The covered real-ice rink returns to Derby Market Place for Festive Derby, with general sessions and toddler sessions.
The Cathedral Quarter Ice Rink is back in Market Place for Festive Derby 2026, running from Friday 28 November right through to New Year's Eve. It's a covered real-ice rink in the city centre, run by Derby City Council and the Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District as part of the Festive Derby programme, with support from Smooth Radio. If you're not a natural on skates, there's skate hire and free standing skate aids to help you find your feet, and the rink is accessible for wheelchair users. Adults need to accompany and supervise under-12s at a ratio of one adult per five children, and general sessions are strongly advised for skaters over five.
Right beside the rink, the Nordic Bar returns inside the tipis brought in by The Nordic Bar Co, founded by Craig Bidder. It serves hot chocolate, mulled wine and seasonal drinks with live entertainment on the side. Last year it drew over 22,000 visitors, and 11,000 people took to the ice, so it's a good spot to warm up between sessions.
Every week we pick 🏆 the 5 best 🏆 things to do in Derby and send them to your inbox. Just one weekly email, no spam.
By submitting your email, you accept our Privacy Policy
General sessions run from 11am to 8pm. For those with little ones, there are toddler sessions on Saturday 28 November at 9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm and 2pm. Standard tickets are £13 for peak sessions and £11 for off-peak, with under-16s at £11 peak and £9 off-peak. Toddler sessions cost between £11 and £13, and under-5s go free. If you're bringing a group, there's £1 off for four or more, £2 off for 25+, and £3 off for 50+ standard tickets.
