Los Angeles is not generally a place that you associate with ice, unless it’s the kind you drop into a lychee martini. But with the holidays approaching, the city is getting ready to put on the chill with two festive ice rinks. On Nov. 10 the Holiday Ice Rink Pershing Square in downtown LA opens with its 19th season. Through Jan. 16, skaters can glide amid the skyscrapers and historic landmarks of this booming urban neighborhood. Special events include the Ice Breaker: Opening Celebration; DJ Spotlight Series; Polar Bear Skate; Learn to Curl; and its first-ever Silent Night Skate Party. The 7,200-square-foot rink welcomes a half-million skaters and spectators annually. Group rates and private parties are available. For more info, visit wholidayicerinkdowntownla.com or call 213.624.4289.
Across town, ICE at Santa Monica launches its 10th season on Nov. 3. ICE will celebrate the milestone of a decade of ice-skating escapades in downtown Santa Monica with a free Grand Opening Birthday Party on Nov. 10. The evening’s festivities will include skaters of all sizes, fathering around a colossal birthday cake, baked to serve 300 and styled after the rink itself. This year the 8,000-square-foot rink introduces ICE Grooves, a music-themed skate party each Thursday night with themes that include Disco Fever, Old School Hip Hop, Motown Funk, Latin World and Indie Rock. Lessons are available, as well as private events in the cabanas that line the perimeter of the rink. For more information, visit downtownsm.com/ice-at-santa-monica or call 310.260.1199.
