The Loop at Bannerman Park

St. John's, NL · Public skating times & prices

A figure-eight skating trail over 16 kilometres of refrigerated pipe, built in Bannerman Park in 2013.

Public skating at The Loop at Bannerman Park: the next 7 days

Currently out of season The Loop opens when it is cold enough to make and keep ice. The City announces the opening on the Loop Line (709-733-5667). Official schedule update

Address
Bannerman Park, Military Road, St. John's, NL A1C 5M2
Phone
709-733-5667
Website
stjohns.ca
Evening view of the Bannerman Park bandstand lit up beside the frozen, lamp-lit skating loop, with a bench and decorative snowflake lights on the path; the seated figure is a bronze skater statue, not a person — The Loop at Bannerman Park
Evening view of the Bannerman Park bandstand lit up beside the frozen, lamp-lit skating loop, with a bench and decorative snowflake lights on the path; the seated figure is a bronze skater statue, not a person Photo: Ken Doyle · Source
The outdoor skating loop in the park at dusk, a bench and a gazebo beside the snow-edged ice under lamp posts. — The Loop at Bannerman Park
The outdoor skating loop in the park at dusk, a bench and a gazebo beside the snow-edged ice under lamp posts. Photo: Google Maps listing · Source

A refrigerated skating trail built in Bannerman Park in 2013

The Loop was built in 2013 as part of a revitalization of Bannerman Park, which Governor Alexander Bannerman established by an Act on April 13, 1864, as the Dominion's first public park. The upgrades added an outdoor skating loop alongside a new playground and pool improvements. The Bannerman Park Foundation unveiled the name at a ceremony in December 2013, and philanthropist Elinor Gill Ratcliffe, the campaign's patron sponsor, picked it.

The ice is a figure-eight trail laid over 16 kilometres of refrigerated pipes, which let it run until April and keep it open on sunny days a few degrees above freezing. Crews build the ice gradually in thin layers until it is 2.5 centimetres thick over the concrete below.

The City hosted a New Year's Eve skating party on the Loop in 2015, with music and free hot chocolate, and a drone video showed dozens of skaters circling the figure-eight path in the final hours of the year. Rain and warm weather had pushed that season's opening past Christmas.

Before you head out.

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

Admission

The Loop is a free outdoor ice-skating trail in Bannerman Park.

Source checked · · Official source

Skates & rentals

Skate rentals are offered by the Ukrainian National Federation of Canada (Avalon Branch), which runs the Bannerman Park canteen, during its operating hours.

Source checked · · Official source

Booking & check-in

Once seasonal ice is open, hours are 10 a.m.–10 p.m.; maintenance closes the surface 1–2 p.m. Tuesday–Thursday and 1–2 p.m. plus 4–5 p.m. Friday–Monday.

Source checked · · Official source

Skating with children

Children, including babies in wraps, may not be carried on the ice.

Source checked · · Official source

Parking & arrival

The Bannerman Road lot has a three-hour limit, with additional on-street parking where signs permit.

Source checked · · Official source

Accessibility

Skating aids for mobility-impaired users are permitted; strollers, sleds, chairs, sticks and pucks are not.

Source checked · · Official source

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