No Woking town centre rink again this Christmas. Guildford Spectrum skates daily, with snow sessions 21 Dec to 1 Jan; Hampton Court opens 20 Nov from £14.50.

There is no ice rink in Woking town centre this Christmas. Neither Victoria Place nor Woking Borough Council lists one for 2026, and the pop-up rink that ran in the town centre in 2022 has not been back since. To skate, Woking families go to Guildford Spectrum, an indoor rink open all year, or to the outdoor rink at Hampton Court Palace, open from Friday 20 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027.

The quick answer

  • In Woking: no rink in 2026. Nothing on Victoria Place’s site or the council’s, checked 20 October.
  • Nearest indoor rink: Guildford Spectrum, Parkway, GU1 1UP. Christmas holiday sessions from Monday 21 December, with falling-snow “Snow Globe” skates on most afternoons. No skating on Christmas Day, or from 9 to 13 December while the ice show is on.
  • Nearest outdoor rink: Hampton Court Palace, 20 November to 3 January, closed Christmas Day, first session 10am, last 8pm. Children 3 to 12 from £14.50, adults from £19.50.

Why there is no Woking rink

The town centre rink was run by Ice Leisure Group, and it did not return for Christmas 2023. The company’s director, Robert Cook, told the Woking News & Mail that “the level of risk was too high to proceed”, that “it hasn’t been possible to achieve any meaningful dialogue” with the council, and that the “number of customers through the door wasn’t quite at the level needed to justify the large investment required” (Woking News & Mail, 16 October 2023). He said then that a return in 2024 was possible. It has not happened, and there is nothing for 2026 on the shopping centre’s or the council’s sites. If a rink is announced, this page will say so.

Guildford Spectrum: Christmas week and New Year

The Spectrum’s online timetable, read week by week on 20 October 2026, has three daytime sessions on most holiday days, each 90 minutes. Snow Globe skates drop snow on the rink in short bursts (Guildford Spectrum timetable, Snow Globe Skate).

Day Sessions
Monday 21 to Wednesday 23 December 10.30am; Snow Globe 1.15pm and 3.30pm; plus an 8.30pm session on 22 and 23 December
Thursday 24 December (Christmas Eve) 10.30am; Snow Globe 1.15pm and 3.30pm
Friday 25 December (Christmas Day) No sessions
Saturday 26 December (Boxing Day) 10.30am; Snow Globe 12.30pm and 3pm
Sunday 27 December 10.30am, 12.30pm, 3pm; Ice Xtreme disco 8.45pm
Monday 28 and Tuesday 29 December 10.30am; Snow Globe 1.15pm and 3.30pm
Wednesday 30 December 10.30am, 1.15pm, 3.30pm (no Snow Globe)
Thursday 31 December and Friday 1 January 10.30am; Snow Globe 1.15pm and 3.30pm
Saturday 2 January 10.30am, 12.30pm; Ice Disco 3pm; Ice Xtreme 8.45pm
Sunday 3 January 10.30am, 12.30pm, 3pm; Ice Xtreme 8.45pm

There is no evening skating on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.

Guildford Spectrum before the holidays

  • The ice show closure: the Spectrum says “the final public skating session will be on Tuesday 8th December” and “the Ice Rink will fully open again on Monday 14th December”, while The Wizard of Oz on Ice is on (Guildford Spectrum, ice show).
  • A normal late-November week, from the timetable for 23 to 29 November: weekday sessions at 12pm, with a second at 2pm on most days; evening skates at 8.30pm on Monday and Tuesday, a 5.30pm teatime session on Wednesday, a Retro Skate on Thursday at 8.30pm and Ice Xtreme discos on Friday (6.30pm for under 16s, then 8.30pm). Saturday has 10.30am and 12.30pm sessions, an Ice Disco at 3pm and Ice Xtreme at 8.45pm; Sunday has 10.30am, 12.30pm, 3pm and 8.45pm.
  • Every session must be booked online, and there is no re-entry once you leave the ice. At some daytime sessions a barrier makes the rink smaller: Monday to Friday 10.30am to 12pm, and Saturday 10.30am to 12pm and 12.30pm to 2pm.

The Spectrum’s pages do not print public skating prices; they show only in the online booking system. To check a price before booking, ring the Spectrum on 01483 44 33 22 or see its ice skating FAQs.

The outdoor rink: Hampton Court Palace

Historic Royal Palaces lists the rink from 20 November to 3 January 2027, excluding Christmas Day, first session 10am and last session 8pm. It is a separate ticket from palace admission, and reduced-capacity sessions with softer music and static lighting run from 10am daily (Historic Royal Palaces). Prices from the operator, Icebox Live (opening times and prices):

Ticket Off peak Peak
Adult (13+) £19.50 £21.50
Student (ID needed) £18 £21.50
Child (3 to 12) £14.50 £16
Family (2 adults and 2 children, or 1 and 3) £59.50 £65.50
Wheelchair user (one carer free) £15 £15
Groups of 10 or more, per person £13.50 to £17.50 £14.85 to £19.35

Children under 13 must skate with an adult, who needs their own ticket; one adult can supervise up to five children. The operator says the quieter sessions are on weekdays before 3pm.

More for Christmas in Woking

The town’s own winter events are on our other pages: the Christmas lights switch-on, the Christmas markets, Santa’s grottos, RHS Wisley Glow and the pantomime. Going by train over the holidays? See Christmas train times. Driving? Check the roadworks page first, and for a skate in town later in the season, parking in Woking.

Still to confirm

  • Guildford Spectrum’s public skating prices for the Christmas period, shown only at booking.
  • Any 2026 rink in Woking. We will check Victoria Place and the council again on each weekly pass.

Sources