We checked 8 ice rinks near Ilford, from Sapphire in Romford to Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, for 2026 dates, prices and rules. Updated November 2026.
There are eight ice rinks within reach of Ilford in 2026, and this guide puts them in one place with dates, prices and booking rules. Most people land on Sapphire in Romford, Lee Valley Ice Centre or the Queen’s House in Greenwich. None is in Redbridge.
Seasonal rinks change their prices by day and time, so what you pay when you book may differ. Journey times are from TfL’s journey planner for a Saturday morning in December, and distances are in a straight line from Ilford Town Hall.
Check the trains before you book
TfL’s planned track closures, read on 5 November, take out the Elizabeth line from Ilford, Seven Kings and Goodmayes at three points in the skating season:
- Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November: no service between Paddington and Shenfield.
- Saturday 26 December: no service on the entire line.
- Saturday 26 December to Sunday 3 January: no service between Liverpool Street or Stratford and Romford.
The Central line closures listed for those dates are all in west London, so Gants Hill, Newbury Park, Wanstead and South Woodford are the stations to use. Our Christmas travel page has more on the holiday trains.
All-year rinks closest to Ilford
1. Sapphire Ice and Leisure, Romford
A full-size indoor rink on Western Road, run by Everyone Active, and the home of the Romford Raiders ice hockey team. It is 5 miles away, and the Elizabeth line reaches Romford from Ilford in 10 minutes, followed by an 8-minute walk.
Public sessions run every day at about 10am and 2pm, with evening skates on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays and an extra 4pm session on Fridays. Everyone Active says booking in advance is “highly recommended”, and that the rink may be shared during public sessions.
Under-8s need a full-paying adult over 18 with them on the ice. No Christmas timetable had been published on 5 November.
Romford Today has the full session table.
Open all year; public sessions daily, usually 10am and 2pm; evenings Tue and Thu 7.45pm, Sat and Sun 8.30pm; Fri 4pm
Price adult £11.50 off peak, £12.50 peak; junior £9.50 off peak, £10.50 peak; seniors and concessions pay the adult rate
Booking online, advance booking recommended
Call 01708 206 892
Address 24 Western Road, Romford, RM1 3JT
Website everyoneactive.com/centre/sapphire-ice-leisure
Good for indoor, all year, evening skating, lessons, ice hockey
2. Lee Valley Ice Centre
Two Olympic-size rinks on Lea Bridge Road, 4.8 miles away, run by Better for the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority. TfL’s planner gives 30 minutes from Ilford, Gants Hill or South Woodford, changing at Stratford for the Greater Anglia train to Lea Bridge, then a 7-minute walk.
Better says skaters and other venue users get up to four hours’ free parking by entering their registration at reception. Public sessions include skate hire, and there are disco sessions at £17 for adults.
The centre lists accessible parking, a lift and an accessible toilet.
Open all year; centre Mon to Fri 6am to 11pm, Sat 6am to 10pm, Sun 6am to 8pm; public sessions as timetabled
Price adult £16; junior £13, skate hire included; holiday skate family (two adults and two children, or one and three) £52.50; skate aid £5; spectator £3
Booking online, as timetabled
Address Lea Bridge Road, E10 7QL
Website better.org.uk/leisure-centre/lee-valley/ice-centre
Good for indoor, all year, two rinks, free parking for skaters, disco sessions, lift
Christmas rinks in east and south-east London
3. Tower Hamlets Winter Magic
A real-ice rink with a Christmas market and fairground rides on Wennington Green in Old Ford, 5.2 miles away and the nearest seasonal rink to Ilford. It does not open until 12 December.
From Gants Hill the Central line reaches Mile End in 15 minutes, and a walk and the 277 bus finish the 28-minute trip. Site entry is £1 a person, except for under-2s, and comes back as a £1 voucher to spend inside.
Carers with official ID skate free, but cannot book in advance; the operator says spaces are guaranteed on the day. Sessions last 45 minutes and start at half past each hour, and you can come off the ice and back on during yours.
