Ice Skating In Las Vegas: Rinks, Prices, And A Skating Plus Lights Night

Las Vegas is not a natural ice skating town, and that is exactly why the one rink that does open each winter becomes an event. For the 2026 season the Fontainebleau Las Vegas Oasis Ice Rink is the Strip's only real-ice option, an 8,000 square foot setup spread across two sheets on the resort's third-floor pool deck, running Nov 19, 2026 through Jan 17, 2027. Entry to the deck is free, skating starts at $30, and Nevada locals skate from $15 on select dates and late nights.

That single sentence upends most older guides. For over a decade the Cosmopolitan's Boulevard Pool rink was the default answer to "where can I skate on the Strip", and it is not running this time; its equipment went to auction in 2025. The Downtown Summerlin Rock Rink, the other perennial option, has not announced 2026 dates. This guide covers what is actually bookable, what each option costs, and how to build a night that pairs skating with the city's holiday lights, because a rink session in Las Vegas works best as one act of a longer evening rather than the whole show.

Where Can You Go Ice Skating In Las Vegas This Season?

For the 2026 season there is one real-ice rink on the Strip: the Oasis Ice Rink at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, 2777 South Las Vegas Boulevard, open Nov 19, 2026 to Jan 17, 2027 on the third-floor Oasis Pool Deck. Entry to the deck is free, skating starts at $30 plus tax and fees, fire pit rentals run from $200 for up to six guests, and Nevada locals skate from $15 on select dates and late nights.

The rink's setting is the draw. Two sheets of real ice sit on the pool deck overlooking the Strip, with fire pits, food and drink service, and holiday movie nights on Tuesdays at 5 and 8pm: Elf on Dec 1, The Grinch from 2000 on Dec 8, The Polar Express on Dec 15, and A Christmas Story on Dec 22. Both local coverage of the announcement and the resort's own materials describe it as the Strip's only real-ice rink, which tracks with everything else in the verified research: no other Strip property has announced a rink for this season.

Hours shift with the calendar. The general pattern is 5 to 11pm on quieter stretches, expanding to 2pm through 2am between Dec 19 and 30, with weekend afternoons added in late November and December. Dec 31 is not listed in the announced hours, so anyone planning a New Year's Eve skate should check the resort's rink page directly rather than assume. The same caution applies to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: the announced table covers the season broadly, but the specific holiday hours are worth confirming on the official page before you lock in a night.

A few practical notes from the listing details. Skate rental is built into the skating price rather than charged separately, which keeps the math simple. The fire pit option, from $200 for up to six guests, turns the deck into a private warming station and is the move for groups celebrating something. And because entry to the deck itself is free, a companion who does not want to skate can still enjoy the lights, the heat lamps, and a drink without paying for ice time.

How Much Does Ice Skating In Las Vegas Cost?

Skating at the Fontainebleau Oasis rink starts at $30 per skater plus tax and fees, with Nevada local rates from $15 on select dates and late nights, and fire pit packages from $200 for up to six people. The other seasonal rink in the valley, the Downtown Summerlin Rock Rink, charged $18 on weekdays and $22 on weekends last season, but its 2026 dates and prices have not been announced.

The honest answer on cost is that the Strip rink is priced like a Strip attraction, not like a municipal rink. Thirty dollars for a skate session is in the same band as a cocktail at many nearby bars, and the deck's fire pits, movie nights, and view are part of what you are paying for. The local discount is real but date-specific, so Nevadans should check which nights qualify before booking.

For comparison shopping, the other holiday activities nearby run a similar spread. Enchant at Las Vegas Ballpark, the walk-through light maze in Summerlin, sells tickets from $25 on the official site for its Nov 20 to Dec 27 run. The Magical Forest at Opportunity Village, open Nov 27 to Jan 1 with a closure on Dec 25, has not announced its 2026 ticket price. And the Ethel M Cactus Garden in Henderson is a $3 walk-through, about as cheap as holiday entertainment gets anywhere in the country.

If you are pairing the rink with a lights outing, the per-vehicle pricing at Glittering Lights is the budget hero: $39 cash or $44 card covers the whole car for the 3-mile drive-through course at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Nov 6, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027. A family of four can skate and drive the lights for well under $200 total, which is less than many single Strip show tickets.

What Happened To The Cosmopolitan Ice Rink?

The Cosmopolitan's rooftop ice rink is not running for 2026, and its equipment, including the rink components, furniture and skates, went to auction in late 2025, effectively ending a tradition that had run since 2011. No official statement of permanent non-return has been made, but nothing on any official page announces a 2026 season, and the Strip's real-ice crown has passed to Fontainebleau.

