Holiday Ice Skating for Families in the Bay Area
Lace up your skates and hit the ice! Even though it's an activity that you can do year-round, ice skating seems to be something that's especially appealing around the holidays, especially with festive Christmas decorations adorning the rink.
Here's our guide to skating, whether on real ice or an "iceless" synthetic surface, in Marin, Sonoma, Napa, San Francisco, and elsewhere in the Bay Area.
Snoopy's Home Ice, Santa Rosa
In Santa Rosa you can find Snoopy's Home Ice at the Redwood Empire Ice Arena. Opened by the Santa Rosa resident and Peanuts cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in 1969, the Redwood Empire Ice Arena offers public skating hours (check their schedule for details), skating lessons, birthday parties, and special events. The entire place is decorated with a Swiss theme and offers a charming alpine ambience. The Redwood Empire Ice Arena is also home to Snoopy's Warm Puppy Cafe, where you can sit by the fire and eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or just have a hot chocolate and watch the action on the Snoopy's Home Ice.
Weekend session prices are $14 for adults 18 and over and juniors 12–17, and $12 for children 11 and under; skate rental costs $4. 90-minute weekday sessions cost $8 with $2 skate rental; night sessions are $10 with $2 skate rental. They also offer Toddlers on Ice sessions for kids 18 months–4 years and parents on Wednesdays.
Snoopy's Home Ice is located on West Steele Lane in Santa Rosa. To get there, take 101 north to the Guernville Road/Steele Lane exit; at the signal, turn left on Steele Lane and go under the freeway. Cross Cleveland Avenue and bear right onto West Steele Lane. The Redwood Empire Ice Arena, along with Snoopy's Gallery and Gift Shop, will be on your right after Range Avenue. For information and public skating schedule, visit snoopyshomeice.com or call (707) 546-7147.
Winter Wonderland, Marin Art & Garden Center, Ross
Get ready for a wondrous winter experience at the Marin Art & Garden Center! Skate outdoors on their synthetic iceless rink under twinkling bistro lights and falling "snow." Skating takes place as part of their Winter Wonderland event from December 5–7 and 14–14. Event details
Iceless Skating, Bay Area Discovery Museum, Sausalito
Experience a winter wonderland in the Bay Area. Glide, twirl and wobble across an iceless pond. Enjoy all the fun of ice skating, without the fear of falling! Opens November 15, 2025. Skating included with museum admission. The Bay Area Discovery Museum is located at 557 McReynolds Road, Sausalito. www.bayareadiscoverymuseum.org
LUMA Ice Rink, Petaluma Fairgrounds
This holiday season marks the first outdoor LUMA Ice Rink at the fairgrounds in Petaluma. This 5,600-square-foot rink of real ice will be open from December 10, 2025–January 6, 2026, and is located in the Petaluma Fairgrounds parking lot along Washington Street. The LUMA rink is the only real ice outdoor skating rink in Sonoma County. More info TBA. Event details
Winter Lights Skate in the Square, Santa Rosa
This outdoor synthetic ice skating rink in downtown Santa Rosa's Old Courthouse Square is eco-conscious and uses no water or power! It will begin the day after Thanksgiving and will be open Thursdays and Fridays from 4 to 8 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 8 pm, with special hours on December 24 and 31. Theme skate nights take place every Thursday. Learn more at www.downtownsantarosa.org/winterlights
Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square, San Francisco
Union Square, San Francisco's main shopping district, gets into the ice skating spirit during the holiday season with an outdoor ice rink sponsored by Safeway. It's open November 5, 2025 through January 19, 2026 from 10 am to 11 pm daily (9:30 pm on December 31). 60-minute sessions start on every 90 minutes with the last session at 10 pm. Admission is $22 ($17 for children 8 and under) and includes skate rental. Locker rentals $5. Skate helpers $6. Information: (415) 781-2606 or www.unionsquareicerink.com.
Union Square is in downtown San Francisco between Post and Geary and Stockton and Powell Streets. We find parking is easiest at the Union Square or Sutter-Stockton garages, but plenty of other options are available. It's also convenient to public transportation, especially BART and Muni.
Merry Meritage Skating Rink, Napa
Napa's favorite holiday tradition returns with Merry Meritage at the Meritage Resort! Napa Valley's largest outdoor ice skating rink will be open November 25-January 4 and features an enchanting winter village complete with a 40-foot tree, daily "snow" and festive entertainment and events. Tickets start at $19. Event details
Yerba Buena Ice Skating, San Francisco
Also in San Francisco is the indoor Yerba Buena Ice Skating rink at Yerba Buena Gardens, the only year-round ice skating venue in the city, with a large NHL-sized rink. You can check their regular public skating schedule here; special extended public sessions are offered during Thanksgiving week and the month of December. They also offer group discounts, year-round birthday party packages, and skating lessons. As the name implies, there's also a bowling alley on site.
The Yerba Buena Ice Skating and Bowling Center is located in the South of Market district at 750 Folsom Street, between Third and Fourth Streets in San Francisco. The Ice and Bowling Centers are located at the Rooftop at Yerba Buena Gardens, which is built literally on the roof of Moscone Convention Center. Parking is probably easiest at the Fifth and Mission Garage a couple blocks away. Visit skatebowl.com for more info.
Oakland Ice Center, Oakland
Across the Bay, Oakland Ice Center—also know as Sharks Ice, since it's run by the San Jose Sharks NHL team—offers a public ice skating, skating lessons, birthday parties (where you can even get the Sharks' mascot S.J. Sharkie to make an appearance), and more. Public skating prices are $17 for adults, $16 for children 12 and under, and $12 for seniors 55 and over. Skate rental is $8. Special skating deals are also available. Schedule and more information: (510) 268-9000 or www.oaklandice.com.
Oakland Ice Center is located in downtown Oakland at 519 18th Street, between San Pablo and Telegraph Avenues.
