Rideau Canal Skateway partially opens

Published on Dec. 31, 2025, 3:37 PM

Most years, the world's largest skating rink doesn't open until January

The Rideau Canal Skateway will partially open to skaters at 8 a.m Wednesday, the National Capital Commission has announced.

A 3.4-kilometre section of the canal from the Somerset West access point to the Bank Street Bridge will be opened to skaters, the NCC said Tuesday afternoon on its website. More sections will be opened as weather permits

Cold weather in December provided ideal conditions for forming ice, NCC said.

The Patterson Creek skating area will remain closed this year due to the rehabilitation of the Patterson Creek Bridge.

The skateway typically opens in January. According the NCC' records, the earliest it has ever opened was Dec. 18 in both 1972 and 1981.

More recently, the skateway opened on Dec. 30, 2018, and remained open for 71 days that season. The last time it opened on New Year's Eve was in 2013.

WATCH: How to check for ice safety before skating on a frozen body of water

This article was originally published for CBC News.