Visiting Skate Leicester Square and the Leicester Square Christmas Market, London
Thinking of visiting Skate Leicester Square and the Leicester Square Christmas Market? Read this first!
We are a whole family of Christmas lovers, so we kicked off the festive season (at least a month earlier than most people might consider acceptable) by visiting Skate Leicester Square this weekend. We visited on Saturday, which was the opening day of the festivities, and I didn’t tell the kids we were going. They thought we were going for a wander around the big Lego Store (one of their favourite things to do in London) then we rounded the corner and Christmas whacked them full in the face!
Skate Leicester Square is a small Christmas market with a really lovely festive atmosphere, and as a brand new attraction for this year (hence the name) they have added a small ice rink as well. The rink has been designed like a loop which sees you skate around Shakespeare’s statue in the middle. I love ice skating (I used to do it all the time with my parents when I was a kid!) so I couldn’t resist buying tickets and getting the four of us on the ice!
It’s such a great idea for a family outing: skating right in the heart of London’s West End, surrounded by market stalls, festive lights, and the buzz of people having a good time! Want to know more? Here’s everything you need to know:
- How Much Is The Skate Leicester Square Ice Rink?
- Leicester Square Christmas Market and Stalls Info
- Things To Consider Before Visiting Skate Leicester Square
- Is Skate Leicester Square Worth Visiting?
Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support
How Much Is The Skate Leicester Square Ice Rink?
Skate Leicester Square runs from 1 November 2025 to 4 January 2026, making it the first Christmas market and seasonal ice rink to open in London this year. Sessions last 45 minutes.
The prices (if you book online, which is what we did) are:
- Adults £14.50
- Children £9.50
- Family ticket (for 2 adults and 2 children OR 1 adult and 3 children) £40.
You’ll then need to pay an online booking fee (£3.95) but skate hire is included in the cost. If you want to hire a skating aid these are an extra £5 per aid. You can buy these on site: we didn’t pre-book them (as both our boys can skate) but when they saw the other kids pushing each other around on them, they wanted to give it a go, so we got one on the day with no problem.
⛸Mum note: Children under 3 can’t skate and aren’t allowed on the ice, so if you have a younger family, or want to take your kids but you have a babe in arms too, plan accordingly (maybe one adult on the ice and one showing the littlest family member the lights?)
Leicester Square Christmas Market and Stalls Info
Entry to the Leicester Square Christmas market is free, so it won’t cost you anything for a walk around and to soak up the atmosphere. But anyone with kids knows that nothing is actually free, because they aren’t ever going to walk past the sweet stall or the hot chocolate stand empty-handed! So how much will it actually cost you?
We paid £6 each for steaming hot chocolates. Which is a lot (especially if, like us, you’re not from London and don’t pay London prices on a daily basis) but they were delicious. A German bratwurst is £11, chips range from £5 (if you want them plain) to £9 if you want a topping like cheese, gravy, or curry sauce.
We loved the Marshmallow chocolate kisses and prices for these were fairly reasonable: £2 each or 3 for £5.50. We paid £18 for a box of 12 to bring home, and it was the best decision we could have made!
The prettiest stalls were the ones selling Christmas decorations. There was a stall selling hand-beaded ornaments priced at £14 each, while the blown glass ornaments ranged from £20-30 each. We’ve been to the Christmas markets in Cologne, and the prices for the decorations like this were pretty comparable to be honest.
There was a good mix of food stalls and seasonal shopping, with the market boasting around 30 stalls in total: the definition of small but perfectly formed!
Things To Consider Before Visiting Skate Leicester Square
We visited on the opening day, 1st November, and found the site reassuringly quiet: there were plenty of people enjoying the market and ice rink, but not so many that it felt crowded or uncomfortable. I imagine it would be a very different story on a weekend in December! For this reason I recommend booking your ice skating tickets in advance (using the official Skate Leicester Square website) to avoid disappointment.
I mentioned it above, but don’t forget children under 3 can’t skate. Think ahead about how you will entertain toddlers if you’re travelling with a young family.
Bring gloves and consider spare clothes. Our youngest slipped on the ice and came off absolutely soaking wet! I wish i’d had the forethought to pack him a change of clothes (we ended up buying him a new pair of trousers, because it was a cold day and I didn’t want him to be uncomfortable)
Set a budget and stick to it! This is true of all Christmas markets: they’re so pretty and tempting that it’s easy to throw caution to the wind and spend next months rent! Know what you’re comfortable spending on food and trinkets before you go, and it will be easier to stick to a budget.
Is Skate Leicester Square Worth Visiting?
The final big question: is Skate Leicester Square worth it? My answer would be absolutely! The conveniently central location and the combination of ice skating rink and Christmas market chalets all in one place was wonderfully appealing to us. It’s small in size, making it a great family-friendly attraction too: easy to navigate without the overwhelm.
We spent around an hour and a half at the Leicester Square Christmas market and on the ice in total, and it was the perfect amount of time for a family trip: If you were visiting as a group of adults you could spend longer people watching and drinking beer in the Alpine-style bar.
We loved skating, snacking, and soaking up the atmosphere with the kids. I felt the ice skating session was affordable, and I LOVED that we didn’t have to pay an entrance fee for the market.
Thinking of visiting Skate Leicester Square with your own kids? I say, give it a go!
Looking for other fun Christmas activities to enjoy? Check out some of our other Christmas reviews:
🎅 The 5 Best Places To Meet Santa in Norfolk in 2025 (That You Can Book Now!)
🎁 The Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide For Travellers in 2025
🎄 Visiting Japan at Christmas? These are the Attractions You Need to Know About!
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Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!
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