Empire State Plaza skating rink opens soon

empire state plaza ice skating rink

The ice skating rink on the Empire State Plaza is scheduled to open December 4, the state Office of General Services announced today. (That is weather permitting, of course.) The rink is on the Capitol end of the plaza, near The Egg.

It looks like the details for this season are the same as in years past. The rink will be open seven days a week from 11 am-8 pm. It's free to skate. Rentals for skates are $4 for adults / $3 for kids. And skate rentals are free on Fridays.

The rink will also have free learn-to-skate clinics during the season (with free skate rental). The first is the morning of December 5. These clinics tend to fill up very fast, so keep an eye out for the registration (it's already open for the December 5 clinic).

It's fun to skate on the plaza. It can get a bit crowded on weekends -- we've found the best time is often to stop by after work on weekday. A little early evening skating + dinner downtown is a nice night out.

Tree lighting
OGS announced a whole slate of winter events at the ESP today. And of course that includes the annual holiday tree lighting event, which is December 6 this year.

AOA is a media sponsor of the ESP ice skating rink.

The Scoop

For a decade All Over Albany was a place for interested and interesting people in New York's Capital Region. It was kind of like having a smart, savvy friend who could help you find out what's up. AOA stopped publishing at the end of 2018.

Recently on All Over Albany

Thank you!

When we started AOA a decade ago we had no idea what was going to happen. And it turned out better than we could have... (more)

Let's stay in touch

This all feels like the last day of camp or something. And we're going to miss you all so much. But we'd like to stay... (more)

A few things I think about this place

Working on AOA over the past decade has been a life-changing experience for me and it's shaped the way I think about so many things.... (more)

Albany tightened its rules for shoveling snowy sidewalks last winter -- so how'd that work out?

If winter ever gets its act together and drops more snow on us, there will be sidewalks to shovel. And shortly after that, Albany will... (more)

Tea with Jack McEneny

Last week we were fortunate enough to spend a few minutes with Jack McEneny -- former state Assemblyman, unofficial Albany historian, and genuinely nice guy.... (more)

Recent Comments

My three year old son absolutely loving riding the train around Huck Finn's (Hoffman's) Playland this summer.

Thank you!

...has 27 comments, most recently from Ashley

Let's stay in touch

...has 4 comments, most recently from mg

A look inside 2 Judson Street

...has 3 comments, most recently from Diane (Agans) Boyle

Everything changes: Alicia Lea

...has 2 comments, most recently from Chaz Boyark

A few things I think about this place

...has 13 comments, most recently from Katherine