Lakeside's Christmas rink opens 14 November at £21 an adult, £14 early bird. Plus real ice in Billericay and Chelmsford from £8.80, with the rules for families.

Most people in Basildon skate at The Christmas Destination at Lakeside, a seasonal rink at Lakeside Shopping Centre that opens on 14 November, or at Riverside in Chelmsford, which runs all year and is the cheapest from £8.80. Christmas Fest Essex in Billericay has a real-ice rink as part of its Santa experience, and Harlow On Ice opens on 21 November. Every entry checked against the rink’s own site on 3 November 2026.

We have not skated at any of these for this guide, and nothing here is a review. Each entry gives the dates, the prices the rink’s website or booking page showed, and the rules that catch families out: age limits, adult-to-child ratios, membership cards and cashless desks. Prices can change by day and session, so check yours when you book.

In the borough: Billericay

1. Christmas Fest Essex

A family-run Christmas experience in woodland on Heath Road, Billericay, built around a private walk-through: each booking of up to ten people goes through the rooms, a miniature train ride and a visit to Father Christmas on its own. Afterwards comes a 60-minute timed session on the rink.

The organisers say “our ice rink is real ice, not plastic or synthetic”, and that they own it. Skates and skating aids are included.

This is not a rink you can book on its own: every booking must include at least one child ticket, and the site says the experience is designed for children aged 2 to 10. On 28 October it said the 2026 season was over 90% sold and no more slots will be added.

The site is not accessible for wheelchairs or scooters, the organisers say, because of the woodland paths, though one wheelchair may go on the ice with an adult holding it, subject to the manager. The car park can be muddy.

Open November and December 2026, by timed booking; ice rink closes 7.30pm; allow up to three hours
Price tickets from £40 in November and £50 in December; concession ticket for a supporting adult £30; £10 booking fee; skating, skates and aids included
Booking online only, maximum ten people per booking, at least one child ticket; non-refundable
Address Heath Road, Billericay, CM11 1HL
Website christmasfestessex.co.uk
Good for real ice, under-10s, Father Christmas, covered rink, parking included

Christmas rinks within reach

2. The Christmas Destination at Lakeside

A seasonal rink at The Quays, Lakeside Shopping Centre, run by Bowden Events, with fairground rides alongside. Park entry is free; skating is booked by the session.

The FAQ gives sessions of up to 45 minutes and asks skaters to check in 15 minutes early. Children under 3 are not allowed on the ice, and children aged 3 to 15 must skate with an adult, one adult to every three children.

There are SEND sessions every Thursday and Sunday, late-night discos on Friday and Saturday at 9pm, and “Skate with the Grinch” sessions at 1pm on 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20 December, which the operator says sell out fast. The FAQ still quotes last season’s lower prices; the figures below are the ones on the booking page.

SEND sessions run at 4pm on Thursdays in term time, at 12pm on Thursdays from 24 December, and at 10am on Sundays. Wheelchair users are asked to email icerink@thedestinationatlakeside.com before booking.

Open 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027; to 20 December, Mon to Thu 4pm to 9pm, Fri 4pm to 10pm, Sat and Sun 10am to 10pm; from 21 December daily 10am to 10pm
Price adult £21; child (3 to 15) £16; family (two adults and two children, or one and three) £64; push-along or ride-on skate aid £9; plus a booking fee; early bird £14 a skater Mon to Thu, 16 November to 10 December
Booking online up to 30 minutes before the session, or at the box office beside the rink if space allows; amendments up to 24 hours before; no refunds
Address The Quays, Lakeside Shopping Centre, West Thurrock, RM20 2AD
Website thedestinationatlakeside.com/icerinkbookings
Good for SEND sessions, late-night disco, skate aids, free entry to the park

3. Harlow On Ice

A seasonal rink of real ice under a decorated marquee beside the Harvey Centre in Harlow, run by Ice Leisure Group Ltd, so sessions go ahead in the rain. Most sessions last 45 minutes and every price includes skate hire, with skates from junior size 9 to adult size 14.

There are sessions for children aged 8 and under with an adult, Quiet / SEND sessions, and Ice Beats evenings with music. Book three or more tickets including an adult and a child and a family discount comes off at checkout.

Essential companions skate free. Our sister site has the full Harlow session pattern.

