Skating beneath a canopy of 18,000 fairy lights, with a giant Christmas tree back at the centre of the ice, is on offer again this winter as Hampton Court Palace’s rink returns for a bigger 2026 season.
The rink, set in the palace’s 60-acre gardens in East Molesey, opens on Friday 20 November 2026 and runs until Sunday 3 January 2027. It will be longer than last year — extended by eight metres — and the entrance has been moved to make it easier for the 100,000 skaters expected across the season to move around the site.
A giant Christmas tree returns to the heart of the rink after a year away, and a double-layered ice design is promised to give a smoother, longer-lasting surface.
Richard Elme, from Icebox Live Ltd, which runs the rink, said: “It’s a genuine privilege to be presenting the Ice Rink at Hampton Court Palace for a second year — there is nowhere else in the country where you can skate in front of 500 years of history.”
He added: “We can’t wait to welcome everyone back from 20 November.”
More than just skating
The rink is only part of the draw. Across the season there will be live ice sculpting from Icebox’s own carvers, a Skating Santa, live DJs and themed cocktails, alongside an on-site café and bar serving seasonal food and drink through the day.
The menu will feature mulled wine, hot chocolate, boozy hot chocolate and cocktails, plus soup, hot dogs and brownies, managed in-house in partnership with the Department of Coffee and Social Affairs.
The palace itself and its gardens stay open to explore, which makes the trip a full day out rather than a single skate. Hampton Court was once home to Henry VIII, William III and Mary II, and its gardens are part of the attraction in their own right.
Planning a visit
The rink is open daily, except on Christmas Day, from 9am to 9pm, with the last skate at 8pm. Skate hire is included in the ticket price. Those long hours give a wide window for a visit, whether that means a morning skate before the crowds build or an evening session under the lights.
The rink is one of a number of festive attractions opening across London this Christmas, from West End lights to family shows at ExCeL, so visitors pairing the palace with other seasonal days out will not be short of options.
Getting there is straightforward: Hampton Court station is about 35 minutes by train from London Waterloo, followed by a two-minute walk to the palace.
Tickets are already on sale, starting from £13.50, through the rink’s own booking site. With 100,000 skaters expected, the busiest dates — weekends and the days between Christmas and New Year — are likely to go first, so booking ahead is the safe move for anyone with a fixed date in mind.
For families weighing up festive days out, the combination here is unusual: a palace setting, a longer rink, live sculpting and Santa on skates, all under thousands of lights. It is the second year Icebox Live has staged the rink at the palace, and this season’s changes — more ice, a moved entrance and the tree back at the centre — are aimed squarely at handling bigger crowds more comfortably.
With tickets from £13.50 including skate hire, and a station two minutes away, the rink is pitched as an easy festive day out rather than a major expedition — which, for families with young children in tow, is part of the appeal. The palace gardens, open alongside the rink, mean the visit can stretch to a full day without needing a second destination.
Photo: Hampton Court Palace in East Molesey. The ice rink returns to its gardens from 20 November. Credit: DiscoA340, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
