Bury has no ice rink this Christmas. Skate Manchester opens 6 Nov at Cathedral Gardens, a tram ride away, from £15. Planet Ice Blackburn is £10 Christmas Day.

There is no ice rink in Bury this Christmas, and none has been announced anywhere in the borough. The nearest is Skate Manchester at Cathedral Gardens, open from Friday 6 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, a short walk from Victoria tram stop, so a Bury family can get there on one tram. Adult tickets cost £15 to £21 with skate hire included. For Christmas Day, when Skate Manchester is shut, Planet Ice Blackburn has one session, 10am to 12pm, at £10.

Everything below was read from the rinks’ own websites and booking systems on 20 October 2026.

The quick answer
A rink in Bury? No. The Rock, Bury Council and Visit Ramsbottom list none for 2026
Nearest pop-up Skate Manchester, Cathedral Gardens, 6 Nov to 3 Jan
Getting there Bury line tram to Victoria, about 28 minutes, then a short walk
Price Adult or teen £15 to £21, child £13.75 to £15.50, skates included
Christmas Day Skate Manchester closed; Planet Ice Blackburn and Altrincham 10am to 12pm, £10
Santa sessions Planet Ice, 12, 13 and 18 to 24 December, £15.40
New Year’s Eve Skate Manchester until 9pm; Planet Ice Blackburn last session ends 6pm

Skate Manchester, Cathedral Gardens

Skate Manchester’s own site says the rink “will be open to the public from 6 November 2026, until 3 January 2027, except on Christmas Day”. It is covered but open at the sides, next to the Christmas market in Cathedral Gardens.

Opening hours

Dates Open Doors Last session starts
6 Nov to 6 Dec 11am to 9pm daily 10.30am 8pm
7 Dec to 3 Jan 10am to 9pm daily 9.30am 8pm
25 Dec Closed

Sessions last up to 45 minutes. The rink asks you to arrive 30 to 40 minutes before yours to swap shoes for skates.

Standard prices (skate hire included, booking fee extra and non-refundable)

Ticket Price
Adult or teen, 13 and over £15.00 to £21.00
Child, 12 and under £13.75 to £15.50
Family (1 adult and 3 children, or 2 and 2) £44.00 to £59.00
Carer Free, box office only
Skate aid hire £5.00

The price range is off-peak to peak. Skate Manchester says these are standard rates, not its Super Early Bird or Early Bird offers, which it sells online first. It has not published the booking fee amount. New this year, you can change a ticket’s date and time up to 24 hours before the session.

Cheaper ways in, 6 November to 18 December

Most of the offers stop on 18 December, so the cheap weeks are before the schools break up.

  • Kids skate free on Tuesdays, 4pm to 6pm. The site says “adults pay for one session, skate for two”.
  • Parents and Mini Skater: weekdays 2pm to 3pm, £15 for both.
  • Local Love: 20% off on Mondays and Tuesdays with the code LCLOVE2026 at checkout.
  • Students: £10 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with ID.
  • SEND sessions: Mondays 3pm to 4pm, a calmer, adapted skate.
  • Blue light workers: 20% off standard sessions for NHS, police, fire and ambulance staff, with ID.
  • Community groups £5 a skater on Mondays; school groups £5 a pupil on weekdays, teachers free.

Before you go

  • Children under 3 cannot go on the ice. Under 13s need a ticketed adult (18 or over) on the ice with them; one adult can supervise up to five children.
  • Child skate aids are only for children under 130cm, first come, first served. Helmets are free.
  • The venue is cashless. The cloakroom is limited and charged per item: the plan-your-visit page says £2.50, the FAQ says £2. There are no toilets at the rink; use the market or the Arndale.
  • Because it is open to the weather, the ice can carry surface water. Bring gloves and a spare pair of socks.
  • Spectators watch free from a small viewing platform.

Skate Manchester’s FAQ page still prints last winter’s dates (25 October 2025 to 4 January 2026). The opening times page carries the 2026 dates, which are the ones above.

Getting there from Bury

The tram is the easy way. Bury line trams run into Victoria every seven or eight minutes, about 28 minutes from Bury Interchange on the published timetable, and Cathedral Gardens is around the corner from the station. Our Bury tram times page has fares and first and last trams; the last skating session starts at 8pm, well before the last tram home.

