Union Square’s Holiday Ice Rink Opens November 4 With $22 Skating Through January 18

The outdoor holiday ice rink in Union Square opens for the 2026-27 season on Wednesday, November 4, and runs daily through Monday, January 18, 2027, according to the rink’s official site. Its full name is the Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square presented by Kaiser Permanente. Willy Bietak Productions runs it, and the listed address is 333 Post St., near Geary and Powell streets.

A second rink opens the same day at Fisherman’s Wharf, at 80 Jefferson St., and also runs through January 18, which we covered in Fisherman’s Wharf Is Getting a New Holiday Ice Rink This November. That gives the city two outdoor holiday rinks on the same season dates this year.

Hours and Prices

The rink is open 10am to 11pm daily. Skating is sold in hour-long sessions that start every 90 minutes. On December 31 it closes at 9:30pm.

General admission is $22, and $17 for kids 8 and under. Both prices include skate rental, in sizes from toddler 8 to adult 15. Add-ons, per the rink’s Plan Your Visit page:

• Locker: $5
• Skate helper: $6, for skaters 48 inches tall or shorter who can stand on their own, one skater per helper, first come, first served
• Gloves: $5
• Socks: $5
• Your own skates: $5 is refunded to the card used for the order

Tickets are sold online for a specific session. If rain cuts a session short or cancels it, the ticket is good for any available date through January 18, and you can rebook through the “Change booking” link in your confirmation email.

Opening Night and Special Events

The rink’s events page lists these dates for the season:

• Opening celebration: Wednesday, November 4, 5 to 7pm. The first 100 guests skate free at the 5:30pm and 7pm sessions, with registration on arrival.
• Drag on Ice: Thursday, December 3, 6:30 to 8pm, $35.
• Silent Skate: Thursday, December 10, 7pm and 8:30pm sessions, $35.
• Polar Bear Skate: Friday, January 1, 2:30 to 3:30pm, $30.
• Flashback Fridays with Greatest Hits 103.7: November 27, December 18 and January 15, 7pm and 8:30pm sessions.
• Classical Sundays with Classical California: Sundays, 10am and 11:30am sessions.
• Mid-Week Merriment: themed Wednesday nights at the 8:30pm session from November 11 through January 13, including Onesies Wednesday (November 11), Friendsgiving (November 25) and a K-Pop Countdown Skate (January 6).

Free Learn to Skate Lessons

Kaiser Permanente sponsors free Learn to Skate lessons for skaters with little or no experience, Saturdays and Sundays from 8 to 9am, with skate rental included. Spots are assigned by lottery. The entry window for November lessons closes Wednesday, October 28. The site says a second enrollment period will follow but has not posted its dates.

Practical Notes

Restrooms are in the Union Square Garage, and skates aren’t allowed off the rink, so use them before you lace up. The rink recommends layers, gloves and a hat. For transit, the rink’s directions point to Powell Street station for BART and Muni Metro, plus the Powell-Hyde cable car, the F-line and Muni bus routes including the 2, 5/5R, 7, 9/9R and 38/38R.

For the rest of the area, our guide to things to do in downtown San Francisco covers Union Square and the blocks around it. Another holiday opening that week: ZooLights returns to the San Francisco Zoo on November 6.

Sources: Union Square Ice Rink, Plan Your Visit, Special Events.

Photo: Kylelovesyou, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.