UK’s largest covered ice rink to return this winter – with Santa skates and disco sessions
THE largest covered ice rink in the UK is found in a popular seaside town – and it’s opening tonight.
While most people head to Weston-super-Mare in the summer, Icescape Tropicana offers something for festive visitors.
Icescape Tropicana is the largest undercover ice rink in the UK.
The huge ice rink will open to Brits from tonight at 6pm and will run until January 5, 2025.
It is only the second year the attraction has opened since 2019 because of the Covid-19 pandemic and issues regarding its location.
Tonight’s opening will feature performances from professional skater Harry Mattick who took a silver medal at the British Championships.
The performances will be free to watch, with visitors also able to take to the ice at 7pm and 8pm.
More than 400 skaters can use the rink at one time, with the festive attraction welcoming over 120,000 people in 2019.
There is also food and drink on offer – this includes hot food such as pizza, as well as mulled wine, cider and hot chocolate.
Or you can head to the bar, which sells lager and local ciders.
Online tickets start from £10 for kids or £12 for adults, with these figures going up when tickets are purchased at the box office.
Free parking is included in the price of online tickets.
There are also quiet sessions which have fewer people and no music, as well as adult-only evenings with “disco tunes”.
Santa Skate sessions – where Father Christmas will be on the ice – will also be on at selected times.
Visit on a Wednesday and you get a 2-for-1 skating session.
Skates are free and you can rent skate aids for kids when you arrive.
This year, the festive attraction is cashless, so visitors will need to pay for everything with their bank cards.
If you fancy something non-festive, there are lots of other covered activities in Weston-super-Mare.
One of those is Little Town Adventures, which opened in the seaside town earlier this year.
Located on Beach Road, the indoor attraction is a miniature recreation of the town.
The miniature town features several local landmarks, including the Grand Pier and the town hall.
Other buildings include a police station, a fire station, a supermarket and a café.
Little Town Adventures has been described as a combination of escape room style activity, theatre and role play thanks to its 5m-high buildings.
The buildings have multiple storeys, allowing the children to explore both lower and upper levels.
Children are asked to solve a series of interactive challenges in a bid to help the town’s deputy mayor.
The seaside experience will also feature live actors, music and scripts, which have been developed by a theatre company.
Five new water attractions opening in the UK
- Therme Manchester will have 25 swimming pools, 25 water slides and an indoor beach.
- Modern Surf Manchester will be a surfing lagoon offering lessons to both beginners and experts.
- Chessington World of Adventures Waterpark is set to have wave, infinity and spa pools as well as waterslides and cabanas.
- The Cove Resort, Southport is likely to have a water lagoon and a thermal spa with steam rooms and saunas.
- The Seahive, Deal plans to be the “surfing wellness resort” in the UK.
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