If you drive, Skate Manchester points to parking on Chapel Street or near Victoria, disabled parking on Todd Street outside Victoria, and more than 130 disabled spaces in the nearby NCPs (Exchange, Arena, High Street, Shudehill). Check our roadworks and travel page for tram closures on the Bury line before you set off.

Planet Ice Blackburn

The nearest permanent indoor rink is Planet Ice Blackburn on Lower Audley Street, a short walk from Blackburn’s bus and rail stations according to Visit Blackburn. Its Christmas timetable is already loaded in Planet Ice’s booking system.

Date Sessions Price (adult or child)
Tue 1 to Tue 8 Dec Public skates most days from 10.45am or 11am; evening skate Wed 2 and Sat 5 Dec; Sub Zero Disco Fri 4 Dec 7.45pm to 10pm From £11.75 (off-peak)
Wed 9 and Thu 10 Dec No public sessions listed
Fri 11 Dec Christmas Jumper Day: 9.30am to 12.30pm, 1pm to 4.30pm, 7.45pm to 10pm £15.40
Sat 12 and Sun 13 Dec Skate & Spot Santa, sessions from 11am, last 7pm to 9pm £15.40
Mon 14 to Thu 17 Dec Public skate 9.30am to 12.30pm and 1pm to 4.30pm (plus 7pm to 9pm on the 16th) £15.40
Fri 18 to Thu 24 Dec Skate & Spot Santa every day, first session 9.30am or 11am £15.40
Fri 25 Dec Christmas Day skate, 10am to 12pm £10
Sat 26 to Wed 30 Dec Overlapping public sessions, roughly 9.15am to 6pm, evenings 6pm to 9pm on 28 to 30 Dec £15.40
Thu 31 Dec New Year’s Eve skate, 9am to 6pm; no evening session £15.40
Fri 1 Jan New Year’s Day skate, 10am to 4.30pm and 6pm to 9pm £15.40

Students pay £10 with ID; under 4s are £3.20 and must have an adult on the ice; a carer with an Access Card goes free. Planet Ice’s FAQs say skate hire is not included in public sessions, so add it when you book. Under 8s need an adult with them on the ice.

Christmas Day skating

Skate Manchester is closed on 25 December. Both Planet Ice rinks within reach of Bury open for one session, 10am to 12pm, priced as a flat “Christmas Day Skate” at £10, under 4s £3.20:

  • Planet Ice Blackburn, Lower Audley Street.
  • Planet Ice Altrincham, Oakfield Road, WA15 8EW, next to Altrincham Interchange.

There is only the one session at each, so book early, and plan the journey: public transport on Christmas Day is very limited.

Planet Ice Altrincham

Altrincham runs the same Christmas pattern as Blackburn: Skate & Spot Santa on 12, 13 and 18 to 24 December at £15.40, the £10 Christmas Day skate, and daytime sessions on New Year’s Eve. It is a longer trip from Bury, though it is on the same tram network (change in the city centre for the Altrincham line). Its booking system lists no public sessions on Tuesday 8 December.

What about Rochdale?

Rochdale ran a Santa’s Village Ice Rink last winter. Its 2026 Christmas programme does not mention one yet: the council’s Ignite Fire Festival page (fire festival 20 to 22 November, lights switch-on around 5.30pm on Sunday 22 November) still carries last year’s food and drink offers for rink ticket holders, labelled as 2025 information, and its 13 October announcement is silent on a rink. If Rochdale confirms one, it will be added here.

Is there a rink at The Rock?

No. The Rock’s Christmas so far is the lights switch-on parade on Saturday 7 November (see our switch-on page) and, last year, a free Santa’s grotto, covered on our Santa’s grotto page. Nothing on the centre’s site or news feed mentions skating. Parking for a Bury trip is on our parking in Bury page.

Still to be published

  • Skate Manchester’s booking fee and which dates are peak and off-peak (shown only when you book).
  • Whether Rochdale’s rink returns for 2026.
  • Planet Ice sessions after early January.

This page will be updated when Skate Manchester opens and again before the Christmas holidays.

Sources