Inverness Ice Centre provides the festive fun
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THERE is a fun packed programme of events at Inverness Ice Centre during the run up to Christmas.
Skating is synonymous with Christmas and is very popular at this time of year. We have been stepped up our Public Skating sessions throughout November and through December.
We are staging a three-day Christmas extravaganza from Friday, December 16, until Sunday, December 18.
Gordon Barron, chief executive, said: "On the Friday there are two ice shows with local clubs being involved, from learn to skate to some quite accomplished skaters. There are two shows a late Friday afternoon matinee and an early evening show”.
Wonderland on Ice will be in two sittings – 5pm to 6.30pm and 7.30pm to 9pm – and will include all abilities from beginners to more experienced skaters.
It is set to feature figure skating performances and a professional light show with flooring and seating placed on the ice for the audience.
Mr Barron said: "On the Saturday we will extend the flooring to accommodate the Christmas markets whilst still providing ice at the far end of the arena for skating. The skating with Santa and Mrs Claus is proving popular and the tickets are selling rapidly."
There will also be Christmas markets on the Saturday and Sunday. Mr Barron said: "There will be a whole range of eating, drinking and craft items."
Karen McBey, head of events and communications, said the festive markets would be a first for the centre and added: "We have got 30 exhibitors each day with a couple of exhibitors staying for the full weekend.
"The good thing is we actually have a number of different ones on Saturday and Sunday so it is a real mixed bag with something for everyone.”
"We have got a whole range of exhibitors coming with everything from Slainch Sauces, a company down in Oban who are quite keen to come up and hit the Highland market.
"They do bespoke sauces – including alcohol mixed with butterscotch – they are toppings for ice creams and all that kind of stuff.
"We also have local crafters who make jewellery out of sea glass and everything in between so it is a good mixture."
She said it would be something to look forward to. She said: "You know a lot of the Christmas markets seem to have the same businesses at them every year which is great because they are very popular.
"But the difference with our one is that, although we may have a few that are well-known locally, we actually do have quite a number that have never exhibited at markets before since Covid anyway.
"And some are coming from further afield as well. For our markets it will be a completely new experience. We will also have entertainment during our markets as well."
And, to round off the weekend, they will be showing the World Cup Final upstairs, kicking off at 3pm.
On Sunday, December 4, the Ice Centre are supporting National Skating day. Mr Barron said: "British Ice Skating are leading the way on this and we wished to support their initiative by offering up 100 free tickets for the public skating that day. They were sold out in minutes”.
"We did something similar three years ago, and we had 40 per cent more public participation than we had the previous year.
Between now and Christmas each weekend is building up and gathering a momentum.
"We have also got come and try ice hockey, which is very popular and the numbers are building, and come and try curling, which is outside our weekend programme but it is all knitting together to seeing more participation on the ice”.
Ms McBey agreed that the public skating sessions, on Sundays between 1.45pm to 3.15pm, were very popular.
She said: "We do, particularly in the winter months and recommended pre-booking on-line because it books out really quickly. Just visit our website.
"In January, when Dancing on Ice comes back on the TV, we always see a rush on public skating and lessons then as well."
Next year will also see the return of the very popular skate camps in July.
