeks from Thanksgiving to New Year’s are the most expensive and the most crowded.
Gottesman Rink, north Central Park
Dates: not open yet. Checked November 5, 2026: it was due to open Sunday, November 1, then the Davis Center said it expected Wednesday, November 4. The Central Park Conservancy’s opening page now says the opening is delayed while it fixes technical problems, and that a new date will be announced. Last season it also opened late, on November 24, for the same reason. Check the Davis Center’s site the morning you go. Getting there: 2 or 3 to Central Park North–110 St. The rink is at the Harlem Meer, at 110th Street and Lenox Avenue.
This is the new rink at the Davis Center, which replaced the old Lasker Rink and opened last winter. It’s the neighborhood rink for Harlem and the Upper West and East Sides, with open skating, lessons and hockey. Check the Davis Center’s site for session times before you go.
LeFrak Center at Lakeside, Prospect Park
Dates: opened Saturday, October 31, 2026, with a free First Skate Weekend. Lakeside hasn’t posted a closing date. Getting there: Q or B to Prospect Park, or the Q to Parkside Av, then walk into the park’s southeast corner.
Prices this season: $5 on Mondays (except December 28 and January 18), $10 Tuesday to Friday in the daytime, $15 on weekends, holidays and evenings, and $8 for seniors 65 and up on weekdays. Those are cash prices; paying by card adds 3%. Skate rental is $10.
Our Prospect Park guide has the rest of the park, and the Prospect Park wild walk ends on the Peninsula, on the same lake as the rink.
Riverbank State Park, Harlem
Dates: November 1, 2026 to March 13, 2027, weather permitting, per the park’s fall and winter program guide. Sessions: Friday 6pm to 9pm, Saturday and Sunday 1pm to 4pm and 6pm to 9pm, and holidays 11am to 2pm and 3pm to 6pm. Getting there: 1 to 145 St, then walk west to Riverside Drive.
Prices: $5 for adults, $3 for kids 11 and under, $6 skate rental. The cheapest skating in the city by a mile.
A covered rink on top of Riverbank State Park, facing the Hudson. It’s a neighborhood rink, not a destination, and that’s the charm. Call the skating complex at 212-694-3642 to confirm sessions before you go.
Which rink to pick
- On a budget: Bryant Park with your own skates: $0. No skates? Riverbank is $11 with rental, and Wollman off-peak is $28.
- For the skating itself: Wollman. Room to move, and the best view while you’re on it.
- For the tree: Rockefeller Center, on a weekday morning.
- With kids: Wollman, where a non-skating adult is included with each child ticket. Our NYC with kids guide has more for the day.
- In Brooklyn: Lakeside. Go on a Monday, when it’s $5.
When to skate
- Weekday mornings are the cheapest and emptiest at every rink.
- Late October and early November are quiet. The holiday crowds arrive the week of Thanksgiving and stay through New Year’s.
- Book ahead for any weekend from Thanksgiving on, everywhere.
Planning the rest of the season? See things to do in NYC in November 2026 and NYC in December 2026.
Check before you go
- Session times and prices for your date, from each rink’s own site
- Bryant Park’s “Bring Your Own Skates” reservations, which open one week ahead
- The weather: outdoor rinks close for rain and warm spells
Questions about anything in this guide? Reach MUSEENYC at museenyc.art@gmail.com or @museenyc on Instagram.
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