SKATE Bournemouth opens in the Lower Gardens on 12 November, adults £16.50. The indoor Cool Coast rink at the BIC follows on 28 November, adults from £14.
Is there an ice rink in Bournemouth this Christmas? Yes, two. SKATE Bournemouth, the outdoor rink in the Lower Gardens, opens on Thursday 12 November 2026 and closes on Sunday 3 January 2027. Cool Coast, the indoor rink inside the Bournemouth International Centre, opens on Saturday 28 November 2026 and runs to Sunday 21 February 2027. Both rinks have published their 2026 dates and prices.
The two rinks at a glance
| SKATE Bournemouth (outdoor) | Cool Coast (indoor) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Lower Gardens, BH2 5AU | BIC Purbeck Hall, BH2 5BH, entrance off Beacon Road |
| Season | 12 November to 3 January | 28 November to 21 February |
| Adult | £16.50 | £14 off-peak, £15 peak |
| Child | £14 (under 12) | £12.50 off-peak, £13.50 peak (4 to 11) |
| Concession | £15.50 (13 to 17, students, seniors) | £14 (students and seniors) |
| Family | £53.50 | £46 off-peak, £47 peak |
| Booking fee | £2 per transaction online | none stated |
| Youngest skater | about 2, the rink suggests | 4, no under 4s on the ice |
| Session | 60 minutes on the ice | 60 minutes on the ice |
Prices are from each rink’s own ticket page, read on 20 October 2026. Skate hire is included at both.
SKATE Bournemouth, the outdoor rink in the Lower Gardens
SKATE Bournemouth is the rink in the middle of Christmas in Bournemouth, beside the market, the light trail and the Big Wheel. The rink says it is now “the longest in the UK at 70m”, with a separate skate-hire marquee that has its own toilets, a viewing platform and a bar at the rink edge. To find it, its FAQ says: from the Square, “head on down through the gardens on the way to the pier and we’re on the immediate left”.
Tickets
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Child (under 12) | £14.00 |
| Concession (13 to 17, students and senior citizens, ID required) | £15.50 |
| Adult (18 and over) | £16.50 |
| Family (2 adults and 2 under 18s, or 1 adult and 3 under 18s) | £53.50 |
A £2 booking fee per transaction is added online. Groups of ten or more get 10% off, though not on family tickets. A season pass costs £185 for a child, £195 for a concession and £210 for an adult.
Session times
There are nine sessions a day on the published timetable:
- 10.30am, 11.45am, 1pm, 2.15pm, 3.30pm, 4.45pm, 6pm, 7.15pm and 8.30pm
Each runs for an hour. The rink asks you to arrive at least 30 minutes before your session to collect skates, and says it “always sell[s] out on weekends”, so book ahead for Saturdays and Sundays. Bookings can be moved up to 24 hours before the session; there are no refunds, including for bad weather while the rink is open.
For small children
- Toddler Time: £24.50 for one adult, one child and one skate aid (normally £35.50), Monday to Friday until 11 December 2026, at the 10.30am and 11.45am sessions only. The rink’s pages disagree on the child’s age: the tickets page says under 12, the families page 6 and under.
- Skate aids (the “sled”) cost £5 a session, can sell out and can only be added to a child or family ticket.
- The smallest single-blade skate is a child’s size 8; adjustable double-bladed skates fit from a child’s size 7.
Theme nights and late sessions
From the rink’s 2026 what’s on page:
- ABBA night, Wednesday 18 November
- Musicals night, Wednesday 25 November (Hamilton, Waitress, Phantom of the Opera, Wicked)
- Motown and 80s night, Wednesday 2 December
- Experienced skater sessions on 19 November, 26 November and 3 December, for people with their own skates, no booking needed
- Weekend DJs on Friday and Saturday evenings. The bar area is over 18s only from 6pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and dogs (on a lead, otherwise welcome) are not allowed on site after 6pm on those nights.
- Student nights, buy one get one free with a valid student ID. The rink has not yet published which nights.
Lockers are £1. Socks cost £1 and gloves £3 at skate hire. The rink is wheelchair accessible for any session.
Cool Coast, the indoor rink at the BIC
Cool Coast is run by BH Live and sits in the Purbeck Hall, with its entrance off Beacon Road rather than the BIC’s main doors. It calls itself “the largest indoor ice skating rink on the South Coast”. Because it is indoors, it is the one to pick on a wet day, and it stays open seven weeks longer than the outdoor rink, to 21 February 2027.
Tickets
| Ticket | Off-peak | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (12 and over) | £14.00 | £15.00 |
| Child (4 to 11) | £12.50 | £13.50 |
| Student and senior (ID required) | £14.00 | £14.00 |
| Family (up to 4 people, maximum 2 adults) | £46.00 | £47.00 |
The pricing page does not say which sessions count as peak. New this season is a five-session pass: £56 for an adult, £50 for a child. Spectators get in free.
