Excitement is building as Great Yarmouth's real ice rink takes shape in the town centre ahead of its grand opening on the first day of the Christmas Fayre on Friday, November 24.
Tickets are available to slide out onto the rink in the Market Square, between Friday, November 24 and Tuesday, January 2: and people are advised to get their skates on and book early at www.great-yarmouth.co.uk/SkateYarmouth to guarantee their preferred sessions.
The rink, organised by Great Yarmouth Borough Council, will open for the first time from noon and will open late that evening for the first day of the Christmas Fayre and Christmas Lights Switch-on, with entertainment from 6pm and fireworks at 7pm.
The rink is provided through the council's Town Centre Initiative as one of the Skate Yarmouth activities to support town centre footfall and trade this Christmas.
The build started this week, with the arrival of the site infrastructure. On Sunday, which will also see the arrival of the town centre Christmas tree, some 30,000 litres of water will be delivered, with the rink taking 60 to 72 hours to freeze.
The three-day fayre, from Friday, November 24 to Sunday, November 26, promises a Christmas shopping bag stuffed full of festive attractions. The opening ceremony is at 10am on the Friday in the Minster, which will be filled with stalls selling handcrafted gifts and tasty treats. On the Market Place, in addition to the regular market traders, there will be special covered stalls selling festive food and gifts.
Entertainment will take place in both the Minster and on the Market Place, including performances from local schools on the Friday. The Lardal Kantori Choir will give a concert of traditional Norwegian and English carols in the Minster on Saturday, November 25, at 7.30pm. Tickets are £8 in advance or £10 on the door.
The Priory Centre will have festive stalls and a Christmas 'Comfort kitchen', serving warming soup, mulled wine, luxury hot chocolate and mince pies, while on Saturday and Sunday it will host a Santa's Grotto and fun activities for children.
A Santa's Grotto will welcome the arrival of Father Christmas on December 2. Late-night shopping gets underway every Wednesday from November 29.
SAVE RINK MONEY
Save when you skate on the ice rink – thanks to two special offers.
Normally, ticket prices for a 45-minute session and ice skate hire are: £10 per adult, £7.50 per child aged four to 16, and £30 for a family ticket (two adults and two children, or one adult and three children).
However, to enable local residents to go on the ice for less, a special discount has been introduced enabling adults with a Resident Advantage Card to save £1 on the ticket price, Mondays to Fridays before 3pm, until Tuesday, December 19. Get your card at www.great-yarmouth.gov.uk/ResidentAdvantageCard
In addition, a Skate Yarmouth Loyalty Card will be available, enabling anyone who skates four times to have a fifth session completely free-of-charge. Get your card at the skate exchange when the rink opens. Plus, discount prices are available for groups and schools. www.great-yarmouth.co.uk/SkateYarmouth
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here