Ice Rinks Near Southport 2026 With Prices

1. Liverpool Christmas Wonderland, Pier Head

This is a covered rink on the waterfront between the Royal Liver Building and the Mersey, so the operator says sessions go ahead in any weather. Off-peak prices run to Friday 11 December: every session Monday to Wednesday, and sessions starting from 11am to 4pm on Thursdays and Fridays.

Everything else is peak, including every session from Monday 14 December. Sessions last 45 minutes, and the operator asks you to arrive 30 minutes early.

Children must be at least 3, and under-13s need an adult on the ice with them. There is no parking on site.

Liverpool Central and Moorfields are each about ten minutes’ walk.

Open 20 November to 3 January, closed Christmas Day; 11am to 9pm, last skate 8pm
Price off-peak adult £15.50, child 3 to 12 £12.50, student £14, family £49 to £52; peak adult £17, child £14, family £55 to £58; skates included; booking fee extra
Booking online, or on site by QR code if there is space
Address Pier Head, Liverpool
Website liverpoolchristmaswonderland.com/times-and-prices
Good for covered rink, wheelchair users, free carer ticket, step-free entrance

2. Skate St George’s, Liverpool

Underbelly runs this outdoor rink on the plateau of St George’s Hall, directly opposite Lime Street station and about ten minutes’ walk from Liverpool Central. It comes with a rooftop bar, a Christmas market, a big wheel, a Christmas tree maze, a Santa train and a carousel, and the rides are paid for separately on the day.

Sessions run for 45 minutes. The organiser suggests children stay with someone aged 16 or over at all times.

Hours vary by day. Monday to Thursday is 12pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 10am to 11pm, and Sunday 10am to 10pm.

The opening day, Saturday 21 November, runs from 2pm to 11pm. Christmas Eve is 10am to 6pm, and 26 December and 1 January run from midday to 10pm.

The site does not say whether skate hire is in the price.

Open 21 November to 3 January, closed Christmas Day; last session 45 minutes before closing
Price from £10 plus a £3 transaction fee
Booking online; card-only box office on site if there is space
Address St George's Hall, St George's Place, Liverpool, L1 1JJ
Website skatestgeorges.co.uk/tickets/ice-skating
Good for outdoor setting, Christmas market, rides, by train

3. Preston’s Christmas On Ice, Flag Market

The rink has moved for 2026. Last year’s sat under the covered market, and this year’s is due in front of the Cenotaph, with food stalls along Harris Street and rides and games on the Flag Market itself, according to Blog Preston.

Entry to the village is free, but skating is charged and bookable. The organiser’s Skiddle listing describes real ice, a 30-minute arrival window, 15 minutes to lace up and 45 minutes on the ice.

Skiddle’s ticket panel would not load when we checked, so we have no price to give you. It opens later than the Liverpool rinks, on 4 December.

By train from Southport, the 10.03am on Saturday 7 November took 1 hour 14 minutes with two changes, and the fare was £23.20 return. The drive is about 20 miles.

Open 4 December to 3 January; 11.30am to 9.30pm, last skate 8.30pm
Price not read, see Skiddle
Booking online through Skiddle
Address Preston Flag Market, Market Square, Preston, PR1 2PP
Website skiddle.com/whats-on/Preston/Preston-Flag-Market/Preston39s-Christmas-On-Ice---Ice-Rink/42817199
Good for real ice, free-entry village, rides, food stalls

4. Planet Ice Blackburn

This permanent indoor rink at Blackburn Arena is open all year. Its booking system shows public sessions at £15.40 on Saturday 14 November and at the lower £11.75 on Tuesday 17 November, so check the price on the session you pick.

Santa-themed “Skate & Spot Santa” sessions run on 12 and 13 December and from 18 to 24 December. There are also New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day sessions at £15.40, and a Christmas Day skate from 10am to 12pm at £10.

Under-8s must have an adult on the ice, and under-12s must wear gloves. Skates are extra: Planet Ice Altrincham charged £3 when we read it on 20 October, and the booking system did not show Blackburn’s figure.