Group rates are published two ways. The pricing page says £1 off per person for 10 or more and £2 off for 20 or more; the FAQ puts it as £12.50 a head for 10 to 19 people and £11.50 for 20 or more.
Sessions and booking
Sessions run from 9am until 8.45pm, seven days a week, with times varying by day. You get 15 minutes to put skates on, 60 minutes on the ice and 15 minutes to take them off. The pricing page says sessions are “bookable online only”, but the FAQ adds that you can pay on arrival at a cashless self-service kiosk if the session has space. Bookings can be moved up to 24 hours ahead.
- No children under 4 on the ice.
- Penguin skate aids for hire, limited and first come, first served.
- Cloakroom £1 a session.
- Relaxed sessions with quieter music and the house lights on are offered; the rink has not yet listed their dates.
- Up to ten wheelchairs are allowed on the ice at once, and each accessible ticket includes a carer.
Which rink should you choose?
- For the Christmas atmosphere, the outdoor rink: it is in the middle of the market and light trail, and the free stage, Big Wheel and Santa’s Workshop are all a few minutes’ walk away. Our Christmas market page has the hours and the stage programme.
- For the cheapest family skate, Cool Coast: £46 off-peak for four, against £53.50 plus the £2 fee outdoors.
- For toddlers, the outdoor rink takes younger children (it suggests about 2), and its Toddler Time deal runs on weekday mornings until 11 December. Cool Coast does not allow under 4s on the ice.
- For rain, or a January skate, Cool Coast, which is indoors and open to 21 February.
Getting there and parking
The outdoor rink is in the Lower Gardens between the Square and the pier; the BIC is on Exeter Road, BH2 5BH. Bournemouth station is about 1.3 miles from the BIC, which Cool Coast puts at 25 minutes on foot; buses stop a minute from the BIC, and the morebus M1 and 13 stop on Westover Road by the Pavilion, according to the rink.
The BIC multi-storey car park (644 spaces) is attached to the building, open 24 hours and cashless, with a 2m (6ft 6in) height limit and 35 Blue Badge bays on levels 1 to 3. Charges apply. For the outdoor rink there is no dedicated car park; the town centre car parks and their prices are on our parking in Bournemouth page. Check roadworks and travel before you set off.
What is still to come
- Christmas Day and New Year opening. Neither rink has published its hours for 25 December, Boxing Day or New Year’s Day.
- SKATE Bournemouth’s student nights and the “Mogul deals” it says are coming.
- Cool Coast’s relaxed session dates, and which sessions are peak.
Frequently asked questions
When does Bournemouth ice rink open in 2026?
The outdoor SKATE Bournemouth rink in the Lower Gardens opens on Thursday 12 November 2026. The indoor Cool Coast rink at the BIC opens on Saturday 28 November 2026.
How much is ice skating in Bournemouth?
Outdoors, £16.50 an adult and £14 a child under 12, plus a £2 booking fee. Indoors at Cool Coast, £14 an adult and £12.50 a child off-peak, £15 and £13.50 at peak times. Skate hire is included at both.
When does Bournemouth ice rink close?
SKATE Bournemouth closes on Sunday 3 January 2027. Cool Coast stays open until Sunday 21 February 2027.
Is the Bournemouth ice rink indoor or outdoor?
There is one of each. SKATE Bournemouth is open-air under the trees of the Lower Gardens; it keeps running in rain, and the operator says rain makes the ice smoother. Cool Coast is inside the BIC’s Purbeck Hall.
How old do you have to be to skate?
Cool Coast does not allow children under 4 on the ice. SKATE Bournemouth suggests about 2 as the youngest age, as long as the child is steady on their feet and fits the smallest skates.
Sources
- SKATE Bournemouth, read 20 October 2026, for the 12 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 season, the Lower Gardens BH2 5AU location, the 70m length and the rink facilities; its tickets page for the prices, the £2 booking fee, the 10% group discount, the nine session times, Toddler Time, skate aids, socks and gloves; its what’s on 2026 page for the theme nights, experienced sessions, weekend DJs, the over-18s bar rule and student nights; its families page for the Toddler Time age and the £5 skate aid; its season passes page; and its FAQs for the youngest age, skate sizes, weekend sell-outs, the 30-minute arrival advice, rebooking, no refunds, weather, dogs, lockers, directions and wheelchair access.
- Cool Coast Ice Rink, read 20 October 2026, for the 28 November 2026 to 21 February 2027 season and the 9am to 8.45pm sessions; its pricing page for the off-peak and peak prices, the five-session pass, free spectators and group discounts; its FAQs for the kiosk, the minimum age of 4, the cloakroom, skate aids and the group prices; its how to find us page for the Purbeck Hall entrance, the BIC car park, buses and the walk from the station; and its accessibility page for the Blue Badge bays, relaxed sessions, wheelchairs and carers.
- Bournemouth.co.uk, Cool Coast Ice Rink, the BCP visitor site, which carries the same 28 November to 21 February dates.
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