A free outdoor skating rink is expected to open on Friday, December 9, 2022, at the Festival Square in downtown Lethbridge. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Skating rink being built at Lethbridge Festival Square

Dec 5, 2022 | 1:30 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Residents of Lethbridge will soon be able to go skating downtown.

The City of Lethbridge is installing an outdoor ice rink in the Festival Square plaza at 600 3 Avenue South.

It is scheduled to open on Friday, December 9, 2022, and it will be in place as long as the weather permits into 2023.

When it opens to the public, operating hours will be from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily.

City officials say it will feature a real ice surface, unlike the synthetic surface used in 2019. Ice resurfacing and maintenance will be done on a regular basis.

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Justin Schipper, City of Lethbridge Project Administrator for Opportunity Lethbridge, says this is another way the municipality looks to revitalize the downtown core.

“Our goal is to further create a unique and family-friendly space at Festival Square for both the holiday season and the winter months,” says Schipper. “We are very excited and envision this as a mini Rockefeller Plaza experience right here in the heart of Downtown Lethbridge.”

The rink was previously purchased by a student group from the University of Lethbridge with funding through the city’s Re-Imagine Downtown grant.

A media release from the city states that the rink is designed for recreational skating only and that hockey will not be permitted.

Signage explaining the rules of use will be posted at the site when it opens.

READ MORE: Grand Opening of Festival Square in downtown Lethbridge

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