Laughter, music and the sound of skates scraping the ice filled the park last Saturday afternoon as hundreds gathered for the grand opening of Kamloops ’ new outdoor skating rink. celebration.
“I came down to the rink when it first opened, and it was beautiful. It was like a Hallmark card with the snow and lights and everything,” said Dawn McShane, a local resident who described the space as instantly welcoming and festive.
Zeke Bisman was among those celebrating the opening, arriving with nearly 30 family members who all came out to enjoy their family gathering at the rink.
“I think it’s pretty cool. There’s lots of space, there are fire pits if people can’t skate, and if you have your own skates, it’s just easy to come out,” Bisman said. “It’s not expensive, which is really nice.”
The grand opening featured food trucks, booths from local skating clubs and skate rentals for the day. The rink also features overhead lights that illuminate the ice at nightfall, and speakers spaced around the rink that play music during opening hours. City officials then gave speeches and officially opened the rink with a ribbon-cutting ceremony before residents took to the ice.
Local mascots also made appearances for the special day, including Wolfie from TRU, Digger from the Kamloops Blazers and Stormy from the Kamloops Storm, who all hit the ice, joining all the excited skaters. While the rink doesn’t offer skate rentals yet, the city offered them temporarily for the grand opening. However, “yet” is the operative word, as the city is working on a plan for next year to accommodate those who don’t own their own equipment.
Sarah Foster, who came to the rink with her partner, said the space fills a gap in winter recreation options in Kamloops.
“In the winter, especially if you’re not a skier or snowboarder, there isn’t a whole lot to do,” Foster said. “Having free spaces like this, especially when you’ve got kids, this can be a really big game changer for families.”
The new rink was funded through a $7.16 million Growing Communities Fund grant intended to support local governments in addressing the needs of their growing communities. The facility features a refrigerated ice surface that maintains high-quality ice surfaces when the outdoor temperatures fall below 8°C. It is intended to run in its skating form from December through March, and transition into a walking, biking or rollerblading path in the summer months.
Around the rink, rubberized skate paths, seating areas, and fire pits were added to create a welcoming environment for users of all ages and abilities.
City councillor Mike O’Reilly said the rink is already exceeding expectations, both socially and economically.
“Having a free family amenity in the heart of our downtown core really gives families what they’ve been asking for, things to do together,” O’Reilly said. “Sporting goods stores around town have sold out of skates, so the economic impact is already being felt.”
O’Reilly added that the rink is helping keep Riverside Park a year-round destination for community members. Before the addition of the rink, the park was heavily used in the summer months but often sat quietly as the weather cooled down in the winter.
“Instead of being an eight-month park, we now have a 12-month amenity in our city,” he said. “An active space is a safe space.”
Beyond the winter season, O’Reilly said the community will ultimately decide the best use for the rink when it transitions into a multi-use pathway in the summer. The possibilities are wide open for what it could be.
“The community is going to make it what they want it to be,” O’Reilly said. “Whether it’s kids learning how to ride bikes, rollerblading, or just walking and spending time together, it’s going to become a passive space that evolves with how people use it.”
The rink, which was officially opened Jan. 7, has already experienced continuous traction from people coming out to skate to spectators who just came to check out the new space and decided to keep their talents off the ice.
Community members McShane and Nicki Jamieson, who stopped by the grand opening while out for a walk, said the turnout alone at the grand opening showed how excited residents were about the new addition.
“Look at the crowd that’s out here right now,” McShane said. “I’ve seen lots of people talking about it on Facebook; it’s a great event for kids, families and even older people without young kids.”
Jamieson added that free, accessible public spaces have become even more important since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Since COVID, everybody’s kind of been separate and doing their own thing,” she said. “Spaces like this bring people back together.”
The rink is free to use and open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, with extended hours on Fridays and Saturdays.