Open all year, by session; Christmas Day 10am to 12pm
Price adult or child 4 to 15 £11.75 to £15.40; student £10; under-4s £3.20; family of 3 to 5 £10.70 to £14.70 each; Christmas Day £10; skate hire extra
Booking online
Address Blackburn Arena, Waterside, Lower Audley Street, Blackburn, BB2 3DY
Website planet-ice.co.uk/ice-skating
Good for skating outside Christmas, Santa sessions, Christmas Day

5. Planet Ice Widnes

Check before you set off. Planet Ice’s home page still carries an undated notice that “Planet Ice Widnes is temporarily closed”, and it refers to summer skating.

Yet its booking system lists Widnes sessions through December and on to New Year’s Day, and it takes the same prices and Christmas sessions as Blackburn. We cannot tell you which is current, so check with Planet Ice first.

Open sessions listed all through December, including Christmas Day 10am to 12pm; see the closure notice above
Price adult or child 4 to 15 £11.75 to £15.40; student £10; under-4s £3.20; family of 3 to 5 £10.70 to £14.70 each; Christmas Day £10; skate hire extra
Booking online
Address Unit No 1, Venture Fields, Earle Road, Widnes, WA8 0TA
Website planet-ice.co.uk/ice-skating
Good for Santa sessions, Christmas Day

6. Christmas By The Sea, Tower Festival Headland

This is the only free rink in the guide. VisitBlackpool describes a 20-metre synthetic rink, not real ice, in the shadow of Blackpool Tower, holding up to 60 skaters at a time.

Skate hire is free and there is no booking, so you turn up and wait. It is outdoors, it will not open in bad weather, and VisitBlackpool advises checking the times and forecast before setting out.

Under-8s need an adult on the ice, and the recommended minimum age is 4. Skate aids and disability aids are first come, first served.

There are no toilets at the rink itself.

Open 20 November to 3 January, closed Christmas Day; 12pm to 9pm, last admission 8pm
Price free, skate hire included
Booking none, turn up
Address Tower Festival Headland, opposite Blackpool Tower, Blackpool
Website visitblackpool.com/things-to-do/christmas-in-blackpool/ice-skating-rink
Good for free skating, wheelchair users, skate aids, first-time skaters

7. Pleasure Beach Arena

This permanent indoor rink is reached through the Watson Road Tunnel. It was closed for maintenance until 4 November, and its two-week schedule now lists public sessions again: on Thursday 5 November they ran in four blocks between 9.30am and 9.30pm, and on Saturday 7 November from 11am to 4.15pm.

Its booking pages did not show us a skating price before the purchase stage, so we give none here. Spectators pay £3.50 and all parking is £10.

Skates run from kids’ size 6 to adult size 13, and there are no penguin aids. The Arena says it gives no refunds on skating sessions.

Open all year; public sessions on the Arena's two-week schedule
Price not read; spectators £3.50; parking £10
Booking online or box office
Call 01253 341707
Address Pleasure Beach Arena, Blackpool, FY4 1EZ
Website pleasurebeacharena.co.uk/times
Good for skating outside Christmas, cafe, lessons

8. Skate Manchester, Cathedral Gardens

The city’s Christmas rink opens on Friday 6 November. It is under cover but, as its site says, still open to the elements, so wrap up warm.

Sessions last up to 45 minutes, and the rink recommends arriving 30 to 40 minutes before. Until 18 December there are cheaper ways in: children skate free on Tuesdays from 4pm to 6pm when an adult pays for one session, Parent and Mini Skater is £15 for both on weekdays from 2pm to 3pm, and students pay £10 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

By train, the 10.03am on Saturday 7 November reached Manchester Victoria in 1 hour 30 minutes with a change at Wigan Wallgate, and an off-peak day return was £16.20. Last year Northern ran no Southport trains on Christmas Day or Boxing Day.

Open 6 November to 3 January, closed Christmas Day; 12pm to 9pm in November, last session 8pm; 11am to 10pm from 1 December, last session 9pm
Price adult or teen £15 to £21; child £13.75 to £15.50; family £44 to £59; skates included; non-refundable booking fee extra
Booking online or at the box office
Address Cathedral Gardens, Manchester, M4 3BG
Website skatemanchester.com/opening-times-prices
Good for Christmas trip to the city, students, children's offers, SEND sessions