An open-air ice rink opens at The Waterfront, Sovereign Harbour on 1 December. Early sessions cost £8 or £10, then £13.50 for adults from 12 December.

Eastbourne is getting an open-air ice rink for Christmas. Winterland opens at The Waterfront, Sovereign Harbour, on Tuesday 1 December, with an open-air real ice rink, a Victorian funfair and Christmas market stalls.

Sessions are already on sale through Winterland’s own booking site. The first skating slots are on 1 December, on the hour from 10am, with the last starting at 8pm.

The quick answer

  • Where: The Waterfront, Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne BN23 5UZ
  • When: from Tuesday 1 December 2026; the site says it runs to 31 December
  • Cheapest skate: £8, Monday to Thursday, 10am to 3pm, until 11 December
  • Peak price: £13.50 adults, £11.50 children aged 4 to 14, from 12 December
  • Book: online in advance; the box office on site has limited tickets

What it costs

The rink has two price periods. The first 11 days are cheaper, and within them the weekday daytime slots are cheapest of all. These are the prices on Winterland’s ice rink page:

When Times Price per skater
1 to 11 December, Monday to Thursday 10am to 3pm £8
1 to 11 December, Monday to Thursday 3pm to 9pm £10
1 to 11 December, Friday to Sunday all day £10
12 December to 2 January all sessions £13.50 adults, £11.50 children (4 to 14)

The booking system itself lists the 1 December sessions at up to £9.03 before 3pm and £11.15 from 3pm. That is more than the headline £8 and £10, so expect a small charge on top when you book online. Check the total before you pay.

There is a concession for carers. Winterland says carers and the person they care for get discounted tickets, arranged by email rather than online.

How a session works

Each session lasts 60 minutes, with at least 40 minutes on the ice. Winterland asks skaters to arrive just before the hour to check in and collect skates.

The rules that matter most for families:

  • skaters must be aged four or over
  • children under eight must have an adult on the ice with them
  • skates run from child size 8 to adult size 14
  • skating is anticlockwise only, and phones and cameras stay off the ice
  • no food or drink on the ice, and children may not be carried on it

The rink says it is fully accessible and that wheelchair users can go on the ice at any session.

For clothing, it recommends warm, waterproof layers, long socks, gloves and a hat. It advises against hoodies on the ice, and says scarves and loose clothes should be tucked in.

What else is on

Winterland’s home page describes three parts to the site: the rink, a Victorian funfair and traditional market traders, with hot food and sweet treats.

Two grottos are also bookable on the same site:

Neither grotto page gives prices or times yet. Both say capacity is limited and advance booking is recommended.

One thing to check: the end date

Winterland’s own pages do not agree on when it finishes. The home page says 1 to 31 December. The ice rink page quotes its peak prices from 12 December “to 2nd January”, and the booking system’s schedule also runs to 2 January 2027.

If you are hoping to skate over New Year, wait until those dates open for booking before you plan around them. We will update this page when the site settles it.

What it means for you

  • Families on a budget: book a weekday daytime slot before 11 December. At £8 it is the cheapest the rink will be.
  • School holiday dates: most skating in the Christmas holidays falls in the £13.50 period. See our Eastbourne school term dates for when schools break up.
  • Planning a December day out: the town’s one-day street markets are on our Eastbourne Christmas markets page, and the panto is on our Eastbourne pantomime page.

Sources