Winter Dates in London: Ice Rinks, Light Trails and Christmas Markets for 2026

Why a winter outing works for a date

Winter dates in London have a built-in structure. A skating session has a fixed length, a light trail has a beginning and an end, and a market gives you something to wander through with a hot drink in hand. That takes some pressure off a first or second date: there is always something to look at and talk about, and an obvious point at which to decide whether to carry on to dinner or call it a night.

The catch is that the popular events sell timed tickets, get busy in December, and change their dates and prices every year. This guide only gives 2026 dates and prices where the organiser's own page, or a report we could read, states them for this season. Where we could not confirm a 2026 detail, we say so rather than repeat last year's figures. Everything was checked on 14 October 2026.

Skate at Somerset House

Somerset House's Skate season runs from 11 November 2026 to 10 January 2027. The rink is closed on 25 December, and sessions and opening times change between 24 December and 1 January. Public booking opened at 10am on Friday 25 September. Its FAQ lists adult tickets from £13 with a £1.50 transaction fee per adult ticket and child tickets (12 and under) from £11, and says prices vary through the run, so booking early is recommended. The season's press release gives the overall price range as £11 to £28.50, and says entry to the site is free: you only need a ticket to skate.

Standard sessions last 45 minutes and run from about 9am to 10pm, with 90-minute extended sessions at 12pm on 11, 17 and 23 November. For a date, the obvious choice is a Skate Late, the evening sessions with DJs; the press release says this year's sets come from Daytimers, Netil Radio, Gauchoworld and UKF, with Aperol Spritz served rink-side. Skate School offers weekend morning lessons for adults and teens if one of you has never skated.

Off the ice, the press release lists a rink-side Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse bar that is free for skaters and spectators, a pop-up restaurant, The Chalet by Jimmy Garcia, serving raclette and alpine-style dishes, street food stalls, a Shelter Boutique pop-up selling donated stock for the housing charity, and a free exhibition, Through Our Eyes, on the arts and heritage of the Sámi people, running for the Skate season.

Tickets are non-refundable. Exchanges cost £4.50 per ticket and must be made at least 48 hours before the session. The site is cashless, and there is no parking. Concessions of 20% are available on set sessions and all Relaxed Sessions for people on Universal Credit or Pension Credit, Blue Light Card holders, full-time students and disabled visitors claiming PIP. Wikipedia notes the building was designed by Sir William Chambers, who began work in 1776, and that the courtyard rink appears in the 2003 film Love Actually.

• Skate at Somerset Houseice rink

  Somerset House, Strand, WC2

  Open 11 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, closed 25 December; 45-minute sessions, adult tickets from £13 plus a £1.50 fee, Skate Lates, Relaxed Sessions and wheelchair user sessions.

Other rinks: Battersea, Hampton Court, and two that are gone

Glide at Battersea Power Station says its skate trail returns for 2026 and that tickets are on sale now. Its tickets page describes the rink as open from 6 November to 3 January, with three interconnecting rinks and a 30ft Christmas tree. It does not list prices or session lengths until you pick a session on the booking calendar. Ticket types include Students, Wheelchair Users and Essential Companions, and there is a student offer of a skate session plus a free drink, Monday to Thursday until 10 December, subject to availability, with student ID. The site says you can reach it from Battersea Power Station's own Zone 1 Underground station or by Uber Boat. It also sells separate igloo tickets.

Hampton Court Palace runs a winter ice rink in front of the palace, but the Historic Royal Palaces pages and the rink's own site would not load for us on the check date, so we cannot give 2026 dates or prices here. Check the palace's What's On page directly.

Two rinks that appear in many older winter guides will not be there this year. The Natural History Museum's page states that its ice rink has now closed after 16 years, and that the gardens where it stood have become a space for urban wildlife. And Time Out reported on 8 October 2026 that Ice Rink Canary Wharf, which had run for about 20 years, said it had decided to take a break for the 2026 winter season and would not be operating, though it hopes to return.

• Glide at Battersea Power Stationice rink

  Battersea Power Station, SW11

  Open from 6 November to 3 January according to its tickets page, with three interconnecting rinks; prices shown only on the booking calendar; wheelchair user and essential companion ticket types.

Christmas at Kew: the light trail

Christmas at Kew is the best-known winter light trail in London. Kew's own website returned an error to our reader, so the details here come from a Gardens Illustrated news report published on 28 July 2026, when tickets were released. It gives the dates as 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, open from 4.20pm to 10pm, with adult tickets from £25.23, child tickets from £20 and under-4s free.

Two parts of the 2026 programme suit particular kinds of date. Over-18s evenings are on Thursday 3 December and Wednesday 9 December, which gives adults the trail without children. Quiet Access sessions, designed for visitors with hidden and visual disabilities, are on 21 November and 1, 16 and 26 December.

Because a light trail is booked by timeslot and walked at your own pace, it works well for a longer date: you can talk as you go and leave the decision about food until the end. Book through kew.org/christmas and confirm the times and closed dates there, since we could not read them from Kew directly.

Hyde Park Winter Wonderland

Winter Wonderland's site covers the 2026/27 season and says the park is open daily from 19 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, except Christmas Day, with gate times varying on some days. It does not state a standard entry price on its home page, but it does mention a £1 off-peak entry option on Monday to Thursday in November, and says booking in advance can save up to 25%. Book by 11.59pm the day before your visit to get advance prices; tickets are sold through See Tickets and booking fees are included in the displayed price.

