Promising frosty fun throughout the festive season, there are Christmas ice rinks popping up all over Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds — with SoGlos rounding up the best ones to visit in 2025.
Get your skates on!
Gloucester Quays outdoor ice rink
The outdoor ice rink at Gloucester Quays provides a scenic setting for a skate at the heart of Gloucester Docks, with hot chocolates to warm up with afterwards and up to 70 per cent off Christmas shopping nearby — and its eclectic Christmas Markets taking place each weekend, too.
Open from Thursday 20 November 2025 until Sunday 4 January 2026, Gloucester Quays ice rink costs from £14 for adults, from £12.50 for children aged 11 to 16, from £11 for children aged three to 10 and from £11 for wheelchair users, with carers going free; and from £45 for family tickets. Skate aids for little ones cost £4.50 and a cloakroom is available for £2.
The Cheltenham Ice Rink
Cheltenham's under-cover ice rink at Imperial Gardens offers festive fun whatever the weather this winter, with full wheelchair accessibility and a range of sessions to suit all ages and abilities, including late night skates for grown ups, student nights, sessions for 'little gliders' under the age of 5 and – brand new for 2025 – themed music nights!
Cheltenham's ice rink is open every day except Christmas Day from Friday 21 November 2025 until Sunday 4 January 2026, with prices starting from £13 for adults and from £11.25 for children up to 14, with skate aids costing £6.50 each.
Gateway Ice Rink at Cotswold Water Park
Offering all-weather ice skating sessions accompanied by classic Christmas tunes, the Gateway Ice Rink at Cotswold Water Park — now known as Cotswold Lakes — is open from Friday 21 November 2025 until Sunday 18 January 2026. Sessions last for 45 minutes and there's a new pricing structure for 2025, with general admission from as little as £4.99 per person and never more than £9.99 at peak times.
As well as regular skating sessions, there are also Snow Princess sessions with Disney music and the chance to meet the Snow Queen; DJ on Ice sessions for skaters aged 12 and up; and sensory friendly sessions with softer lighting, quieter music and fewer skaters on the ice on selected dates.
Sustainable ice skating at Jolly Nice near Stroud
Returning for winter 2025, popular Cotswold farm shop, Jolly Nice, is hosting its sustainable pop-up ice skating from Friday 21 November 2025 until Sunday 4 January 2026. Using synthetic Glice instead of real ice, this year's eco-skate experience is described as 'part festive forest trail, part skating adventure', with sessions lasting 45 minutes.
The ice rink is nestled in Jolly Nice's Winter Wonderland, where visitors can buy their Christmas tree, tuck into festive food and even meet real-life reindeer, with skate sessions costing from £10.95 for adults and £8.95 for children aged five to 12.
Winter Glow at Three Counties Showground in Malvern
Winter Glow at Three Counties Showground, just across the Gloucestershire border in Malvern, is home to one of the region's largest indoor ice rinks, open from Friday 21 November 2025 until Wednesday 31 December 2025.
Tickets cost from £7.50 per adult and £6.25 per child and there's free parking at the showground — with Winter Glow's Princess and Superhero parties on the ice every weekend from Sunday 30 November until Sunday 21 December 2025, where little ones can get all dressed up and skate with Elsa, Anna, Olaf and Captain America.
The Great Skate at Blenheim Palace
The spectacular Blenheim Palace in the Cotswolds is bringing back its Great Skate this year, with a covered ice rink in the Great Court from Friday 14 November 2025 until Saturday 3 January 2026.
Offering scenic skating in a stunning location, tickets cost from £12 for adults and from £8 for children. There's so much more to do at Blenheim Palace, too, with a charming Christmas market, illuminated light trail and Wizard of Oz-themed adventure within the palace.