This matters because a lot of travel content still lists the Cosmopolitan rink as a current attraction. It is not. The safest framing, and the accurate one, is that the rink has not been announced for 2026 and its equipment was auctioned in 2025. In its place last season, the resort ran a holiday pop-up called 'Tis the Season at The Chandelier, its multi-story bar, with festive cocktails, decor and photo areas from late November through New Year's Eve. Whether that pop-up returns is a question for closer to the season.

The lesson for planners is broader than one rink. Las Vegas holiday programming reshuffles every year: displays end, pop-ups replace traditions, and a venue that was the headline act two seasons ago can be gone entirely. Building a plan around the confirmed 2026 list, with the Fontainebleau rink as the anchor, is more reliable than following a guide written for a previous winter.

If a rooftop rink with a view was the appeal, the Fontainebleau version delivers the same idea on a larger footprint. Two sheets of real ice rather than one, a pool deck setting three floors up, and fire pits for the non-skaters in the group. The neighborhood around it has changed too: the rink sits at the north end of the Strip, within reach of the major holiday displays and the observation wheel, which makes it easy to fold into a bigger night.

The High Roller, the observation wheel at the LINQ Promenade, is a natural companion to a rink evening. A 30-minute revolution in a climate-controlled cabin starts at $21 per person, with a 4.6 rating across 5,298 reviews on the live listing. One caution from the fine print: the listing shows no free cancellation, so confirm your date before booking, and note that Christmas Day hours have not been announced.

Is The Downtown Summerlin Rock Rink Open For 2026?

The Downtown Summerlin Rock Rink has not announced its 2026 season. Last season it ran from mid-November to mid-January on The Lawn at 1825 Festival Plaza Drive, with 75-minute timed sessions at $18 Monday through Thursday and $22 Friday through Sunday, and online purchase required. Anyone hoping to skate in Summerlin should watch the official Summerlin channels for a 2026 announcement.

The Rock Rink was the valley's other real-ice option, roughly 8,000 square feet at an outdoor shopping district about 20 minutes west of the Strip. Its last confirmed season ran Nov 14, 2025 to Jan 19, 2026, with peak pricing of $22 daily from Dec 20 through Jan 4, plus $5 train rides alongside. The district's holiday programming historically bundled the rink with a Friday and Saturday evening parade and a Santa's Chalet with photo packages from $39.99, none of which has a 2026 date attached yet.

Summerlin is also home to Enchant, the light maze at Las Vegas Ballpark, which is confirmed for Nov 20 to Dec 27, 2026. If the Rock Rink does return, the two would pair naturally: a late-afternoon skate at The Lawn, dinner in the district, then the maze after dark. Until an announcement lands, treat that itinerary as provisional on the skating half.

For now, the honest answer to anyone asking about skating in Summerlin is to plan around the Fontainebleau rink and check the Summerlin events page in November. The pattern of a mid-November opening has held for years, but a pattern is not a promise, and this guide will not print a 2026 date that no official source has published.

How Do You Build A Skating Plus Lights Night In Las Vegas?

The strongest pairing is a late-afternoon skate at the Fontainebleau Oasis rink, dinner on the north Strip, and a lights outing after dark: the Glittering Lights drive-through for families, the free Bellagio Conservatory and Fountains for a Strip stroll, or the High Roller wheel for an elevated view. Sunset lands around 4:31pm on Dec 25, and the light displays open at 5pm, so the timing almost plans itself.

The order matters because of daylight. Las Vegas sits at the western edge of the Pacific time zone, so December sunsets come early, between about 4:26pm on Dec 1 and 4:34pm on Dec 31. Lights displays switch on around 5pm. That leaves a gap in the late afternoon that the rink fills perfectly: skate from 3 to 5 while the sky darkens, then step straight into the lit portion of the evening.

The Glittering Lights option deserves the family vote. The course at Las Vegas Motor Speedway runs Nov 6, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027, a 3-mile drive past more than 6 million LED lights and 600 displays, open nightly rain or shine including holidays. Pricing is per vehicle, $39 cash at the gate or $44 by card, with no per-person charge, and the official fact sheet notes a $10 discount per vehicle for a Goodwill donation. The operator's own tip is worth repeating: take I-15 exit 54 rather than following GPS, which points to a no-entry area.

For a car-free night, the free displays carry the itinerary. The Bellagio Conservatory is open 24 hours with no ticket, though its 2026 holiday display has not been announced; the fall display runs to about Nov 7 and the holiday version typically follows in mid-November. The Fountains of Bellagio run every 15 to 30 minutes into the night, weather permitting. Fremont Street's canopy shows are free and nightly. None of these needs a booking, which makes them the perfect flex portion of an evening. For a closer look at what past holiday seasons included, our Bellagio Conservatory Christmas display guide covers the themes and best visiting hours.

