The Official Site of The City of Markham
Season Dates:
Closed for the Season
Admission:
Free
Location and Entrance:
Upon arrival, please head to the rink by walking around the north-east entrance of the Markham Civic Centre and go down the stairs or follow the pathway. Please note that there is no access through the Civic Centre building.
Important Safety Information for Participants:
- Benches are available around the side of the rink for you to change your skates
- Washrooms are available
- Resurfacing of the ice will be done periodically throughout the day. Please clear the ice when the Zamboni is on the ice surface to ensure your own safety
- Helmets and gloves are strongly recommended for all participants
- Only engineered skatting assists/aids are permitted
- Hockey sticks and pucks are not permitted
- Skates must be worn on the ice, no shoes are permitted
- Strollers and chairs must remain outside of the ice surface area
- games of tag and chase are not permitted
- Skate in the same direction at all times
- Leave the ice at the end of the skate
- Report any inappropriate behaviour to staff
- Be aware of other skaters and remember that skates of all abilities are welcome
- Forward skating only. No backward skating.
Want to know how we make the outdoor rink ice?
Want to know how we make the Outdoor Ice Rink?
The Civic Centre Outdoor Rink has an artificial refrigeration system which cools the concrete under the ice. Ice is built up slowly over time by spraying water and letting it freeze over and over again. Sometimes you will see staff using a hose to spray the concrete, and sometimes they are on the Zamboni.
The refrigeration system is helpful but it can’t do it completely on it’s own. The weather affects how we build ice. Because the rink is completely exposed to the element, sun, wind, rain and snow all greatly affect how quickly the ice is made. And don’t forget all the leaves falling from the trees!
Once the ambient temperature drops so that it is in the negatives overnight on a consistent basis, we build the ice and it will stay frozen. The system has to work pretty hard during the day when temperatures are higher and/or when there is a lot of sun and sometimes it can’t keep up. So when we are building the ice, we do it at night.
We are excited for this season’s outdoor skating and hope to see you there!
- ${title}${badge}