Rideau Canal Skateway graced with a December opening
Posted Dec 31, 2025 11:03:39 AM.
Last Updated Dec 31, 2025 11:03:44 AM.
If skating on the Rideau Canal was on your 2025 bucket list, you are in luck.
A 3.4 km stretch of the Rideau Canal Skateway opened at 8 a.m. Wednesday, giving skaters one chance to glide through the city before the new year.
December openings are becoming more an more rare for the famed skateway. A portion of the rink opened in December just five times since 2000, with the most recent December opening happening in 2018.
“Ottawa is a true winter capital, and its cold season is unparalleled,” Tobi Nussbaum, Chief Executive of the National Capital Commission, said in a press release. “Everyone is invited to come to the skating rink, soak up the holiday spirit, and enjoy a quintessentially Canadian activity – right in the heart of the nation’s capital.”
The December opening is special considering just three years ago, the skateway was closed for the entire season.
This year’s success is a mixture of early cold weather which created ideal conditions for maintaining the ice, as well as new mitigation efforts adopted by the NCC through partnership with Carleton University.
Skaters can lace up between the Somerset West access point and the Bank Street Bridge. There will be stops along the way including the BeaverTails trailer at the Concord and Fifth entrances.
For full updated ice conditions, check out the interactive map on the NCC website.
