The magical Queen’s House ice rink is coming back this winter

For fans of ice (not in the methamphetamine/diamonds sense), this year is already looking a whole lot more chilled than 2020. Not only is ‘Frozen: The Musical’ storming the West End stage (read our review here), but several of the city’s seasonal ice rinks that didn’t happen last year for obvious reasons have now announced their winter seasons. The magical courtyard classic that is SKATE at Somerset House is coming in November, complete with DJ lates and the rest. The rink at the Natural History Museum is back for its swansong season before it melts away for ever to become a sustainable urban garden. And now the Queen’s House in Greenwich has announced that its rink will be returning too.

So, why should you go on a crisp winter evening to a dramatically landscaped UNESCO World Heritage Site to skate in the shadow of England's finest piece of seventeenth-century Palladian architecture created for a fairytale queen? Erm, let’s have a little think, shall we?

There is no doubt that the Queen’s House ice rink is one of London’s most captivatingly beautiful. It might not have the cool-factor (no pun intended) of SKATE, or the tourist chops of the NHM, but for purists, it’s pretty perfect, and it always looks dazzling. 

Okay, so the food and drink options here aren’t quite as chichi as some of its competitors, but unlike the Strand or South Kensington, there are plenty of good local options in Greenwich to provide you with mulled wine and other warming treats. And it’s a wonderful place for a winter walk afterwards. South to the Pole!

The Queen’s House Ice Rink, Park Row, SE10. Nov 18-Jan 9 2022. Adults from £15, children from £8.50. Book here.

Stuff to do in London this weekend.

Christmas has already dropped at Fortnum & Mason.