Skating – City of Burlington

The City of Burlington offers drop-in skating programs for people of all ages and abilities at a variety of indoor and outdoor rinks throughout the year. Browse the variety of skating programs available throughout the city.

Register to skate

Whether you are dropping in to skate or have an annual pass, reserve a spot to skate at our arenas in advance.

Explore and register skating

Places to skate

We have six indoor arenas you need to register and pay to skate on as well as free outdoor options that don’t require registration.

Arenas

Reserve a spot for drop-in skates at our arenas, which include:

Artificial outdoor rink

Check out our artificial outdoor skating surface at the old tennis courts at Sherwood Forest Park. The skating surface on this rink is made of synthetic polymer feels slightly different than ice. This surface is great for those new to skating.

Our outdoor surface is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., is free to skate and doesn’t require registration.

Burlington Rotary Centennial Pond

During the winter, the Burlington Rotary Centennial Pond offers free recreational skating with no need to reserve a spot in advance, weather permitting.

Neighbourhood rinks

You can apply to have a skating rink in your local City-owned park. We will install the boards and provide a rink liner and hoses while resident volunteers build and maintain the ice using their own water source.

To apply for a neighbourhood rink, at least six households in the area with volunteers over the age of 18 years must be in support. These volunteers must be committed to maintaining the rink throughout the winter. There must also be a primary contact person as the lead volunteer who will coordinate with City staff to install the rink.

Learn more about our neighbourhood rinks program and how to apply.

Skating on neighbourhood rinks

Neighbourhood rinks are open to all members of the community free of charge. They are open from dawn to dusk, or until 10 p.m. where City lighting or alternative lighting additions have been approved.

Because they are natural rinks, neighbourhood rinks can have uneven surfaces compared to artificial rinks and indoor rinks.

Skating safety

Review these rules and tips to follow to keep rinks safe for everyone:

• Helmets are recommended and are required for children six years old and under in arenas and on our artificial outdoor skating surface
• Hockey nets, sticks, pucks and balls are not allowed on the outdoor ice or artificial surface
• Keep pets, food or drinks off the rinks
• Wear skates if you are on the skating surface
• You are welcome to bring skate aids for those new to skating

Skate donation

Help us give everyone the chance to skate by donating your gently used skates. You can drop off donations in the red bins located at the front of our Customer Service counter at our arenas:

Skate Lending

Don’t have skates? Borrow a pair from the Skate Hub at Appleby Ice Centre, Arena A, 1201 Appleby Line.

Skates are available on a first-come, first serve basis and sizes may vary.

Residents are not required to sign out skates and can borrow and use the pair of skates for as long as they need.