Winchester has no ice rink this Christmas. ONICE Westquay in Southampton opens 23 October at £15, and Planet Ice Basingstoke has a £10 Christmas Day skate.
Winchester has no ice rink this Christmas. The rink that used to sit beside the Cathedral Christmas Market was replaced by a performance stage in 2021 and has not come back: the cathedral’s 2026 market pages and Winchester BID’s Christmas programme, both read on 20 October 2026, mention no skating at all. Listings that still advertise a “Winchester Cathedral Ice Rink” are old pages.
The nearest real ice is ONICE Westquay in Southampton, which opens on Friday 23 October, in time for half term. Planet Ice Basingstoke is open all year and is the only rink nearby with a Christmas Day session. Portsmouth’s covered rink in Guildhall Square opens on 21 November.
| Rink | Dates | Adult | Child | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ONICE Westquay, Southampton | 23 Oct to 3 Jan | £15 | £13 | £50 (4) |
| Planet Ice Basingstoke | All year; Christmas Day 10am to 12pm | £15.40 weekends and holidays | £15.40 | £14.70 each (3 to 5) |
| Portsmouth On Ice | 21 Nov to 3 Jan | £15.50 off-peak, £17 peak | £13.50, £15 | £48, £52 |
Skate hire is included at Westquay and Portsmouth. At Planet Ice it is extra. Everything here is from the rinks’ own pages and booking systems, read on 20 October 2026.
ONICE Westquay, Southampton
ONICE (Blue Martini Group) says it is “returning to Westquay”, with the rink inside Southampton’s medieval town walls next to the shopping centre. Its Westquay page gives the season as 23 October 2026 to 3 January 2027.
- Prices: adult (13 and over) £15, child (12 and under) £13, student £13 with ID at the box office, family of four £50 (one or two adults). Groups of more than 15 are £13 each at the box office. A season pass is £250.
- Sessions: 45 minutes, starting on the hour, then a 15-minute break to resurface the ice. ONICE asks you to arrive 20 minutes early. Minimum age 3; helmets for hire.
- Skate aids: for under-10s under 110cm only, limited numbers, so pre-book.
- Opening hours: weekdays 3pm to 9pm, weekends 10am to 9pm. From 22 November it opens 10am to 9pm every day.
- Christmas: Christmas Eve 10am to 6pm, closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day noon to 7pm, New Year’s Eve 10am to 7pm, New Year’s Day noon to 7pm.
- Booking: online, and early bird tickets are on sale. Tickets cannot be refunded but can be moved if you ask at least 7 days ahead.
- Getting there: parking is at Westquay shopping centre; the nearest station is Southampton Central.
Hampshire’s October half term runs 26 to 30 October. Until 22 November the rink only opens from 3pm on weekdays, so daytime skating in half-term week means the weekend either side.
Going by train on 24 and 25 October: that weekend the line through Southampton Central is closed for engineering work, so Winchester’s stopping trains do not reach Southampton and the last leg is by bus. Our roadworks and travel page has the detail.
Planet Ice Basingstoke
Planet Ice is at the Leisure Park, Basingstoke, RG22 6PG, and its booking calendar, read session by session on 20 October, runs to January 2027.
- Christmas Day: one public session, Friday 25 December, 10am to 12pm, £10 a skater, under 4s £3.20. There are no family or student tickets for it.
- Weekend and holiday prices: adult (16+) £15.40, child (4 to 15) £15.40, student £10 online with ID, under 4s £3.20, families of three to five £14.70 each. Carers go free with an Access Card. Skate hire is extra.
- Skate and Spot Santa: Saturday 19 December’s sessions (from 11am, ice closes 4pm) carry Planet Ice’s Santa badge.
- Christmas week: daytime sessions every day of the holidays. On Tuesday 22 December the first starts at 10am, the ice closes at 4.30pm and there is an evening session from 8.15pm to 10.30pm.
- New Year’s Eve: daytime only; the last public session ends at 5.15pm.
- Before Christmas: a normal Saturday, such as 14 November, has two public sessions, 11am to 1pm and 1.30pm to 4pm.
You can arrive at any point in a session and stay until it ends, so an early start buys more time on the ice. Planet Ice can add or move sessions; check the calendar before you set off.
Driving there: the M3 between junctions 9 and 8 is shut both ways from 23 to 26 October and again over the 6 to 9 November weekend for the junction 9 works, which is the direct route to Basingstoke. See our M3 closures story.
Portsmouth On Ice
Portsmouth On Ice is a covered rink in Guildhall Square, PO1 2AB, from 9am on Saturday 21 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, closed on Christmas Day. Sessions are an hour.
- Prices (off-peak, then peak): child (5 to 15) £13.50 and £15, adult (16+) £15.50 and £17, adult with a pre-schooler £16 and £17.50, concession £14 and £15.50, family (2+2 or 3+1) £48 and £52. Skate aids are £6 and £6.50.
- Extras: dedicated family and SEND sessions, and it is wheelchair-friendly at every session.
- Booking: online, at the box office or on 0845 299 7991.
Is there an ice rink at Winchester Christmas Market?
No. The Cathedral Christmas Market runs from 20 November to 22 December, 10am to 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 10am to 6pm the rest of the week, and has no rink. Our Christmas market page has the dates, entrances and the park and ride catch.
Is Marwell’s Fire and Ice an ice rink?
No. Fire and Ice is Marwell Zoo’s after-dark trail of fire performers and illuminations, from 20 November; there is no skating. The times and prices are on our Marwell Christmas page.
Which rink is open on Christmas Day?
Only Planet Ice Basingstoke, 10am to 12pm at £10. ONICE Westquay and Portsmouth On Ice are both closed on 25 December, and no SWR trains run on Christmas Day or Boxing Day, so it is a drive.
Parking in Winchester
If you are coming into the city for the market, the switch-on or the lights instead, the city council’s car park charges change on 1 November. Our parking in Winchester page has the tariffs.
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