Come Ice Skate on the Arch Grounds this December

In December, a temporary ice rink will be installed on Luther Ely Smith Square, located between the Arch and the Old Courthouse.

The ice rink will be a part of Winterfest at the Arch, a two-week long event hosted by the St. Louis Blues and the CityArchRiver Foundation. The 46-by-92-foot rink will be made of synthetic ice, and the public can skate on it daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the festival (held December 27 to January 8).

“To my knowledge, this is the first time there’s been an ice rink on the Arch grounds,” says Ryan McClure, director of communications for CityArchRiver Foundation, which is renovating the Arch grounds and surroundings in a project expected to be completed in late 2017. He adds, “It’s an opportunity for us to bring activity, recreation, and excitement down to the Arch grounds, especially with everything going on downtown during that time period.”

Winterfest will also take place in tandem with the 2017 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic (the Blues versus the Chicago Blackhawks), taking place January 2 at Busch Stadium. The festival also plans to offer an opening night celebration, a whiskey tasting event at the Old Courthouse, Try Hockey for Free clinics, a family friendly New Year’s Eve celebration, and a skate and street hockey tournament.

McClure says he’s personally skated on the type of synthetic ice that will be used for the rink and that it replicates the feeling of real ice (guests can also use real ice skates). He adds the foundation has also worked with the National Park Service to install the rink, a process that will begin the week of December 19.

“The foundation is very thankful to be able to do this and work with our sponsors and partners… Something like this has never been done before [in St. Louis],” McClure says.

Check the Winterfest website for updates on event details, including ice skate rental information.