Skate in the Park is listed to open Friday at Acacia Park, with the downtown holiday rink posted from Nov. 13 through Jan. 31, 2027.
A Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs event page puts that window at 4 p.m. on the 13th and 9 p.m. on the closing date. It is a season listing, not a day-by-day skate card. The city has built a temporary rink at the north end of the park for the annual event since 2013, run with the Downtown Partnership, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported.
A Temporary Rink With A Long Run
Last November, KRDO described the return as the 13th year of Skate in the Park in downtown Colorado Springs. That season's kickoff was scheduled for Nov. 14 at 5:30 p.m., with community caroling led by the Soli Deo Gloria Choir.
Those were last year's opening plans. The 2026–27 partnership listing gives the posted start and end of the run. It does not, on its own, carry over a choir, a tree lighting, or a menu of themed nights.
How The Ice Held Last December
Warm air is an old problem for a rink that only exists for the holidays. During the 2025–26 season, hose lines under the ice circulated glycol at subfreezing temperatures to keep the sheet frozen, the Gazette reported, including through record-breaking heat.
Public skating then ran in two-hour blocks, followed by an hour so crews could resurface and smooth the ice. The sheet is built for the season and taken down after it. Last winter's cycle is the clearest recent picture of how the temporary rink actually operated.
Crowds, Counted Differently
The Gazette estimated the rink drew 20,000 visitors over December and January — a two-month stretch, not a full-season total.
A 2024 city announcement said Skate in the Park welcomed an average of 22,000 people each season. In December 2024, the rink's operations manager told KRDO they expected more than 1,000 people a day at Acacia Park during Christmas week. One figure is a seasonal average, one is a midwinter estimate, and one was a holiday-week forecast.
What A Ticket Cost Before
For the 2025 season, KRDO reported admission at $15, including skates. Children four and under could skate free with a paying adult.
A year earlier, the city listed admission at $13 per skater, rental included. Anyone planning Friday's first session, or a January afternoon before the listed Jan. 31 close, can start with the Downtown Partnership page for the posted 4 p.m. opening on Nov. 13.
