The nearest ice rink to Lichfield is the SnowDome in Tamworth, from £13 for two hours. 2026 prices and dates for Birmingham, Derby and Telford too.

There is no ice rink in Lichfield this Christmas, so most people head to the SnowDome in Tamworth, about eight miles away and open all year, from £13 for two hours. Ice Skate Birmingham in Centenary Square runs from 5 November to 3 January, and Derby’s covered Cathedral Quarter Ice Rink opens on 26 November. Every entry checked against the rink’s own site on 3 November 2026.

We have not skated at any of these for this guide, and nothing here is a review. Each entry gives the dates, session lengths and ticket prices the rink publishes, what is included, and the rules on children and skate aids. Prices are per person unless we say otherwise and can change, so confirm when you book.

Is there an ice rink in Lichfield?

Not this year, as far as anyone has announced. A search of Lichfield City Council’s website and Lichfield District Council’s on 3 November found no rink for 2026. The city’s Christmas plans are on our Christmas markets page and lights switch-on page. If a rink is announced, we will add it here.

The nearest: Tamworth

1. SnowDome, Tamworth

The SnowDome on Leisure Island is best known for its real-snow ski slope, but it also has an ice rink and what it calls “the UK’s only ice track”, a skating circuit alongside the main rink. Its standard session is Open Skate, two hours long and open to anyone aged two and up.

From 21 November it adds a daily Festive 1 Hour Skate on the main rink with Christmas music and decorations. Skate hire is included in every session.

Children aged 2 to 16 must wear a helmet, which the SnowDome provides, and it recommends adults wear one too. Push-along aids (Seal Pals, Penguin Pals and Polar Pals) can be hired and booked ahead.

Watching is free, and the Lifthouse Coffee Co overlooks the ice track. Tamworth station is 0.9 miles away, around 15 minutes on foot by the SnowDome’s own directions, and one stop from Lichfield Trent Valley.

Open Festive 1 Hour Skate daily from 21 November; Open Skate all year
Price Open Skate (2 hours) from £13; Festive 1 Hour Skate from £17; family ticket £40 for four on Open Ice sessions (one adult must skate); car park £3 up to 2 hours, £5 over 2 hours
Booking online; skating aids can be booked in advance
Address Leisure Island, River Drive, Tamworth, B79 7ND
Website snowdome.co.uk/ice-skating
Good for all year round, ages 2 and up, skate hire included, helmets provided, free to watch

Christmas rinks in the cities

2. Ice Skate Birmingham, Centenary Square

Birmingham’s Christmas rink has moved back to Centenary Square on Broad Street for 2026, alongside the Frankfurt Christmas Market. It runs from Thursday 5 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027 and is shut only on Christmas Day.

Sessions start on the hour and last 45 minutes; the rink asks skaters to arrive 30 minutes early to collect skates. Off-peak means weekday sessions starting 11am to 3pm; weekday sessions from 4pm to 9pm and all weekend sessions are peak.

Children under 7 must be with an adult. Skate hire is included but socks must be worn, and lockers cost £1.

Wheelchair users are welcome on the ice with someone to accompany them. A big wheel and a Magic Mouse ride sit next to the rink.

Going by train at Christmas: Birmingham New Street has no trains at all on 24, 27 and 28 December, and the Cross-City line from Lichfield is replaced by buses those days. Our Christmas trains page has the details.

Open 5 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, closed Christmas Day; sessions on the hour, last at 9pm; box office 11am to 9pm
Price standard skate £11.50 off-peak, £14 peak; junior (12 and under) £10.50, £12; student £11, £12.50; family of four £40, £45; one adult and one child with a skate aid £22, £25; penguin aid £4.50, £5; skate and big wheel £7, £8 extra
Booking online or at the box office; booking ahead advised; groups of 12 or more get a discount
Address Centenary Square, Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2ND
Website iceskatebirmingham.co.uk/prices-and-information
Good for Christmas market, city day out, wheelchair users, under-7s with an adult

3. Cathedral Quarter Ice Rink, Derby

Derby’s covered real-ice rink returns to the Market Place for 2026, run by Derby City Council with the Cathedral Quarter Business Improvement District, next to the Nordic Bar’s tipis. The Festive Derby ticket listing gives the dates as Thursday 26 November to Thursday 31 December, with the first sessions at 5pm on the 26th.

(The council’s July announcement said “Friday 28 November”, a date that falls on a Saturday this year; we have gone with the ticket listing.) The listing gives each session a running time of about 45 minutes, and skate hire is included.

