Rockefeller Center ice skating rink to open Saturday

Proof of vaccination is not required to skate this season since the rink is an outdoor activity, though all guests ages 2+ are required to wear a mask at all times while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.

News 12 Staff

Nov 5, 2021, 11:41 AM

Updated 1,067 days ago

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It's time to dig out your old ice skates.
One of New York City's favorite holiday traditions returns, as the skating rink at Rockefeller Center opens to the public Saturday.
Skating beneath the Christmas tree and Prometheus statue dates back to the early 20th century, when The Rink, or "skating pond," first opened on Christmas Day in 1936, according to Rockefeller Center's website.
Originally planned as a temporary exhibit, after proving its popularity, the rink became the permanent fixture that New Yorkers know and love.
Proof of vaccination is not required to skate this season since the rink is an outdoor activity, though all guests ages 2+ are required to wear a mask at all times while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
Masks do not need to be worn while skating.
General admission tickets begin at $20, and are available on Rockefeller Center's website.
Rockefeller Center announced yesterday the selection of this year's Christmas tree, a 79-foot Norway spruce that, for the first time in history, will not be from New York.
The spruce is from Elton, Maryland, and will be cut on Nov. 11 and arrive in the city on Nov. 13.
After being wrapped with more than 50,000 multi-colored, energy efficient LED lights and crowned with a Swarovski start, the tree will be lit during the live broadcast of "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" on Dec. 1.
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will be on display until Jan. 16, 2022.