Year-round outdoor skating rink opens along International Avenue

A new year-round synthetic skating rink opened Friday in Forest Lawn. An opening day party is being held Friday featuring live music, food and skating until 8 p.m.

A Calgary community is celebrating the opening of a unique feature Friday.

East Calgary in the vicinity of 32nd Street S.E. near 17th Avenue was the site of the grand opening of a year-round outdoor skating rink.

The rink has a synthetic surface enabling skating throughout the summer and Kidsport is offering free skate rentals Friday night.

The project is part of ongoing developments all along the avenue which is also known as International Avenue.

There’s also space for pop-up shops and a mural.

“This has been a very interesting project,” said International Avenue BMZ executive director Alison Karim-McSwiney.

“This used to be a street no one wanted to go down and it wasn’t a good connection point for us between the community – there were dumpsters and all sorts of things. It was very drab. It needed a bit of a pick me up to feel good."

A grant from the city helped transform the area.

Live music and food is part of the celebration.

The business revitalization zone hopes the area will bring the community together and visitors from across the city are welcome to come check it out.

The food, music and party run until 8 p.m.