Fort William Gardens

Thunder Bay, ON · Public skating times & prices

Opened March 6, 1951, with a curling club built into the same building and sharing its ice plant

Public skating at Fort William Gardens: the next 7 days

Currently out of season The City of Thunder Bay says weekly public skates are coming: the 2026/27 public skating schedule will be released in the fall and the start date is to be determined. Official schedule update

Address
901 Miles St E, Thunder Bay, ON P7C 1J9
Website
thunderbay.ca
Fort William Gardens from Miles Street East — Fort William Gardens
Fort William Gardens from Miles Street East Photo: Vidioman, Wikimedia Commons · Source · CC BY-SA 3.0
Fort William Gardens ice and seating bowl during a game, seen from the stands — Fort William Gardens
Fort William Gardens ice and seating bowl during a game, seen from the stands Photo: Google Maps listing · Source

Thunder Bay's first municipally owned arena, opened in 1951

Fort William Gardens opened on March 6, 1951, as the first municipally owned arena in its area. It replaced the Prince of Wales Arena, built in 1919 beside McKellar Park, and grew out of a 1945 fundraising drive by the Fort William Junior Chamber of Commerce to replace the old arena.

The old Fort William Curling Club stood on land the arena needed, so a new club was built into the Gardens, and the two still share an ice plant. The Gardens ice surface measures 190 by 85 feet. A curling rock at the front entrance dates from the 1960 Macdonald Brier, held in the building.

The opening-night game drew a record crowd of 5,400 paid admissions. The building has since hosted the Allan Cup in 1975, 1988 and 1991 and the 1988 Skate Canada International, and it was home to the Thunder Bay Twins, five-time Allan Cup champions, and the Thunder Bay Flyers, two-time Centennial Cup champions. The Lakehead University Thunderwolves play here today.

Before you head out.

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

Admission

Public skating at City of Thunder Bay arenas costs CA$5.75 for a child (14 and under), CA$6.25 for a student (15 to 18), CA$7.25 for an adult or an older adult (over 65) and CA$16.75 for a family, according to the City of Thunder Bay.

Source checked · · Official source

Skating with children

Helmets are required for all public skates, according to the City of Thunder Bay.

Source checked · · Official source

Accessibility

The City of Thunder Bay's Personal Attendant for Leisure (PAL) Card is an identification card for a person with a disability that allows a support person to enter a recreation facility for free.

Source checked · · Official source

Rink rules

Toboggans, sleds, chairs, wagons, strollers, hockey sticks and pucks are not allowed on the ice.

Source checked · · Official source

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