There is a way to get entry free: the site says spending £25 or more on rides, attractions, packages or food in one online transaction gets you free entry, as does buying £30 or £50 of Ride and Game Credit online, and all packages and ride passes include free entry, which it values at up to £9.50 per person. If you were going to book the ice rink or a show anyway, that is worth knowing.

Wikipedia says the event began in 2005 as a small funfair at the edge of Hyde Park, was officially inaugurated in its current form on 11 December 2007, was cancelled in 2020 because of COVID-19, and returned on 19 November 2021. Winter Wonderland is large and loud, which suits a playful second date more than a quiet first one. Its home page points to an accessibility section in its help centre; read that before you go, because we could not extract the 2026 access guide.

• Hyde Park Winter Wonderlandwinter fair

  Hyde Park, W2

  Open daily 19 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 except Christmas Day; £1 off-peak entry Monday to Thursday in November, and free entry with £25 or more spent in one online transaction.

Christmas markets: Southbank and Leicester Square

The Southbank Centre Winter Market runs from 2 November 2026 to 4 January 2027, according to the South Bank listing. It is open daily from 11am to 10pm, with craft traders until 9pm, and is closed on 25 and 31 December. It sits on the Queen's Walk under Hungerford Bridge, between the Royal Festival Hall and Jubilee Gardens. The listing does not mention an admission charge or prices. A market walk along the river is one of the cheapest winter dates in London: you can keep it to a drink and a snack, and the riverside gives you somewhere to walk afterwards.

The Christmas market in Leicester Square is a regular West End fixture, but we could not find 2026 dates on an official page when we checked. Several travel sites list an expected run based on previous years, which is not the same as a confirmation. Check the Leicester Square or Visit London listings closer to November before you plan around it.

• Southbank Centre Winter MarketChristmas market

  Queen's Walk, South Bank, SE1

  Open 2 November 2026 to 4 January 2027, daily 11am to 10pm (craft traders until 9pm), closed 25 and 31 December.

Booking, crowds and cheaper times

The pattern across these events is the same: prices rise at peak times, and the cheapest slots are weekdays early in the season. Somerset House says its prices vary through the run and recommends booking early. Winter Wonderland's £1 off-peak entry applies only Monday to Thursday in November, and its advance prices need booking by 11.59pm the day before. Glide's student offer runs Monday to Thursday until 10 December.

December evenings and weekends are the busiest times. If you want a calmer first date, a November weekday is the best bet, and the reduced-capacity sessions at Somerset House are worth a look even if you do not strictly need them, though concessions there are limited to eligible visitors. Free options such as the Southbank market need no booking at all, which makes them easy to suggest at short notice.

Read refund terms before you buy. Somerset House tickets are non-refundable, with paid exchanges allowed up to 48 hours before the session. If the date might move, that matters more than a pound or two on the ticket price.

Accessibility

Somerset House offers Relaxed Sessions with reduced capacity, lower music and a skate return space for breaks, plus dedicated wheelchair user sessions; wheelchair users can also skate in any session. It lists accessible toilets in the East, South and New Wing, and invites visitors with further needs to email its visitor team. Christmas at Kew's Quiet Access sessions on 21 November and 1, 16 and 26 December are aimed at visitors with hidden and visual disabilities. Glide sells Wheelchair User and Essential Companion tickets and links to accessibility information in its help centre, and Winter Wonderland links to an accessibility section in its own help centre.

None of these pages gives a complete picture, and outdoor sites in winter can mean uneven ground, queues in the cold and limited seating. If access matters to either of you, contact the venue before booking rather than relying on a summary.

Before you go

• Confirm dates and prices on the organiser's own page before booking. This guide reflects pages read on 14 October 2026, and seasonal events change details through the run.
• Do not rely on older guides: the Natural History Museum rink has closed and Ice Rink Canary Wharf says it is not operating in winter 2026.
• Book timed tickets early for December evenings and weekends, and check refund terms; Somerset House tickets are non-refundable, with paid exchanges up to 48 hours before.
• Several sites are cashless, including Somerset House, so bring a card or phone.
• Hampton Court Palace's rink, Kew's own pages and the Leicester Square market could not be confirmed directly for 2026; check them yourself before you travel.

Questions people ask

When does the Somerset House ice rink open in 2026?

Skate at Somerset House runs from 11 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, and is closed on 25 December. Its FAQ lists adult tickets from £13 plus a £1.50 fee and child tickets from £11, and its press release gives a range of £11 to £28.50.

Is the Natural History Museum ice rink open this year?

No. The museum's page says the ice rink has now closed after 16 years, and the gardens where it stood have become a space for urban wildlife.

Is the Canary Wharf ice rink open in 2026?

Time Out reported on 8 October 2026 that Ice Rink Canary Wharf said it had decided to take a break for the 2026 winter season and would not be operating, though it hopes to return.

When is Hyde Park Winter Wonderland 2026?

Its site says it is open daily from 19 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, except Christmas Day. It offers £1 off-peak entry Monday to Thursday in November, and free entry when you spend £25 or more in one online transaction.

What are the dates for Christmas at Kew 2026?

Gardens Illustrated reported dates of 13 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, with over-18s evenings on 3 and 9 December and Quiet Access sessions on 21 November and 1, 16 and 26 December. Kew's own site blocked our reader, so confirm at kew.org/christmas.

Which London Christmas market is free to visit?

The Southbank Centre Winter Market listing gives no admission charge; it runs 2 November 2026 to 4 January 2027, daily 11am to 10pm, closed 25 and 31 December. Leicester Square's 2026 market dates were not published officially when we checked.