Open 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027; closed Mondays until 14 December, then daily; closed Christmas Day
Price with skate hire: saver adult £13.90, child £11.90; standard adult £18.90, child £15.90; student £16.95; essential companion free
Booking online
Address West Gate, Harlow, CM20 1JN
Website harlowonice.co.uk
Good for real ice, covered, under-9s sessions, quiet SEND sessions

Open all year

4. Riverside Ice and Leisure, Chelmsford

Chelmsford City Council’s rink at Riverside Leisure Centre, beside the River Chelmer, with public skating, family sessions, clubs and a Skate School. From Saturday 5 to Thursday 31 December 2026 the council runs “Christmas at Riverside”: weekend sessions from 10am to 12pm and 2.30pm to 4.30pm with a DJ, snow machine effects and lights, on 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20 and 27 December, on top of daily Holiday Skate in the school holidays.

Friday nights from 7.30pm to 9pm are the Ice Disco, which the council says is not suitable for young families. You need an ourChelmsford account to book; the free Lite card is set up the first time you book, even if you do not live in Chelmsford.

Open all year; public sessions as timetabled; Christmas at Riverside 5 to 31 December 2026
Price ourChelmsford Lite, skate hire included: weekday term-time mornings and afternoons and Mon and Wed evenings £8.80 (discounted £8); Fri evening and weekend £10.80; Holiday Skate and Christmas sessions £10.80 (Plus card £9.50); spectator £3.70; penguin, snowman or polar bear skating aid £3.80 for 30 minutes
Booking up to ten days ahead online, in the Chelmsford City Sports app or by phone; some door tickets, not guaranteed; cashless
Call 01245 615050
Address Victoria Road, Chelmsford, CM1 1FG
Website chelmsford.gov.uk/leisure-centres/what/ice-skating
Good for cheapest prices, open all year, Christmas sessions, Skate School, Changing Places toilet

Also within reach, prices not published

The Ice Rink at Braintree Village, next to the North Entrance of the outlet centre at Chapel Hill, Braintree CM77 8YH, runs from 12 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, including Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Braintree Village describes an undercover rink with pre-bookable 45-minute sessions, skate hire included, parent and toddler sessions, quiet sessions and new Skate & Sing evenings on Wednesdays from 18 November. Its prices show only inside the booking system at braintree.icetickets.co.uk, which we could not read, so we have not quoted any. (Braintree Village)

Sapphire Ice and Leisure, 24 Western Road, Romford RM1 3JT (01708 206 892), has a full-sized rink open to the public all year, run by Everyone Active. It publishes no public-session price outside its booking system, so check the centre’s page when you book.

In Basildon town centre, one day only

The council’s Basildon at Christmas day on Saturday 14 November 2026 includes a synthetic ice rink, alongside a Bavarian market, fairground rides, a Santa’s grotto and a fireworks finale at 6pm. It is plastic, not ice, and runs for that day only. The council says most activities are free and some rides may charge. The full programme is on our Christmas lights page. (Basildon Council)

How we chose

These are the rinks people in Basildon search for, chosen on the public record rather than on taste: places to skate within reach of the borough by car or train, with a 2026 season and prices published by the operator. Dates, prices and rules come from each rink’s own website or booking page, read on 3 November 2026; Harlow On Ice’s prices were read from its booking pages on 24 October and its homepage on 3 November. Central London’s Christmas rinks are a longer trip and are not listed here. We found no 2026 rink announced in Southend or Brentwood; we will add one if it is announced.

Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@basildontoday.co.uk. Taken a good photograph of any of these places? Email it to newsdesk@basildontoday.co.uk and we will add it with your name as the credit.

For more on Christmas locally, see the Basildon Christmas lights and switch-ons, Christmas markets, Santa’s grottos, the Basildon pantomime, Christmas dinner in Basildon and what’s on in Basildon this month. For the rest of the year, see things to do in Basildon and the local business directory.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an ice rink in Basildon this Christmas?

Not a public one you can book. The council’s Basildon at Christmas day on Saturday 14 November 2026 includes a synthetic ice rink in the town centre for that day only. The nearest real-ice rinks are The Christmas Destination at Lakeside, from 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, and Riverside in Chelmsford, open all year. Christmas Fest Essex in Billericay has real ice, but only as part of its ticketed Santa experience.

What is the cheapest ice skating near Basildon?

Riverside in Chelmsford charges £8.80 for weekday term-time sessions and Monday and Wednesday evenings, skate hire included, with the free ourChelmsford Lite card. Weekend and holiday sessions are £10.80. At Lakeside, early bird tickets are £14 a skater from Monday to Thursday between 16 November and 10 December.

How much is ice skating at Lakeside this Christmas?

The booking page for The Christmas Destination at Lakeside lists £21 for an adult, £16 for a child aged 3 to 15 and £64 for a family of four, plus a booking fee. Skate aids are £9. Early bird tickets are £14 a skater from Monday to Thursday, 16 November to 10 December.