Toronto skating rinks for all levels and schedules
If there’s one thing to love about the long winter months, it’s skating. With so many outdoor and indoor rinks open in the city, there’s no need to hibernate after daylight saving time. After a bracing skate under a crisp blue sky or late night game of pick-up shinny, you may find that winter’s not so bad after all.
Nathan Phillips Square
100 Queen St W, Toronto ON M5H 2N2Nathan Phillips Square is possibly the granddaddy of Toronto skating rinks. Overlooked by City Hall and Bay Street’s majestic skyscrapers, Nathan Phillips Square outdoor rink offers skate rental facilities, skate sharpening, a spanking new change area and a snack bar for warming up with a hot drink. Enjoy day or night skating and, if you want to do something different on Christmas Day, head over for a skating session.
Colonel Samuel Smith Park
3131 Lake Shore Blvd W, Etobicoke ON M8V 1L4If you love skating but want to do more than glide around in circles, head on over to this outdoor skating trail in Etobicoke. They don’t offer skate rentals but they do provide a large, comfortable change room with open cubbies for shoe storage. The trail closes at 10 pm but open access means you can join many others and sneak in for a midnight skate.
Natrel Rink
235 Queens Quay W, Toronto ON M5J 2G8You can’t beat the scenery of this lakeside setting for a spin on your skates. Nestled in the centre of the Harbourfront Centre, Natrel Rink offers a heated change room complete with lockers and washrooms, plus scheduled lessons for adults and kids. For an Ice Capades moment, drop by on Friday for DJ night. Hot refreshments can be found at a rink side restaurant and, best of all, public skating is free.
Evergreen Brick Works
550 Bayview Ave, Toronto ON M4W 3X8This outdoor, enclosed rink is nestled amongst trees and snow-covered gardens, giving it a magical, wintery charm. Daily public skating is free of charge with kids’ and adults’ private and semi-private lessons available. If you have a young child who’s getting to grips with the ice, note that they offer Parent & Tot lessons. You can also turn in an old pair of skates at the rental office - proceeds keep the skating free.
Mel Lastman Square Rink
5100 Yonge St, Toronto ON M2N 5W4Tucked away behind the North York Centre subway station, this little rink is perfect for a quiet family skate or friendly date. You can change your skates rink side or in the adjacent change room that also offers handy restrooms. One of the best features of the rink is that it never gets too crowded, plus they play pop and rock music in the evening.
East York Memorial Arena
888 Cosburn Ave, Toronto ON M4C 2W6A family-friendly indoor rink with a cozy, heated observation area, East York Memorial Arena offers public skating that is free for all ages between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm. That’s followed by a 90-minute session reserved for seniors, and with attendants on duty. Available lessons include pre-school classes and beginner to advanced teaching for adults.
High Park Rink
1873 Bloor Street W, Toronto ON M6R 2Z3Located in the one of the city’s most stunning parks, High Park Rink features two outdoor rinks and an on-site Zamboni. They don’t offer rentals but they do provide a comfortable change room. Depending on the lesson or shinny schedule, the rinks open around 9 in the morning and closes just before 10 at night. If you like rinks with strict rules, you’ll be happy here – staff keep an eagle eye on any shenanigans so you can relax while you skate.
Ryerson Rink
25 Gould Street, Toronto ON M5B 1W1Perhaps not where you’d go for a romantic, leisurely skate owing to the fact that maintenance is somewhat patchy, this free outdoor rink nonetheless offers some redeeming features. Not least of these are the impromptu shinny sessions that take place at night. Swing by if you want to try your luck.
McCormick Arena
179 Brock Ave, Toronto ON M6K 2L7If you’re itching to start skating before winter and carry on after the snow melts, head to this indoor rink in West Toronto. Public skating sessions and Sunday Parent & Tot skating start in mid-September and go until the end of April. Even better, both are free of charge.
Rennie Park Ice Rink
1 Rennie Terrace, Toronto ON M8Y 1A2Here, you have the advantage of dual-purpose facilities. There’s the well-equipped hockey rink with sideboards and a new scoreboard, and then there’s the pleasant leisure rink that, at one point, takes you off the beaten track around a charming patch of trees. If you like a vibrant atmosphere, note that Rennie Rink is buzzing on the weekends.