Open 12 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, closed Christmas Day; weekdays 4pm to 9pm; weekends and school holidays 12pm to 9pm
Price adult (16 and over) £17 plus 82p fee; child (3 to 15) £13 plus 62p fee; family of four £55 plus £2.28 fee; £1 site entry, returned as a voucher
Booking online, no refunds
Address Wennington Green, E3 5TD
Website towerhamletswintermagic.co.uk
Good for real ice, Christmas market, fairground rides, carers skate free
4. The Queen’s House Ice Rink, Greenwich
An open-air rink in the Greenwich World Heritage Site, which Royal Museums Greenwich calls “London’s most beautiful open-air ice rink”, run this year by Tamarisk Events. It is 6.3 miles away as the crow flies, with the Thames in between: TfL’s planner gives 47 minutes from Ilford, by Elizabeth line to Stratford, Jubilee line to North Greenwich and the 188 bus.
There is a viewing area and a pit lane for mid-session breaks, plus special sessions for toddlers, students and SEND families. Entry to the Queen’s House itself is free.
Open 18 November 2026 to 3 January 2027; 10am to 9pm
Price adult £16.80 standard, £24.64 peak, £26.88 super peak; child £11.20, £19.60, £22.40 (booking page, 5 November)
Booking online
Address Romney Road, Greenwich, SE10 9NF
Website rmg.co.uk/queens-house/attractions/queens-house-ice-rink
Good for open air, toddler sessions, SEND sessions, viewing area
5. The Christmas Destination at Lakeside
A seasonal rink at The Quays beside Lakeside Shopping Centre in West Thurrock, 10.2 miles away, with fairground rides and free entry to the park. It is easiest by car: on public transport, TfL’s planner gives about an hour by bus and c2c, then a 22-minute walk.
Sessions last 45 minutes. Under-3s are not allowed on the ice, and children up to 15 must skate with an adult.
There are SEND sessions on Thursdays and Sundays and a disco at 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Its FAQ page still shows lower prices; those below are from the booking page.
Lakeside says tickets cannot be refunded, though you can move a booking up to 24 hours before.
Open 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027; to 20 December, Mon to Thu 4pm to 9pm, Fri 4pm to 10pm, Sat and Sun 10am to 10pm; from 21 December daily 10am to 10pm
Price adult £21 plus £1.01 fee; child (3 to 15) £16 plus 77p fee; family of four £64 plus £3.07 fee; skate aid £9 plus 43p fee; early bird £14 a skater Mon to Thu, 16 November to 10 December
Booking online, no refunds
Address The Quays, Lakeside Shopping Centre, West Thurrock, RM20 2AD
Website thedestinationatlakeside.com/icerinkbookings
Good for early bird prices, SEND sessions, late disco, fairground rides
Central London rinks
6. Skate Leicester Square
Underbelly’s circular rink in the middle of Leicester Square, with a Christmas market around it and a bar beside it. The trip takes about 38 minutes from Ilford, by Elizabeth line to Tottenham Court Road, and about 43 from Gants Hill or South Woodford on the Central line.
It has the lowest start price here, though prices rise by session and the booking page adds a £3 transaction fee. Under-3s cannot skate, and under-12s need a responsible adult with them.
Tickets can be bought on the day, subject to space. It is already open.
Open 31 October 2026 to 3 January 2027, closed Christmas Day; to 26 November, Mon to Fri 12pm to 10pm, Sat and Sun 10am to 10pm; from 27 November daily 10am to 10pm, with shorter hours on 24 December and later starts on 26 December and 1 January
Price from £7.60, plus a £3 transaction fee (booking page, 5 November)
Booking online, or on the day if there is space
Address Leicester Square, WC2H 7LU
Website skateleicestersquare.co.uk
Good for cheapest start price, open now, Christmas market
7. Skate at Somerset House
The rink in Somerset House’s 18th-century courtyard on the Strand, under a 40ft Christmas tree, and the last in this guide to close. TfL’s planner gives about 45 minutes from Gants Hill, changing from the Central line to the District line at Mile End for Temple, then an 11-minute walk.
