Sandy Hill Arena

Ottawa, ON · Public skating times & prices

Sandy Hill's single-pad arena on Mann Avenue, opened in 1974 after a neighbourhood campaign.

Public skating at Sandy Hill Arena: the next 7 days

Sunday, October 11

  • · Family skating · CA$3.50
  • · Public skating · CA$5.85

Tuesday, October 13

  • · Family skating · CA$3.50
  • · Public skating · CA$5.85

Saturday, October 17

  • · Family skating · CA$3.50
  • · Public skating · CA$5.85
Address
60 Mann Ave, Ottawa, ON K1N 6Y5
Website
ottawa.ca
The Sandy Hill Arena entrance, its bilingual name on the brick wall above a red door and a blue bench. — Sandy Hill Arena
The Sandy Hill Arena entrance, its bilingual name on the brick wall above a red door and a blue bench. Photo: Google Maps listing · Source
A game under a steel-trussed roof with a Canadian maple leaf on the red panel behind, players spread across the far end of the sheet. — Sandy Hill Arena
A game under a steel-trussed roof with a Canadian maple leaf on the red panel behind, players spread across the far end of the sheet. Photo: Google Maps listing · Source

Sandy Hill's community-built arena, opened in 1974

The Sandy Hill Arena on Mann Avenue opened in 1974. Its roots are in the Sandy Hill Ottawa East Sports Association, which Mel Malette started in the late 1960s with a small grant from Saint Joseph's parish. The association also ran men's and women's fastball, but kids' hockey was at its heart, and in those early days it had only scattered outdoor rinks that it maintained itself.

Malette teamed up with Nancy Smith of Ottawa East, later a city councillor from 1980 to 1991, with the goal of an arena serving both Sandy Hill and Ottawa East, and with community support they got it built. It is a single-surface rink, and a wall of trophies inside preserves some of the neighbourhood's hockey heritage.

Its future has been debated since. In February 2020 the City drew up a short list of older single-surface rinks for possible closure, demolition or redevelopment that included Sandy Hill, and in spring 2023 the arena was on a list of 10 community rinks that might be demolished to save money.

Before you head out.

Admission, rentals and arrival details, researched from official rink information. Source checks stay current for 30 days.

Admission

Basic skating, including HST: adult CA$5.85; child, youth or student CA$3.50; senior CA$4.40; family CA$3.50 per person. Specialized skating and hockey use a separate, higher Plus rate.

Source checked · · Official source

Booking & check-in

Bring exact change or a valid membership. At this stand-alone arena, the attendant cannot make change or accept credit or debit cards.

Source checked · · Official source

Skating with children

At public and family skates, children 10 and under must be actively supervised by a parent or guardian aged 14 or older. Children 10 and under must wear a CSA-certified hockey helmet to be allowed on the ice at City indoor arenas (bicycle, ski and snow-sport helmets are not allowed), and children may not be carried on the ice.

Source checked · · Official source

Parking & arrival

On-site parking is available.

Source checked · · Official source

Accessibility

E-Z gliders are permitted as a skating aid during family and public skating. Wheelchairs and strollers stay along the boards, with sand and salt cleaned off the wheels, and wheelchair and stroller occupants over 12 months need a CSA-approved helmet.

Source checked · · Official source

A source check records what the rink published on that date. Session-specific booking details take precedence.