Elmbridge's nearest ice rink is at Hampton Court Palace, over the bridge from East Molesey, 20 November to 3 January. Adults £19.50, children £14.50.
No town in Elmbridge has announced an ice rink of its own this Christmas. The nearest is a big one: Hampton Court Palace Ice Rink, just across Hampton Court Bridge from East Molesey, open from Friday 20 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, every day except Christmas Day. Bookings for 2026 are live. The palace has an East Molesey postcode, KT8 9AU, but stands on the north bank of the Thames, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
The quick answer
- Dates: Friday 20 November 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, closed on Christmas Day
- Times: first session 10am, last session 8pm; each session is up to 45 minutes on the ice
- Prices: adults £19.50 off peak or £21.50 peak; children aged 3 to 12 £14.50 or £16; a family of four £59.50 or £65.50. Skate hire is included
- Not included: palace admission. The rink is a separate ticket
- Parking: £1.80 an hour in the palace car park, card only; it fills up, so Hampton Court station, a five-minute walk away, is the easier route
Dates, times and sessions
Historic Royal Palaces lists the rink from 20 November to 3 January 2027, excluding Christmas Day, with the first session at 10am and the last at 8pm. The rink’s own home page gives the same dates and says 2026 bookings are open.
Each session lasts up to 45 minutes on the ice. The rink asks skaters to arrive 30 to 40 minutes early to collect skates and use the cloakroom, and tickets arrive as a QR code by email from palace-icerink@fixr.co (plan your visit).
Quieter sessions. Historic Royal Palaces says reduced-capacity sessions run from 10am daily, with static lighting and softer music, suited to disabled skaters and parents with young children. The rink’s own events schedule lists SEND sessions at 9am through the season. The two pages do not agree on the start time, so check the booking calendar before you set off. The rink’s prices page adds that weekdays before 3pm are the quietest time for wheelchair users.
Ticket prices
From the rink’s opening times and prices page:
| Ticket | Off peak | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (13 and over) | £19.50 | £21.50 |
| Student (ID needed) | £18.00 | £21.50 |
| Child (3 to 12) | £14.50 | £16.00 |
| Family (2 adults and 2 children, or 1 adult and 3 children) | £59.50 | £65.50 |
| Wheelchair user (one carer free) | £15.00 | £15.00 |
| Groups of 10 or more, per person | £13.50 to £17.50 | £14.85 to £19.35 |
The page does not say which days count as peak. Historic Royal Palaces members save 10% or more, using codes from the members’ e-newsletter. Booking fees are not refunded if you move a session, and changes need 48 hours’ notice (FAQs).
Special sessions
The rink’s events schedule lists:
- Sunday Sessions, every Sunday, 6pm to 9pm
- Adult-only skates with a DJ and the bar, 7pm to 9pm, on the dates “23rd Nov, 30th Nov, 7th Dec”. The schedule calls them weekend sessions, but those dates are all Mondays in 2026, so check the booking calendar before planning around them
- Live ice carving, Skating Santa, DJ nights and a singles Date Night, all marked “dates TBC”
This page will be updated when the rink dates them.
Rules for children
- Under 3s are not allowed on the ice.
- Under 13s must skate with an adult aged 18 or over, and one adult can supervise up to five children.
- Skate aids cost £6, first come, first served on the day; they cannot be booked. The FAQ says they are for children up to 100cm tall, while the plan your visit page says under 140cm. Staff measure every child.
- Children need to fit a bob skate size 6.5 or above.
Food, drink and facilities
Deelight Bakery and the Department of Coffee & Social Affairs run the food and drink, with hot chocolate, mulled wine and cocktails (food and drink). The site is cashless, including the cloakroom. Spectating is free from a fully accessible viewing platform. The rink is outdoors and stays open in wet weather; if a session is cancelled for the weather you can move your ticket, but the booking fee is not refunded.
Getting there and parking
The palace is at the north end of Hampton Court Bridge, KT8 9AU, a short walk over the river from East Molesey and Hampton Court station. Historic Royal Palaces’ getting here page sets out the options:
- Train: Hampton Court station is a five-minute walk. Trains run every 30 minutes from London Waterloo via Surbiton and Thames Ditton. Trains back to Waterloo leave at 23 and 53 minutes past the hour Monday to Saturday, and at 05 and 35 past on Sundays.
- Palace car park: £1.80 an hour, card or the Trust app, first come first served, standard-size bays only. Ten Blue Badge bays.
- Hampton Court Green car park: 500 metres away, also £1.80 an hour, card or PayByPhone.
- Walton Road car park, East Molesey KT8 0DL: the council car park, 151 spaces, a 20-minute walk or the 411 bus.
Historic Royal Palaces advises other means of travel at busy times. The two weekends of the palace’s Festive Fayre, 4 to 6 and 11 to 13 December, will be the busiest days around the palace. Council car park charges are on our parking in Elmbridge page, road closures on roadworks and travel, and the holiday rail timetable on Christmas train times.
Is there a rink in Elmbridge itself?
Not one that has been announced. Christmas in Surrey at Sandown Park (21 to 24 November), Cobham’s Onederland (21 November) and Walton’s Festival of Light (28 November) have published their 2026 plans, and none lists an ice rink. If a village adds one, it will go on this page and in What’s On in Elmbridge.
Sources
- Hampton Court Palace ice rink, Historic Royal Palaces, for the dates, Christmas Day closure, first and last sessions, member discount and reduced-capacity sessions
- Hampton Court Palace Ice Rink: opening times and prices, events schedule, plan your visit, FAQs and food and drink, all read on 20 October 2026
- Getting here, Historic Royal Palaces, for trains and car parks
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