Walnut Creek on Ice Has Its Shortest Hours in Early December, When Downtown's Calendar Is Fullest

"After 21 years, we've seen kids grow up on this ice and come back with families of their own," Kathy Hemmenway, executive director of the Walnut Creek Business Association, said in Walnut Creek Downtown's October 13 announcement of the rink's return. The covered rink at Civic Park, 1365 Civic Drive, opens Friday, November 20, and runs through Monday, January 18, 2027.

A family that has skated here for years knows the dates. The hours split the season in two. The rink keeps a long weekday schedule during two "Holiday Periods" and a much shorter one in the weeks between them. The short weeks, Tuesday, December 1 through Friday, December 18, also hold most of the downtown holiday calendar. Planned well, mid-December is a set of short evenings, Wednesday mornings and weekend shows.

The Rink Runs on Two Schedules

The official hours page defines the Holiday Periods as November 21 to 30 and December 19 to January 4. Outside those dates, weekday skating starts at 4 p.m.

During a holiday week, a Tuesday has 11.5 hours of public skating. In the first half of December, the same Tuesday has 3.5. Weekends don't change between the two schedules. The whole difference is in the weekday hours.

Some days have their own hours. Thanksgiving is 6 to 9:30 p.m. Christmas Eve is 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Christmas Day is 2 to 9:30 p.m. New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and the closing day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 18, all run 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Opening Weekend Runs on the Long Schedule

The season opens with two events on the same night. The City and the Walnut Creek Downtown Association hold the free Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony at Civic Park on Friday, November 20, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., with hot cocoa, carolers and Frosty the Snowman. That is also the rink's first day. Because November 20 falls the day before the first Holiday Period starts, the rink keeps Friday's regular 4 to 10:30 p.m. hours, so skating continues long after the tree is lit.

From Saturday, November 21 through Thanksgiving weekend, weekdays open at 10 a.m. That first holiday stretch ends Monday, November 30, one day after the Youth Academy starts on Sunday, November 29.

What the Rink Schedules Outside Its Public Hours

Several rink programs during the short weeks are set at times when public skating is closed.

• Littles Skate, Wednesdays 10 to 11 a.m. It runs December 2, 9 and 16, for skaters ages 5 and under. A $35 bundle covers one adult and one child, each additional sibling is $15, and skate rentals are included. There is no Littles Skate on December 23 or 30.
• Sugar & Skates, December 2. This first Littles session adds cookie decorating at the same $35 price.
• Santa on Skates, December 16. Children 5 and under can meet Santa, get a photo and skate. The event page lists the parent-and-child offer at $35.
• Adult Learn to Skate, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. Classes are December 1, 8 and 15, half an hour after public skating ends for the night.
• Youth Academy, Sunday mornings. Classes run November 29, December 6, 13 and 20, and January 3 and 10, with no class December 27. Youth Learn to Skate meets at 8:30 or 9:30 a.m. and Youth Learn to Play Hockey at 9:30 a.m. Each costs $159.95, which is $149 plus a $10.95 fee.
• Drop-in hockey, Friday through Monday. It runs November 22 to January 17 at $20 a person, with evening times that vary.

Taken together, these show who the short weeks are for. Toddlers get Wednesday mornings and new adult skaters get Tuesday nights. Weekday public skating in this stretch is a 3.5-hour after-school window.

Downtown Fills the Hours the Rink Doesn't Use

Walk a few blocks from Civic Park and the same 18 days are full. Here are the downtown events in that window, by date:

1. Tuesday, Dec. 1, 8 p.m.: The first Adult Learn to Skate class at the rink.
2. Wednesday, Dec. 2, 10 a.m.: Sugar & Skates for the youngest skaters.
3. Thursday, Dec. 3: Broadway Plaza's Holiday Parade of Lights, the second tree lighting downtown this season. The open house starts at 6 p.m., the parade at 7 p.m. and the tree lighting around 7:45 p.m.
4. Sunday, Dec. 6, 5 to 6:45 p.m.: The Walnut Creek Concert Band's "Snow Day!" Holiday Concert at Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church.
5. Wednesday, Dec. 9: Center REP opens "A Christmas Carol," produced with AXIS Dance Company. It runs through December 23.
6. Saturday, Dec. 12, 2 to 4 p.m.: The Diablo Symphony Orchestra performs "Holiday Concert: The Snowman Meets Vivaldi!" at Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church.
7. Saturday, Dec. 12, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.: "Christmas Dreaming with Stella Cole," part of the Lesher Center Headliners series with the Diablo Regional Arts Association.
8. Sunday, Dec. 13: HEAD WEST Marketplace brings local makers, artisans and small businesses to North Main Street.
9. Wednesday, Dec. 16: Santa on Skates in the morning. That evening, Fantasy Forum Actors Ensemble opens "Visit to the North Pole" at the Lesher Center. It runs through December 23.
10. Friday, Dec. 18: Fantasy Forum's "The Biggest Gift" begins a run at the Lesher Center that ends December 20.

The weekends fit well with the rink. December 12 can mean the symphony matinee, an evening session on the ice, which is open Saturdays until 10:30 p.m., and Stella Cole at 7:30. The weeknights are tighter. On December 3 the rink closes at 7:30, half an hour after the parade starts, so a family wanting both should skate first and walk to Broadway Plaza after.

Broadway Plaza runs Santa photos at a workshop near True Food Kitchen. Visits are free, and photo packages are sold separately.

Before You Head to Civic Park

These details apply on either schedule:

• Tickets: Skating is $20 a person and the 90-foot Frosty's Summit Ice Slide is another $20. They are separate attractions, and a combo ticket starts at $20. Skate sessions last 90 minutes, and booking ahead is recommended so your time slot doesn't sell out.
• Add-ons: Walkers for new skaters are $15 per 90 minutes, first come, first served. A rinkside fire pit runs $50 to $125.
• Payment: The whole rink is cashless, including the Snowflake Cafe. On site it takes Apple Pay, Google Pay, Cash App and major credit cards.
• Weather: Open rain or shine under the cover. The rink may close for holidays, private parties and private ice rentals, so check the rink calendar before you go.
• Getting there: The free drop-off zone is at Civic Drive and Broadway, marked by a white picket fence. Walnut Creek BART is 0.6 miles away. According to the City's parking page, downtown-core meters cost $2 an hour, the first hour in city garages is free, and special-event parking at the Lesher Center Garage is up to $5.

A few downtown stops have changed since last winter. Beyond the Creek reported in September that The BOBA Lounge opened at Broadway Pointe. In October, the same outlet reported that State & Liberty had moved back to its original Broadway Plaza location after a renovation and that Touro Luggage had moved within the center. Salt & Lime is taking over the former Oyama Sushi space at 1521 N. Main St., per Beyond the Creek. For more on the blocks around Civic Park, see our Walnut Creek neighborhood guide and our story on downtown's newest murals.

At The Corio Group, we follow the small changes that shape a Walnut Creek calendar, from rink hours to new storefronts near Civic Park, the same way we follow home values block by block. If you'd like to know what your home is worth before the new year, request your home valuation.