NYC Ice Rinks: Why the Free One Can Cost the Most

Adult price with rental skates, before tax: Riverbank $11 ($5 plus $6), Gottesman $15 off peak or $20 at peak ($5 or $10 plus $10), Roebling $24 for NYC residents or $32 for everyone else, and Bryant Park $18.72 to $64.48, because admission is free but rentals are not. Free admission only wins if you bring your own skates. Taxes and fees follow each rink's own rules.

The Rink at Bryant Park opened October 28 and runs daily through February 28, and admission costs nothing. The catch is gear: rental skates run $18.72 to $64.48 before tax, depending on the time slot. Skaters with their own pair book a free timed ticket, released one week ahead, one session per person per day. Ice time is 50 minutes, helmets are free to borrow, and bags stay off the ice, with bag check at $6.24 an item. The 7 at 5 Av and the B, D, F and M at 42 St–Bryant Park are steps away.

At the north end of Central Park, the Gottesman Rink at the Davis Center opens for Community Skate on November 1 and runs into early March. Adults pay $10 at peak and $5 off peak, which means weekdays from 7 AM to 5 PM outside NYC public school holidays and vacation days, which count as peak all day. Kids 4 to 16 pay $5 at any hour and kids 3 and under skate free. Skate rental is $10, and every session runs 80 minutes, long enough that nobody has to rush the laces. Saturday nights add Harlem Nights, an extended session with a live DJ. Take the 2 or 3 to 110 St–Malcolm X Plaza and enter the park at 110th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard.

Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park sits 69 feet above the Hudson, built on top of a sewage treatment plant, and its covered rink trades roller skates for ice in winter. Prices are the lowest of the four: $5 for adults 12 and up, $3 for kids 11 and under and $6 for skates. The catch is the clock. Public ice runs only Friday from 6 to 9 PM and weekends from 1 to 4 PM and 6 to 9 PM, plus holiday sessions from 11 AM to 2 PM and 3 to 6 PM. The park's 2026–27 program guide lists the skating season as November 1 through March 13, but the state has not confirmed the first public session yet, so call the skating complex at 212-694-3642 before you go. The 1 train stops at 145 St, a block east of the park.

Roebling Rink returns to Emily Warren Roebling Plaza, right under the Brooklyn Bridge, from November 14 through January 31, daily except Thanksgiving. For the 2026–27 season, NYC residents pay $16 to skate plus $8 for rentals, $24 in all, and everyone else pays $20 plus $12, or $32. The resident rate is applied automatically at checkout. You get 60 minutes on the ice within a 90-minute block, and tickets are non-refundable but can be moved up to five hours ahead. Opening day, November 14, adds two free launch sessions at 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM while tickets last, and every session after that is paid. The rink stays open until 9 PM Monday to Thursday and 10 PM Friday to Sunday. High St on the A and C is the closest subway stop.