Outdoor Ice Skating Around Boston, Winter 2026-27

Frog Pond, Canal District Kendall, the Tall Ship, MarketStreet and DCR's Kelly Rink: what is confirmed, what is not posted yet, and how to get there.

Boston Neighbor staffPublished November 9, 20266 min read

Boston
Cambridge
East Boston
Lynnfield
Jamaica Plain

Illustration of skaters circling a small outdoor rink beside a frosted Boston Common with the State House dome behind

It is the second week of November, and the first outdoor rink in our area opens this Friday. Most of the others have only said “winter.” Here is every outdoor rink we could find around Boston, with what each one has actually published for 2026-27, what is left to be announced, and how to get to it without a car if you can.

A note on how we wrote this: we checked each rink’s own site on November 9, except DCR’s pages, which we could only reach through search results. Where a price or opening date is not posted, we say so instead of guessing. Rinks announce dates late and shift them with the weather, so treat the “not posted yet” items as things to recheck the week you plan to go.

At a glance

Rink	2026-27 opening	Posted price	Rentals
MarketStreet, Lynnfield	Fri, Nov 13	$13; $20 with skates	Yes, included in the $20 price
The Rink at the Tall Ship, East Boston	Fri, Nov 27	Not posted	Skates handled at check-in
Boston Common Frog Pond	“Not yet open”; date not posted	Not posted	Not posted
Canal District Kendall, Cambridge	“Mid-December” per its site	Not posted	Figure and hockey skates
DCR Kelly Outdoor Rink, Jamaica Plain	Mid-December typical; 2026-27 not posted	Not posted	Not posted

MarketStreet Lynnfield: the one that opens first

The SBLI Rink at MarketStreet, at 600 Market Street in Lynnfield, says it is back for its thirteenth season and will be open daily from November 13, 2026 through February 21, 2027.

Hours this year are Monday to Friday 3 to 8 pm, Saturday 10 am to 8 pm and Sunday 11 am to 8 pm. It is closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, and open 10 am to 3 pm on Christmas Eve. Admission is $13, or $20 with skate rentals, and children under 3 skate free. Conditions and hours depend on the weather, and the rink points skaters to its Instagram account, @marketstreetlynnfield, for updates. The mall’s phone number is 781-484-5400.

For anyone north of Boston, this is the closest outdoor rink to Melrose, Wakefield, Reading and Saugus. It is a car trip; MarketStreet is a shopping and dining center, so you can build a cocoa break into the outing.

The Rink at the Tall Ship, East Boston

The waterfront rink at 1 East Pier Drive returns on November 27, and the rink calls this its second year. It has 60-minute skating sessions on an outdoor rink, plus ice bumper cars and rink-side chalet lounges for groups of 8 to 12.

Hours are Monday to Friday 3 to 10 pm and Saturday and Sunday 11 am to 10 pm. The last skate session begins one hour before closing. Advance tickets are recommended because space is limited, and a limited number of day-of tickets are sold at the door depending on capacity. Check in 10 minutes before your session for skates, lacing up and a wristband sticker.

The rink lists valet parking through Boston Valet at $30 per vehicle. It does not list ticket prices on the pages we could read, so look at the ticket page before you commit. The phone number is (617) 307-7714.

Boston Common Frog Pond: not open yet

Frog Pond is the postcard rink in the middle of Boston Common. As of November 9, its winter ice skating page says plainly: “The ice rink is not yet open for the 2026-27 season.” The general information page says the skating season runs November to March, but it does not give an opening date, prices or hours for this year.

What is useful right now is the getting-there information. The rink lists public transportation as the Green Line to Park Street or Boylston, the Red Line to Park Street, or Silver Line SL5 to Boylston. Drivers are pointed to the Boston Common Garage under the Common. Frog Pond accepts cash, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Apple Pay and Android Pay. The phone is (617) 635-2120, and the rink has a closings and delays page for bad-weather days.

Frog Pond is run in partnership with the City of Boston and The Skating Club of Boston, which also offers private and group lessons there. Lesson coaching is not allowed during public sessions unless it is approved ahead of time, so do not plan on bringing your own coach.

Canal District Kendall, Cambridge

The Kendall rink at 300 Athenaeum Street, just off Third Street, says it is open “mid-December through mid-March, weather permitting.” No 2026-27 opening date is posted. Its page mentions one-day, individual and family season passes and says figure and hockey skate rentals are offered, but prices are not listed, and its listed hours conflict with each other, so we are not going to print them.

One thing to note: a listing for the Canal District Kendall Winter Market on Saturday, December 12, 2026, 11 am to 4 pm, says it includes free ice skating. That comes from a third-party calendar rather than the rink itself, so confirm it first.

The rink does not post transit directions on the page we could read. Kendall/MIT on the Red Line is the closest subway station to that part of Cambridge, but check the walking route on the MBTA trip planner before you go.

DCR’s Kelly Outdoor Rink, Jamaica Plain

The state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation runs several public rinks around Boston. The one we are covering here is its outdoor rink, the Kelly Outdoor Rink in Jamaica Plain. DCR’s listing says outdoor public skating there typically begins in mid-December and runs to mid-March, weather permitting.

We did not find a 2026-27 schedule for Kelly. Watch the DCR rink schedule page on mass.gov for hours and any admission details, or call the rink at (617) 727-7000.

What about Lowell?

We looked for an outdoor rink in Lowell and did not find a confirmed one. The city’s year-round skating is at the John J. Janas Memorial Skating Rink at 382 Douglas Road, which offers rentals and sharpening. We did not find confirmed 2026-27 public skating hours or prices, so call the rink at 978-454-6662 before you go.

How to plan a skate

Go early in the season if you want fresh ice and smaller crowds. Opening weekends and school vacation weeks are the busiest.
Check the closings page the same day. Rain, wind and warm spells close outdoor rinks. Frog Pond has a dedicated page for it, and MarketStreet says to follow its social account.
Bring gloves, and a second pair of socks if you are renting. Rental skates run snug on thick ones, so one thin pair is better.
Book ahead where you can. The Tall Ship recommends advance tickets.

We will update this page when Frog Pond, Kendall and DCR post their 2026-27 dates.