If you want the lights from above instead, a small-group city tour that includes a High Roller ticket covers the wheel plus a guided loop of the lit landmarks in about 3 hours, from $127 per person, rated 4.5 across 65 reviews, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. It is a year-round tour that runs during Christmas week, not a holiday product, but it solves the logistics of a lights night in one booking. Our broader roundup of things to do in Las Vegas at Christmas has more pairings in the same spirit.

For a bigger splurge, a 12-minute night helicopter flight over the Strip, from $99 per person and rated 4.6 across 2,165 reviews, turns the same lights into a panorama; it is another year-round product that simply runs through the season. And for a genuinely holiday-themed end to the evening, the Cowboy Christmas Show and Dinner at Firelight Barn in Henderson runs on Christmas Day itself, from $49 per person with dinner included, about 20 minutes from the Strip. The site's Las Vegas Christmas events guide collects the full calendar of options like these.

What Should You Wear Ice Skating In Las Vegas In December?

Plan for December evenings in the low 40s to low 50s Fahrenheit once the sun is down, against December averages of 56.9 degrees for a high and 39.6 for a low, and dress in layers you can shed: a jacket over a sweater, gloves for the ice, and socks thick enough that skates do not rub. The rink is outdoors, so the evening temperature applies, not an indoor reading.

The common mistake is packing for the desert and forgetting that Las Vegas winters are real winters by evening. The record low for December is 11 degrees, set in 1990, and while that is an outlier, a rooftop rink at 8pm in late December will feel every bit of the low 40s, plus whatever wind comes with the elevation. Gloves matter more than most first-time skaters expect; the ice is cold and the falls, if they happen, are colder.

If your night includes the Glittering Lights drive, remember you stay in the car for the 3-mile course, so the cold is a non-issue there; the outfit decisions really only affect the rink hour and any walking portion. Visitors planning a full weekend can dig into the seasonal details in our Las Vegas in December guide, which covers the weather, crowds, and rate patterns month-wide.

One more note on the rink specifically: sessions are outdoors on real ice, and real ice gets wet and scraped up by late evening. Waterproof outer layers or at least a jacket you do not mind brushing off will serve you better than a wool coat you baby. The deck sells food and drinks, so a dry inner layer for the post-skate warm-up is a small luxury that costs nothing.

Can You Go Ice Skating On Christmas Day In Las Vegas?

The Fontainebleau rink's announced hours include a Dec 19 to 30 stretch running 2pm to 2am, which covers Christmas Day, but the published table does not itemize Dec 24, 25 or 31 hours, so confirm on the official rink page before planning a Christmas skate. It is the only Strip ice option that day, and the wider Christmas landscape splits between open attractions like the casinos and Glittering Lights and closures like the Magical Forest and Ethel M Cactus Garden.

Christmas Day 2026 falls on a Friday, which works in skaters' favor: Friday is a weekend-pattern night for the rink's hours, and the resort has every commercial reason to run the deck hard through the holiday week. But an announced date range is not the same as a confirmed Christmas Day schedule, and this guide will not promise what no official page states. Check the rink page, or call the resort, before committing the family to a Dec 25 skate.

The rest of a Christmas Day plan has firmer ground. Glittering Lights at the Speedway is open rain or shine or holidays, per its own FAQ, at the usual per-vehicle price. The casinos never close. On the closure side, the Magical Forest is dark on Dec 25, the Ethel M Cactus Garden is closed that day, and Springs Preserve is closed as well. Hoover Dam's visitor center and tours are closed Christmas Day, which matters for anyone combining a day trip with an evening skate.

Dining is the other Christmas Day puzzle piece. Major buffets historically run special holiday sittings that book out weeks in advance, and no 2026 Christmas menu or price has been announced anywhere official. The practical advice: if dinner at a name restaurant is part of the skate night, reserve it early and confirm the holiday menu directly with the venue. A safe fallback that has held in past seasons is Eataly at Park MGM, which has operated on Christmas Day.

For the full picture of what runs, what closes, and what to book ahead on Dec 25, our Las Vegas Christmas Day guide walks the day start to finish. The short version for skaters: the rink is very likely your Christmas evening anchor, the lights drive is your before-or-after, and dinner needs a reservation made well before the holiday rush.

Planning a season-long visit rather than a single night? Christmas In Las Vegas covers the whole calendar, from the first light displays in early November through New Year's Eve, with the confirmed dates and prices for every major attraction.

Common Questions About Ice Skating In Las Vegas