Surrey’s rink for free skating drew 43,000 visitors, will return next winter
Published 10:37 am Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Surrey’s temporary skating rink was a hit with 43,000 visitors on the plaza outside City Hall.
The 12-week pilot project will return next winter with some modifications based on public feedback, city officials said Wednesday, Feb. 18.
Skating was free on real ice at the covered outdoor rink, launched during Surrey Tree Lighting Festival in November and closed following Family Day skates on Monday, Feb. 16.
The city budgeted $1.28 million for the 4,000-square-foot attraction, where skaters and viewers could find a café, Adirondack chairs set up around fire pits, picnic tables for games, seasonal music, concert-style lights and more. The rink was built under a large tent with an air-cooled chiller and water-propylene glycol system.
“Skating at Civic Plaza has been an incredible success for our community,” Mayor Brenda Locke is quoted in a news release from city hall.
“It created a place where residents, students, families and seniors could connect and experience City Centre in a new way. This is exactly the kind of dynamic public space we’re committed to building — and we’re excited to bring it back next season.”
Located next to Surrey Central Skytrain station, the rink “encouraged Surrey residents and visitors from across the region to stay longer, explore the surrounding area, and rediscover Civic Plaza as a community space,” the news release says.
City staff will refine and expand next season’s “activation” based on lessons learned and public feedback from the pilot year.