Ice skating in NYC 2026–27: every major rink, with prices

New York has one rink where skating is free, one where it costs more than a movie, and several in between. Here are the 2026–27 seasons, prices and the times that save you money.

By Alex Oz · September 20, 2026 · 6 min read

Ice skating in NYC 2026–27: every major rink, with prices — NYC Now Guide

The pattern

The Manhattan rinks open in October and run to late February or March; Brooklyn's opens toward the end of the year. Almost every rink now prices by demand, so the same hour of skating costs far less on a weekday morning than on a Saturday afternoon in December. Skate rental is extra everywhere unless noted. Book online where you can: walk-up lines at the Midtown rinks can be long.

Manhattan

The Rink at Bryant Park

Bryant Park · Oct 28, 2026 – Feb 28, 2027 · Free admission; rentals $18.72–$64.48

The only free rink in Midtown. Admission is free, but you still need a ticket: bring your own skates and reserve a free Bring Your Own Skates ticket, or pay for a rental ticket, priced by time slot. Rental tickets are released a week ahead. Open 8am to 10pm daily, and until midnight from November 19 to January 3. An Express Lane ticket skips the line and gives 75 minutes on the ice.

Wollman Rink, Central Park

Near 59th St and Sixth Ave · Oct 24, 2026 – Mar 16, 2027 · Adults $16–$40

The rink with the skyline view. Adult tickets are $16 off-peak, $28 peak and $40 prime; children 4 to 12 and seniors 65+ are $12 at any time, and children 3 and under are free. Skate rental is $12 and a locker $8. Hours vary by day, from a short daytime session early in the week to 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays. There is no re-entry and tickets are non-refundable.

The Rink at Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Plaza · Opens Oct 10, 2026 · General Skate from $22

Small, famous and under the tree from late November. Sessions are 60 minutes, and General Skate starts at $22, rising at busy times; VIP packages start at $131. Rockefeller Center had not published its 2026–27 hours. For the tree-above-you experience, book a weekday early session.

Brooklyn

LeFrak Center at Lakeside, Prospect Park

Enter at Ocean Ave and Parkside Ave · Opens late 2026 · $10–$15, rental $10

Two rinks, one open-air and one covered, and the best value in the city. Using last season's price list: $10 weekday daytime, $5 on Mondays, $8 for seniors on weekday days, and $15 on evenings, weekends and holidays, with card payments slightly higher. Skate rental is $10. Lakeside says it will return to the ice toward the end of 2026 but had not posted an opening date. Q to Parkside Ave, or B/Q to Prospect Park.

Before you go

Buy tickets online for a specific time slot where the rink offers it; Bryant Park requires a reservation even for the free Bring Your Own Skates entry, and Wollman sells in advance online as well as at the box office. Wear thick socks and gloves: rental skates are cold and falls happen.

Outdoor rinks close or pause for resurfacing and in bad weather, so check the rink's own site or social accounts on the day before you travel.