Sessions last 45 minutes, on the hour. Under-13s must have an adult on the ice with them, one for every five children, and family tickets save 10%.
Skate Lates with DJs start on 12 November, from £17 plus the fee, and wheelchair users are welcome at any session.
Open 11 November 2026 to 10 January 2027; hourly sessions from 11am to 8.45pm, with earlier and later ones on selected dates
Price adult £13 to £28.50; child (12 and under) £11 to £15; plus £1.50 fee per ticket
Booking online, or 0343 208 1497
Address Strand, WC2R 1LA
Website somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/skate-somerset-house
Good for open to 10 January, family tickets, Skate Lates, wheelchair users
8. Ice skating at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland
Winter Wonderland calls its rink around the Victoria bandstand “the UK’s largest open-air ice rink”. It is the longest trip here, at about 50 to 55 minutes from Ilford, Gants Hill or South Woodford to Marble Arch on the Central line, including the walk to the site.
Winter Wonderland says every £25 spent on activities unlocks a free entry ticket. Children aged 3 to 12 must skate with an adult of 18 or over, and it does not recommend skating for those aged 3 and under.
Bags go in the cloakroom at £2 an item, and phones and cameras are not allowed on the ice.
Open 19 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, closed Christmas Day
Price adult advance £12.65 off peak, £17.05 standard, £19.25 peak, £2 more on the day; child (3 to 12) advance £9.35, £11.55, £13.75, £1 more on the day; family advance £37.40, £46.20, £55
Booking online in advance
Address Hyde Park, London
Website hydeparkwinterwonderland.com/attraction/ice-skating
Good for open air, funfair day out, wheelchair users
Not in Redbridge this year
We found no ice rink anywhere in the borough for winter 2026. Fairlop Ice Kingdom ran at Fairlop Waters in Barkingside from 22 November 2024 to 6 January 2025, according to Raring2Go, and the council listed it in its programme that year. We found no announcement of it returning, and Vision RCL’s Christmas page listed no rink on 5 November. We will add one if it is announced. Canary Wharf’s rink is not back either: Londonist reports it will not return for Christmas 2026.
How we chose
These are the rinks with public skating within reach of Ilford by car, Tube or Elizabeth line, each with a 2026 season and published prices. We left out Alexandra Palace, about an hour away by public transport, and Harlow On Ice, which is further than Lakeside.
Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@ilfordtoday.co.uk. Taken a good photograph of any of these places? Email it to newsdesk@ilfordtoday.co.uk and we will add it with your name as the credit.
For more on Christmas locally, see the Ilford Christmas market, the Christmas lights switch-on, Valentines Mansion at Christmas, Christmas dinner in Ilford and what’s on in Ilford this month. School holiday dates are on our term dates page. For the rest of the year, see our guide to things to do in Ilford or browse the Ilford directory.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an ice rink in Ilford?
Not that we can find for winter 2026. Fairlop Ice Kingdom ran at Fairlop Waters for Christmas 2024, but we found no announcement of a 2026 season, and Vision RCL’s Christmas page listed no rink on 5 November. The nearest all-year rinks are Sapphire Ice and Leisure in Romford and Lee Valley Ice Centre on Lea Bridge Road.
What is the cheapest ice skating near Ilford?
Skate Leicester Square’s booking page lists tickets from £7.60 plus a £3 transaction fee. Closer to home, Sapphire in Romford charges adults £11.50 and juniors £9.50 off peak.
Can I get to the rinks by train from Ilford at Christmas?
Not on the Elizabeth line for much of the holiday. TfL’s planned closures list no service on the line on 28 and 29 November between Paddington and Shenfield, none anywhere on Boxing Day, and none between Stratford and Romford from 26 December to 3 January. The Central line closures listed for those dates are all in west London.
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