We checked 7 ice rinks near Southend, from Riverside in Chelmsford at £8.80 to Lakeside's Christmas rink, for dates, prices and rules. Updated November 2026.
Southend has no ice rink confirmed for Christmas 2026, so this guide lists the 7 nearest places to skate, with dates, prices and the rules that catch families out. Most people will land on Riverside in Chelmsford, the cheapest from £8.80, Lakeside or Bluewater.
Distances are straight lines from central Southend, so the drive will be longer. Prices can change by day and session, so check yours when you book.
Overview
- Is there a rink in Southend this Christmas? None announced as of 5 November 2026.
- Cheapest: Riverside, Chelmsford, £8.80 on term-time weekdays with the free Lite card, skate hire included.
- Open now: Bluewater (from 5 November), Riverside and Sapphire in Romford.
- Nearest real ice: Christmas Fest Essex in Billericay, about 13 miles away, but only with a Santa experience ticket. The nearest you can book on its own is Riverside, about 17 miles away.
Is there a rink at Garon Park?
Southend has no permanent ice rink. Recent winters’ skating came from a temporary rink at Garon Park off Eastern Avenue, sold as Garon Park on Ice. We found no 2026 season:
- Visit Essex still has the listing, but it now reads “Sorry, this event has passed”. It gives no 2026 dates. Its guide prices, £7 for a child and £13 for an adult, are not a 2026 offer.
- Rochford District Council’s page for the rink returns “page not found”.
- The rink’s old address, garonparkonice.com, no longer runs a rink site. It pointed to a gambling site in October and redirected to another company’s domain on 5 November. Do not book through it, and treat any “Garon Park on Ice” ticket link that leads there as unsafe.
- Visit Southend’s Christmas guide and sitemap have no rink, and Southend City BID’s Christmas in the City page does not mention one.
If an operator announces a rink at Garon Park or anywhere else in Southend, we will add the dates, prices and booking link here.
Open all year
1. Riverside Ice and Leisure, Chelmsford
About 17 miles away. Chelmsford City Council’s rink runs public skating, family sessions, clubs and a Skate School all year.
From 5 to 31 December the council adds “Christmas at Riverside” with a DJ, snow machine effects and disco lighting: sessions from 10am to 12pm and 2.30pm to 4.30pm on 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20 and 27 December, on top of daily Holiday Skate in the school holidays. You need an ourChelmsford account to book, even if you do not live in Chelmsford, and the centre is cashless.
From Southend Victoria, trains to Chelmsford change at Shenfield. Our sister title has more on the rink.
Open all year, public sessions as timetabled; closed 25 and 26 December 2026 and 1 January 2027
Price ourChelmsford Lite, skate hire included: term-time weekdays and Mon and Wed evenings £8.80 (discounted £8); Fri evening and weekend £10.80; Holiday Skate and Christmas sessions £10.80; Plus card £7.50 to £9.50; spectator £3.70; penguin, snowman or polar bear skating aid £3.80 for 30 minutes
Booking online, in the Chelmsford City Sports app or by phone; recommended for Christmas sessions; cashless
Call 01245 615050
Address Victoria Road, Chelmsford, CM1 1FG
Website chelmsford.gov.uk/leisure-centres/what/ice-skating
Good for cheapest prices, open all year, Christmas sessions, Skate School, skating aids
2. Sapphire Ice and Leisure, Romford
About 23 miles away. A full-sized rink run by Everyone Active, which says it “is also open to the public and is perfect for a fun family day out”.
It is also home to the Romford Raiders, who train and play there, and it offers skating and ice hockey lessons. Everyone Active says it accommodates wheelchair access on the rink.
The centre publishes no public-session price outside its booking system, so check that or call before you travel.
Open all year; public sessions on Everyone Active's booking pages
Price not published outside the booking system
Booking online through Everyone Active or by phone
Call 01708 206 892
Address 24 Western Road, Romford, RM1 3JT
Website everyoneactive.com/centre/sapphire-ice-leisure
Good for open all year, full-sized rink, lessons, wheelchair access on the ice
Christmas rinks within reach
3. The Christmas Destination at Lakeside
About 19 miles away. A seasonal rink at The Quays with fairground rides alongside; entry to the park is free and skating is booked by the session.
Sessions last up to 45 minutes and you must check in 15 minutes early. Under-3s cannot skate, and under-16s must have an adult with them on the ice.
There are SEND sessions on Thursdays (4pm in term time, 12pm in school holidays) and Sundays at 10am, and late-night discos on Fridays and Saturdays. Its booking page adds a fee of about 5% to each ticket.
Early bird prices run Monday to Thursday, 16 November to 10 December; our sister title Basildon Today read them as £14 a skater on 3 November. Wheelchair users are asked to email the rink before booking.
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 (hours as read on 3 November)
Price adult £21; child (3 to 15) £16; family (two adults and two children, or one and three) £64; push-along or ride-on skate aid £9; plus a booking fee
Booking online or at the box office beside the rink if space allows
Address The Quays, Lakeside Shopping Centre, West Thurrock, RM20 2AD
Website thedestinationatlakeside.com/icerinkbookings
Good for SEND sessions, late-night disco, skate aids, free entry to the park
4. The Ice Rink at Bluewater
About 20 miles away, across the Thames. A covered rink of real ice outside The Village, near Zizzi, and the first of the area’s Christmas rinks to open.
Sessions last 45 minutes and skate hire is included. Children aged 8 and under must have an adult ticket holder on the ice with them, and children aged 9 to 12 need an adult watching from the spectating area.
