Annual Surrey Christmas festival returns with first ever outdoor ice rink

The Surrey tree lighting festival will run Nov. 22-23 and will welcome the opening of the city's first outdoor ice skating rink,

A B.C. city is providing a new activity to add to locals’ festive itinerary with the opening of its first ever outdoor ice-skating rink.

On Saturday evening, Surrey will undergo its yearly wintery transformation via the 15th edition of its Tree Lighting Festival, a two-day affair featuring amusement rides, light displays, live on-stage entertainment and general seasonal revelry.

The event will mark the official lighting of the city’s 60-foot Christmas tree and the welcoming of its 4,000-square-foot outdoor rink, set to be housed on the Civic Plaza within one of the market’s tents throughout the winter.

Despite the drizzly weather expected over the weekend, the event’s operations manager Preeti Yadav says crowds of up to 30,000 people are expected to brave the rain to get into the Christmas spirit.

“Over 25,000 square feet of the event is under cover, either under a tent or inside of the building,” says Yadav.

“Don’t let the rain stop you.”

The event, which is free to enter and offers free parking in the underground parkade, will run from 12 p.m. until 8 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

According to a statement issued by the city on Thursday, the rink is expected to be popular among the crowds and, to help manage capacity, wristbands with timeslots will be handed out on a first-come, first-served basis, with a maximum of one timeslot per person.

Revellers looking to glide across the frozen floor can make use of free skate and helmet rentals, although rentals are of a limited capacity and visitors are encouraged to bring their own gear.

“Skating at Civic Plaza is about creating a lively, vibrant space where people can connect and enjoy the season together,” said Mayor Brenda Locke in the statement.

“This exciting pilot project delivers a free, inclusive venue that everyone can enjoy. Projects like these are an important step toward building a vibrant downtown in Surrey.”

Once the festival is wrapped, the outdoor rink will close until Nov. 28 to allow staff to prepare the full skating program for Dec. 1. Once officially opened for the season, the rink will have an on-site cafe and cozy seating areas.

From Dec. 1, the skating rink and other activities under the tent at Civic Plaza will be open daily from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., with adjusted hours of 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Dec. 24, 25, 26, 31 and Jan. 1.

Skate rentals will be available for $5 per pair starting Dec. 1. From Dec. 2, school groups can reserve rink times on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, and from Dec. 6, private groups can reserve times on Saturday mornings.