Los Angeles

Twirl Time Arrives at Pershing Square, SoCal Skaters

The Bai Holiday Ice Rink opens a week ahead of Thanksgiving.

What to Know

  • Nov. 16 through Jan. 15, 2018
  • Special events beyond daily skating include curling lessons
  • The long-running Polar Bear Skate kicks off the new year on Jan. 1, 2018

You and your crew? You're the kind of people who like to crank up the zany factor when you enjoy a group outing.

And if that means that your group turns up at the Bai Holiday Ice Rink at Pershing Square in costumes that reflect six or seven classic Thanksgiving dishes, well, you gotta do you, and anyone who tells you otherwise doesn't know the joy of wearing a turkey hat.

After all, the seasonal attraction, a staple of downtown-based merrymaking for 20 years, is debuting exactly a week ahead of Thanksgiving 2017, on Thursday, Nov. 16, which means there's plenty of time to dress like a bowl stuffing or a gravy boat before you lace up your blades.

Blades that can be rented there, at Pershing Square, if you don't have your own, of course. But the 7,200-square-foot rink isn't just about the daily skate, though daily (and evening) round-and-round-ing remains a popular choice.

There are special events throughout its two-month run, like DJ nights, Silent Skates (where skaters don headphones to hear skate-ready tunes), and the New Year's Day Polar Bear Skate.

And sure to be extra-super-gotta-be-there popular? An "Aladdin"-themed skate night every Wednesday evening. Music straight from the Broadway show'll be on the speakers, and the rink's mood lighting? You're one jump ahead of us on that, we're sure: It's purple.

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In fact, the opening day festivities on Nov. 16 include an "Aladdin" performance, free ice skating, the breaking of an ice sculpture to launch the season (hi, it's an ice breaker), the California Gold Synchronized Skaters. Be there at 11 a.m. if you want to be in the midst of all of the holiday-drenched hullabaloo.

The prices? Nine bucks for skating, four dollars to rent your skates, and you can buy your ticket in advance or there.

And, yes, there are occasional group discounts, should you and your cadre want to attend en masse, in your turkey and cranberry costumes.

True story: You couldn't find a more skyscraper-adjacent spot to finesse your figure eights in all of Los Angeles, if you're looking for that quintessential big-city-ish, scarves-and-gloves ice-based outing.

The rink rolls up on Jan. 15, 2018, so don your Aladdin or Jasmine outfit ahead of then and celebrate the Bai Holiday Ice Rink's big 20th anniversary.

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