The calendar marks parent and toddler sessions, 10am quiet sessions on selected weekends, Friday discos (adult tickets only), 2-for-1 sessions and Skate and Sing nights. Manual wheelchairs are allowed on the ice with a wheelchair ticket.
Our sister title has the Dartford guide.
Open 5 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, closed Christmas Day; session times vary by day
Price skate hire included: off-peak adult £15, child £13, family of four £46 online in advance; peak adult £17, child £15, family £56; on the day off-peak £16.50, £14.50, £52 and peak £18.50, £16.50, £62; skating aid £5
Booking online or at the box office by the rink; card and contactless only
Address Bluewater, Greenhithe, DA9 9ST
Website bluewater.icetickets.co.uk
Good for covered rink, free parking, parent and toddler, quiet sessions, wheelchair tickets
5. The Ice Rink at Braintree Village
About 24 miles away. An undercover rink beside the outlet centre’s North Car Park, from the same booking system and with the same age rules as Bluewater.
Sessions last 45 minutes and skate hire is included. The opening day, 12 November, is 2-for-1 at off-peak prices: two skaters for £14, plus a 50p booking fee per person.
The FAQ warns the North Car Park can get busy at peak times.
Open 12 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, closed Christmas Day; session times vary by day
Price skate hire included: off-peak adult £14, child £12, family of four £44 online in advance; peak adult £16, child £14, family £52; on the day off-peak £15.50, £13.50, £50 and peak £17.50, £15.50, £58; skating aid £5
Booking online or at the box office by the rink; card and contactless only
Address Chapel Hill, Braintree, CM77 8YH
Website braintree.icetickets.co.uk
Good for 2-for-1 sessions, parent and toddler, quiet sessions, wheelchair tickets
6. Harlow On Ice
About 31 miles away, the longest trip here. Real ice under a decorated marquee beside The Harvey Centre, so sessions go ahead in the rain.
Under-3s cannot skate, children aged 8 and under must have a ticket-holding adult with them, and children aged 12 and under must be supervised from the viewing area. There are Quiet / SEND sessions and Ice Beats evenings.
Essential companions skate free with a valid Nimbus Access Card or Ice Leisure Digital Access Pass. Our sister title has the full session pattern.
Open 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027; no Monday sessions shown in the opening week; first sessions from 10am
Price skate hire included: saver adult £13.90, child £11.90; standard adult £18.90, child £15.90; peak adult £19.90, child £16.90; student £16.95 at standard times; essential companion free
Booking online
Address West Gate, Harlow, CM20 1JN
Website harlowonice.co.uk
Good for real ice, covered, quiet SEND sessions, Ice Beats evenings
Only with a Santa ticket
7. Christmas Fest Essex, Billericay
About 13 miles away, so the nearest real ice to Southend, but not a rink you can book on its own. A family-run Christmas experience in woodland, built around a private walk-through, with a 60-minute timed skate afterwards.
The organisers say “our ice rink is real ice, not plastic or synthetic” and that they own it. Skates up to UK size 14 and skating aids, where available, are included.
On 28 October it said 2026 was 90% sold, and that no more slots will be added. The site is not accessible for wheelchairs or scooters, the organisers say, because of the woodland.
Open November and December 2026, by timed booking
Price tickets from £40 in November and £50 in December, plus a £10 booking fee (as read on 3 November); concession ticket for a supporting adult £30; skating included
Booking online only; non-refundable unless booking protection was paid for
Address Heath Road, Billericay, CM11 1HL
Website christmasfestessex.co.uk
Good for real ice, under-10s, Father Christmas, parking included
One day only: Basildon
The council’s Basildon at Christmas day on Saturday 14 November includes a synthetic rink in the town centre, for that day only and plastic rather than ice, according to our sister title Basildon Today, which read the council’s page on 3 November.
How we chose
These are the places to skate within reach of Southend by car or train, each one a real-ice rink with a 2026 season or all-year sessions, published by the operator. Dates, prices and rules come from each rink’s own website or booking system, read on 5 November 2026, except where an entry says otherwise. Central London’s Christmas rinks are a longer trip and are not listed here.
Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@southendtoday.co.uk. Taken a good photograph of any of these places? Email it to newsdesk@southendtoday.co.uk and we will add it with your name as the credit.
Before you set off, check Southend roadworks and the Christmas train times. If you are staying in town, see the Christmas lights switch-on, the Christmas markets, the Santa’s grottos, the pantomime, Christmas dinner in Southend and what’s on this month. For the rest of the year, see things to do in Southend and the local business directory.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an ice rink in Southend this Christmas?
None has been announced as of 5 November 2026. Garon Park on Ice, the temporary rink of recent winters, has no 2026 dates: Visit Essex marks its listing as passed, Rochford Council’s page is gone and the old website no longer runs a rink site. The nearest rink you can book on its own is Riverside in Chelmsford, about 17 miles away.
What is the cheapest ice skating near Southend?
Riverside in Chelmsford, at £8.80 for term-time weekday sessions and Monday and Wednesday evenings, skate hire included, on the free ourChelmsford Lite card. Weekends and school holidays are £10.80. Braintree Village’s 2-for-1 sessions cost £14 for two skaters plus a 50p booking fee per person.
Which ice rink near Southend opens first?
The Ice Rink at Bluewater opened on 5 November 2026. Braintree Village follows on 12 November, Lakeside on 14 November and Harlow On Ice on 21 November. Riverside in Chelmsford and Sapphire in Romford are open all year.
Have your say