Standing skate aids and sit-on aids for toddlers are free, first come first served. Under-12s must be with an adult on the ice (one adult to five children), and 12 to 14-year-olds need a parent watching from the side.

The minimum age for general sessions is 4, with 5 and over strongly advised; toddler sessions are for under-5s and their parents. The rink is wheelchair accessible.

The 11am session on Saturday 5 December had already sold out when we checked.

Open 26 November to 31 December 2026; early-December weekday sessions start hourly 5pm to 8pm; Saturday sessions 11am to 8pm, Sunday 11am to 6pm; toddler sessions 9am and 10am at weekends
Price weekend sessions £13; weekday evening sessions £11; toddler sessions £11; skate hire and skate aids included
Booking online through Festive Derby; some weekend sessions selling out
Address Market Place, Derby
Website festivederby.co.uk/whats-on/cathedral-quarter-ice-rink-2026
Good for covered rink, toddler sessions, free skate aids, wheelchair accessible

Further afield, open all year

4. Telford Ice Rink

Telford’s rink in the town centre runs public skating all year, with a separate holiday timetable, and publishes its full price list. The prices below have applied since 1 January 2026.

Telford Leisure Card holders pay less (adult £10.60). In term time, weekend public sessions are 10.30am to 12 noon, 12.30pm to 2pm and 2.30pm to 4pm on Saturdays, and 10.30am to 11.45am, 1.30pm to 3pm and 3.30pm to 4.45pm on Sundays, with a Friday disco session from 7.45pm to 9.15pm.

One carer per booking skates free with ID. Penguin, snowman and polar bear aids cost £5.50 a session.

The rink warns there are no disabled parking bays in its car park. It is about 35 miles from Lichfield.

Open public sessions daily; term-time and holiday timetables on the website
Price adult (16 and over) £12.90; junior (5 to 15) £11.20; under-5s £4.35; family ticket (two adults and two juniors, or one adult and three) £35; skate aids £5.50 a session; first carer free
Booking online
Address International Way, Telford Town Centre, TF3 4JQ
Website telfordicerink.co.uk/info/24/prices
Good for all year round, disco nights, family skate sessions, carers free

Planet Ice: Uttoxeter, Solihull and Coventry

Three Planet Ice rinks are within reach of Lichfield and open outside the Christmas season: Uttoxeter, Solihull and Coventry. They run public skating, discos and parent and toddler sessions, but session times and prices appear only in the booking calendar on planet-ice.co.uk, so check there for the day you want. They are not listed above for that reason.

Which to choose

  • Closest, and open all year: the SnowDome in Tamworth, by car or one stop on the train.
  • A Christmas day out with a market: Ice Skate Birmingham, but avoid 24, 27 and 28 December by train.
  • Toddlers and nervous beginners: Derby’s toddler sessions and free skate aids.
  • Cheapest family ticket: Telford, £35 for four, if you do not mind the drive.

For more to do this winter, see what’s on in Lichfield this month, Father Christmas and grottos, Christmas dinner near Lichfield and things to do in Lichfield, or browse the Lichfield directory.

How we chose

These are the real-ice rinks within reach of Lichfield that publish 2026 dates and prices. Every date, price and rule above comes from the rink’s own website or ticket page (snowdome.co.uk, iceskatebirmingham.co.uk, festivederby.co.uk, telfordicerink.co.uk), read on 3 November 2026, with Derby City Council’s announcement for the background on the Derby rink. Where two of a rink’s own pages disagree, we say so. Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@lichfieldtoday.co.uk. Taken a good photograph of any of these places? Email it to newsdesk@lichfieldtoday.co.uk and we will add it with your name as the credit.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an ice rink in Lichfield for Christmas 2026?

No. Neither Lichfield City Council nor Lichfield District Council has announced a rink for the city this Christmas, going by their websites on 3 November 2026. The nearest real ice is the SnowDome in Tamworth, about eight miles away, which is open all year.

How much is ice skating at the SnowDome in Tamworth?

The SnowDome’s two-hour Open Skate starts at £13, and its one-hour Festive Skate, which runs daily from 21 November, starts at £17. A family ticket for four on Open Ice sessions is £40. Skate hire is included, and helmets are provided and compulsory for children aged 2 to 16.

When does the Birmingham ice rink open in 2026?

Ice Skate Birmingham opens in Centenary Square on 5 November 2026 and runs to 3 January 2027, closed only on Christmas Day. A 45-minute standard skate costs £11.50 off-peak and £14 at peak times.