A new opportunity to celebrate the holidays is open right now on the Northwest Side of San Antonio.
The Rock at La Cantera is hosting “Winterfest” to help the community get in the holiday spirit. The month-and-a-half-long event features everything from Christmas movies shown on the big screen in Frost Plaza, meet and greets with Santa, the opportunity to make s’more over the fire, and outdoor ice skating.
Recommended Videos
The skating rink is a big attraction at The Rock, and officials said they are excited to have it on-site for community members to use.
“We want to connect with everyone in San Antonio, and we want to have those little differentiators, ‘why come out here to The Rock? Why am I here at Frost Plaza?’ So the ice rink is one of those things that really stood out for us,” said Alex Embree, Spurs Spokesperson.
There is something unique about the ice rink at “Winterfest.“ It isn’t real ice. Instead, it’s synthetic plastic.
“It gives the same feel of a real ice rink, you know, slick and smooth,” Embree said.
What makes synthetic plastic special is its temperature control, meaning skaters can use it no matter the temperature outside.
This is big because, as we know, our holiday season in South Texas can be warmer than in other parts of our country. The heat can make it harder to maintain a true ice rink in our area.
“It’s really about the synthetic plastic it’s made from. It’s temperature controlled so when it does get hot, when it gets warmer, it’s not going to be affected,” said Embree.
Aside from being temperature controlled, the synthetic plastic rink offers other benefits:
- It doesn’t melt, which means there’s no water or no grooves in the rink. This makes falls less common and less hurtful
- The plastic also has a flexible underlay which contributes to less harmful falls
- It’s low maintenance and only requires to be polished once a week, rather than every few hours like your typical ice rink
- The ice skate blades do not have to be as sharp as typical skates
It is free to walk into Frost Plaza and explore during “Winterfest;” however, ice skate rentals do cost $15. You must sign a waiver before getting into the rink, and there is no time limit unless it is super busy.
“We have a mini hut that has all the skates that people rent, skate around and return them,” Embree said.
The idea of the synthetic ice rink came from Glice North America. Members of The Rock’s Legends team visited Glice’s headquarters in Colorado to learn about these types of ice rinks.
Glice produces synthetic ice rinks that have various uses including in professional hockey practice facilities, curling and holiday events.
Glice rinks have a projected 24-year lifespan.
It took one day for Frost Plaza officials to put the ice rink together.
“Winterfest” will be open through Jan. 6.