Underbelly opens Skate Leicester Square on November 1st, the West End’s first outdoor ice rink, running until January 4th, with tickets from £9.50.
London’s West End is getting its first-ever outdoor ice rink this winter, and it’s happening in Leicester Square. Underbelly, the company behind some of the UK’s biggest live events, is transforming the historic square into a proper winter playground.
Opening on 1st November 2025 and running through until 4th January 2026, this isn’t just another seasonal attraction. It’s a big shift for how London does Christmas in one of its most famous locations. And if Underbelly’s track record means anything, this could become the winter hangout everyone actually wants to visit.
Building on Nine Years of Christmas Magic
Underbelly has been running Christmas in Leicester Square for nearly a decade now. They know what works. But instead of playing it safe with the same old formula, they’re adding something the square has never had before: an ice rink. It’s a smart move, really. London’s winter scene keeps getting more competitive, and people want things to do, not just things to look at.
The timing makes sense, too. We’re in late October, the weather’s getting colder, and suddenly the idea of gliding around an ice rink in the middle of the West End sounds pretty good.
Ed Bartlam, co-founder of Underbelly, puts it plainly: “We’re excited to be launching Skate Leicester Square and bringing a beautiful and striking new addition to Christmas in Leicester Square. Having produced this event for the past nine years, we felt it was time to evolve and offer something fresh that still captures the magic and atmosphere audiences know and love. Introducing an open-air ice rink right in the heart of the West End marks an exciting new chapter and one that we hope will become a new seasonal favourite for Londoners and visitors alike”.
Skating Around Shakespeare
Here’s what makes the setup interesting. The ice rink circles the square’s Shakespeare statue. So you’re literally skating laps around one of Britain’s most famous writers while Christmas lights twinkle overhead. It’s a bit theatrical, a bit whimsical, and honestly quite fitting for Leicester Square.
But the real innovation isn’t the layout. It’s how they’re running the sessions. New skating times start every fifteen minutes throughout the day. Every. Fifteen. Minutes. That means no more showing up at 2:47 and being told the next session isn’t until 4:00. You can book online if you’re a planner, or just rock up and grab a walk-in ticket if you’re feeling spontaneous.
Each session lasts forty-five minutes. Plenty of time to find your ice legs if you’re wobbly, or to actually enjoy yourself if you know what you’re doing. And they’re open from ten in the morning until ten at night, seven days a week. Morning person? Go glide around before the city wakes up. Night owl? The rink looks completely different under the evening lights.
More Than Just Ice
Look, ice skating is great. But standing around in the cold afterwards? Not so great. That’s why there’s a Christmas market set up alongside the rink. It’s got the usual stuff: artisan gifts, mulled wine, hot chocolate, the kind of seasonal food that tastes better when your fingers are still numb from the ice.
The smart thing is how this all connects to the rest of Leicester Square. You could catch a matinee at one of the West End theatres, skate for a bit, and grab dinner at a nearby restaurant. Or reverse the order. Or skip the theatre entirely and make skating the main event. The point is flexibility. It fits into your plans rather than demanding you build your day around it.
What It Costs
Adult tickets start at £14.50. Kids get in from £9.50. Family tickets are available from £40. In London terms, especially for a central location, that’s reasonable. Not cheap exactly, but not the kind of price that makes you wince and decide to stay home.
The pricing structure is clearly aimed at getting different types of people through the gates. Families with kids. Couples on dates. Tourist groups. Local Londoners who want something to do on a random Tuesday. It’s accessible enough that you don’t need to save up for it, but substantial enough that it should be a quality experience.
The Charity Connection
Here’s where this gets more meaningful. Every ticket sale includes an optional donation to the Angel Child Fund at The Brain Tumour Charity. This isn’t just a corporate partnership tacked on for good PR. It’s personal for Ed Bartlam, who established the fund in memory of his son Alfie. Alfie died from an extremely rare brain tumour in 2019. He was seven years old.
The fund has already raised over £700,000 for a specific research project in Cambridge working on treatments for aggressive paediatric brain tumours. That’s a staggering amount of money doing actual, concrete good. The Brain Tumour Charity is the world’s leading organisation fighting brain tumours, funding research, raising awareness, supporting patients and families. By connecting the ice rink to this cause, Underbelly is giving people a chance to contribute to something important while they’re out having fun.
It changes the nature of buying a ticket. You’re not just paying for entertainment. You’re potentially helping fund research that could save kids’ lives.
What the Industry Says
Kirsty Tullett-Jones, Director of Marketing and Communications for Discover Leicester Square, is clearly on board: “We’re very excited to see Underbelly work its magic and bring this brand-new experience to London’s iconic entertainment district. Skate Leicester Square offers West End visitors yet another way to soak up the area’s unrivalled festive energy. After lacing up their skates, visitors will be spoilt for choice – whether enjoying a festive treat, a warming drink, or even an impromptu stay, they’re guaranteed a truly unforgettable experience”.
That kind of enthusiasm from the broader Leicester Square organisation matters. It means this isn’t some rogue operation that other businesses are quietly annoyed about. It’s part of a coordinated effort to make the whole district more appealing during winter.
Why This Actually Matters
London competes globally for tourists and attention. Every major city is trying to do Christmas bigger and better. What Underbelly’s doing here is updating a classic winter activity (ice skating) with modern operational thinking (those fifteen-minute session starts) while keeping it in an incredibly accessible location.
Location is huge. Leicester Square has excellent transport links. You can get there easily from anywhere in London. That removes one of the main barriers to seasonal activities, which is often “it’s in some random park that takes an hour to reach.” This is right there, in the middle of everything.
And the season runs long. Early November through early January. That’s the whole festive period plus those weird first weeks of January when everyone’s broke and a bit depressed and looking for something to do that doesn’t cost a fortune.
The Memory Business
At the end of the day, Underbelly is in the memory business. That’s what this really is. Ice skating has this particular ability to generate joy in ways that feel unforced.
There’s something about the physicality of it, the slight danger of falling, the triumph when you don’t fall, the laughter when you do. Kids are getting it for the first time. Couples holding hands and pretending they’re in a rom-com. Friends are idiots and having a great time doing it.
Underbelly knows this. Their previous Christmas productions have consistently delivered experiences that stick with people. Adding an ice rink amplifies that because you’re not just watching something, you’re doing something. You’re participating. Your body remembers it differently than your eyes do.
So as London heads into another winter, Skate Leicester Square is ready. Whether you show up on opening day or during the final weekend in January, whether you’re a confident skater or someone who’ll spend forty-five minutes clinging to the barrier, the offer is straightforward: come glide around Shakespeare in the middle of one of the world’s most famous squares, under Christmas lights, surrounded by people also trying to have a good time.
Bookings are open now if you want to plan ahead. Walk-ins are available if you don’t. The ice is waiting.
