Steinberg Skating Rink in Forest Park is set to reopen Monday, Nov. 30, with a ceremonial ribbon cutting followed by the first public skating sessions that evening. The reopening caps a renovation project at the rink's longtime home at 400 Jefferson Drive, where ice skating is expected to run from late November 2026 through February 2027.
Forest Park Forever announced the reopening in a press release, and as reported by KSDK, the rink has been closed for the 2025-26 season due to the ongoing renovation work. According to Forest Park Forever, skating returns on Nov. 30 with a ceremonial ribbon cutting followed by the reopening of Steinberg Rink and the first skating sessions that evening.
The rink has long been counted among one of the largest outdoor ice rinks in the Midwest, per KSDK's reporting. Figures on the rink's exact footprint vary: Forest Park Forever's reopening announcement cites a 27,000 square-foot rink footprint that remains intact even as the rink and icemaking infrastructure were replaced with modern systems, while KSDK's seed reporting describes the rink as spanning 27,500 square feet.
A Holiday Weekend of Skating and Celebration
The reopening is timed just ahead of The Glade Welcome Weekend, scheduled for Friday, Dec. 4 through Sunday, Dec. 6, which will include activities for all ages, music, learn-to-skate sessions, Santa and Mrs. Claus, and mascots, per the Forest Park Forever announcement. Public skating will also be available each night during the week leading up to that weekend celebration.
Visitors hoping to be among the first on the ice that week can already buy tickets and reserve skate rentals and skate tutors in advance through Forest Park Forever's website, the organization said. December ice-skating tickets are on sale now, according to KSDK.
A Years-Long Project Behind the Reopening
The reopening follows what Forest Park Forever describes as an ambitious 21-month construction schedule, undertaken specifically to limit Steinberg Rink's closure to a single season. Elsewhere, the organization's construction page describes the broader effort as a 20-month construction project transforming 22.5 acres, a figure that differs slightly from the 22 acres cited in its reopening announcement for The Glade, the larger parkland project that includes the rink.
Those timelines trace back further than the rink's immediate closure. The St. Louis Business Journal reported in February 2025 that construction was scheduled to start the following month on an $85 million restoration of Steinberg Skating Rink. Design of the Glade itself took four years and incorporated feedback from more than 6,000 members of the community, according to Forest Park Forever.
By summer 2026, crews had installed the new rink's underground pipes and poured 500 cubic yards of concrete in a single night to form the rink, the organization said. The section of Forest Park's dual recreational path, a nearly six-mile circuit that included a detour to Faulkner during the final 12 months of construction, is also scheduled to reopen when the rink does.
More Than a Winter Destination
Forest Park Forever says the renovated rink was designed with uses beyond the winter ice season in mind. Outside of the winter ice season, the organization notes, the rink is made to bring roller skating back to Steinberg, while its north end can be converted for other community activities like markets, festivals, wellness classes and cultural events.
A second-floor restaurant planned for the site will not be ready for the Nov. 30 reopening. Audacy/KMOX reports that the restaurant is expected to open in the spring, leaving skaters to wait a bit longer for that amenity even as the ice itself returns this month.
