Where to Skate in Windsor This Winter: Outdoor Rinks, Free Skates and Skate Loans (2026–27)

Windsor has a complicated relationship with winter. We're the southernmost city in Canada, which means we get just enough cold to make you want to skate, and just enough warm spells to melt the rink the day you finally find your kid's other mitten.

The good news: Windsor now has two outdoor rinks, four indoor arenas with public skating, and a free skate-lending program. Here's where to go this winter and how to time it.

Outdoor rinks in Windsor

City Hall Square Ice Rink (downtown)

• Where: 350 City Hall Square West, in front of Windsor City Hall
• Season: usually December to early March, weather permitting
• Cost: check the City's rink page before you go

Windsor's newest rink opened in December 2025 as part of the rebuilt City Hall Square. It's the kind of rink you see in holiday movies: lights, music, Muskoka chairs and fire tables for warming your hands while pretending you meant to fall. It's walkable from downtown restaurants, so a skate-then-dinner night is easy. Last season the City even threw a New Year's Eve rink party here.

No skates? All Saints' Anglican Church, right next door at 330 City Hall Square West, runs a free skate-lending program you can use for City of Windsor rinks.

Lanspeary Lions Outdoor Rink

• Where: Lanspeary Park, 1250 Langlois Avenue
• Season: roughly mid-December to early March, weather permitting
• Cost: free public skating

Lanspeary is the neighbourhood classic, a short drive from downtown and Walkerville. Last season it offered free public skates on weekday evenings and Sunday afternoons, with longer hours over the Christmas break, PA days and Family Day. It can also be rented for private skates and parties.

Indoor public skating in Windsor

When the outdoor ice turns into a puddle, the City's indoor arenas keep going all winter. Adult skates, parent-and-tot skates and public skates run at:

• Capri Pizzeria Recreation Complex, 2555 Pulford Street (South Windsor)
• Forest Glade Arena, 3205 Forest Glade Drive (east end)
• WFCU Centre, 8787 McHugh Street (east end)
• Adie Knox Herman Arena, 1551 Wyandotte Street West (west end)

Schedules change weekly, so check ActiveWindsor.ca or call 519-255-1161 before you head out. Nothing tests family harmony like arriving at an arena during a hockey practice.

Skating in Essex County

Kingsville Arena runs public skating most days through the winter, with extra skates on PA days and holidays, and a popular free New Year's Eve skate followed by fireworks. Other towns, including Tecumseh, LaSalle and Lakeshore, run public skates at their arenas too. Check each town's recreation page for times.

When do Windsor's outdoor rinks open?

Outdoor ice depends on the weather, and Windsor's weather does what it likes. As a rule, outdoor rinks open some time in mid-to-late December and close in early March. A warm spell can close them for a few days at any point. Before you pack the car, check the City of Windsor's rink pages or social media for same-day updates.

The frozen pond rule

Don't skate on the Detroit River, Lake St. Clair, ponds or stormwater ponds. Windsor rarely gets long enough cold stretches to make natural ice safe, and moving water and storm ponds can have thin ice even when the surface looks solid. Stick to maintained rinks.

Tips for a better skate

• Helmets for kids, and a CSA-approved hockey helmet is best. Bike helmets are better than nothing.
• Go early on weekends. Midday Saturday is when everyone remembers the rink exists.
• Bring a thermos. Hot chocolate makes every fall a little funnier.
• Sharpen your skates at the start of the season. Most sports stores do it for a few dollars.
• Dress in layers, and pack dry socks for the drive home.

We'll update this guide with confirmed 2026–27 opening dates and hours as soon as the City announces them.