Ice District skating rink opens for the season

Ice District Plaza's public skating rink officially opened Saturday, with some Edmontonians saying the attraction will help make downtown even more of an entertainment destination.

The rink will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily during the winter months, with skate rentals becoming available soon.

"The exciting thing with having the ice in and obviously all of the different tenants and retails stores that are here is that it's a great place to come," said Andrea Carroll, Oilers Entertainment Group director of event operations.

"Whether it's your family, you are coming on a Friday night, you can come have a skate," she added. "You can really plan your night to be down here in Ice District, and you don't have to go anywhere else; you can come, you can play, you can eat, you can stay."

Wanda MacKinnon watched her daughters help break in the new ice at the outdoor rink Saturday afternoon.

"It's a great attraction," MacKinnon told CTV News Edmonton. "It's a fun, entertaining environment, and it'll definitely attract lots of young kids and families to come out and enjoy, have a bite to eat and enjoy watching the skating."

"What else would you want," said Clayton Halliday. "This is pretty cool to have a rink in the middle of the city."