Somerset House Ice Skating Rink: Skate Lates Until 11 pm

Skate at Somerset House sets up its ice rink in the courtyard of Somerset House, on the Strand, from 11 November 2026 to 10 January 2027. The ticket price depends on when you skate: adult tickets start at £13 and peak slots reach £28.50, children pay from £11, and a £1.50 fee is added to each ticket. Nobody needs a ticket just to come into the courtyard, so you can stand at the edge, look at the lights on the Georgian windows and decide later whether to book a slot. This guide covers what the organisers have published for the 2026 to 2027 season, from the Wednesday to Friday DJ nights to the relaxed and wheelchair sessions.

Somerset House is a vast neoclassical building on the north bank of the Thames, rebuilt from 1776 to a design by Sir William Chambers, and its courtyard is the stage for the rink. Every winter the stone square fills with a sheet of ice, a forty-foot Christmas tree and a ring of festoon lights, while the tall windows of the surrounding wings glow behind the skaters. The building has appeared in Love, Actually and Strictly Come Dancing, which tells you how well the setting photographs. Skating here feels closer to gliding through a film set than circling a leisure centre rink, and that is the whole appeal.

The season runs from Wednesday 11 November 2026 to Sunday 10 January 2027. Adult tickets start at £13 for an off-peak slot and climb to £28.50 at peak times, while children's tickets start at £11 and top out at £15. Every ticket carries a £1.50 booking fee. The organisers advertise tickets from £11, which is the cheapest child slot. Presale opened on 25 September, so the cheapest weekday slots go first. If you are flexible, aim for an off-peak weekday and keep the weekend evenings for a special occasion.

The evening programme is where Somerset House stands apart from the other London rinks. Skate Lates, supported by Aperol Spritz, put a DJ beside the ice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, with music until 11 pm, and the first one starts at 8 pm on Thursday 12 November. The line-up announced for the season includes the South Asian creative collective Daytimers, Netil Radio, the youth culture platform Gauchoworld, the bass collective BUMPAH and the party organisers 2CPERREA. There is also a K-Pop themed session on 23 November, run with the Korean Cultural Centre UK.

For 2026 the rink is trying something new: extended sessions of 90 minutes on 11, 17 and 23 November, sold as double-length skating at the price of a single session. If you have never stood on ice, those longer slots are the kindest to your ankles, because you get time to find your balance before the crowd builds. The site also lists relaxed sessions, which run at reduced capacity with lower music levels, and dedicated wheelchair sessions. Skate aids for children are available on a first come, first served basis, so head for them early if you are bringing a small beginner.

Daytime programming includes a Skate School for adults and teens, and a Kids' Club for children aged six to 12. Families also get their own lane on the ice, which keeps small skaters away from the confident loops in the middle. If you want a proper lesson rather than a lap of the courtyard, book the Skate School slot together with your ticket and arrive early enough to collect your boots without rushing. Children who are happy on the ice can then join the Kids' Club or simply stay in the family lane while the adults take a break at the chalet.

Beside the rink, a Swiss-style chalet serves raclette, pot-au-feu and mulled wine sorbet, and the rinkside bar pours Aperol Spritz for the Skate Lates crowd. Standing at the rail with a hot drink is a perfectly good way to enjoy the evening if the ice is not for you. The Shelter boutique, run with the homelessness charity Shelter, sells winter gifts in the same courtyard. Ticket holders also get free access to the exhibitions on at Somerset House during their visit, which gives you somewhere warm to wander before or after your session.

Wear gloves, warm trousers and thick socks, because the courtyard is open to the sky and the ice is cold on the shins when you fall. Aim to be at the entrance well before your slot starts, since boots have to be collected and laced before you step on the ice. Weekend afternoons and the weeks around Christmas are the busiest. If you want to see the courtyard at its calmest, choose an off-peak weekday session in November or the first week of January, when the tickets cost less and the queue for boots is shorter.

Somerset House sits a short walk from the river, so a post-skate stroll can start on the Embankment and run under Waterloo Bridge, with the lit-up South Bank on the other side of the water. In the other direction, Covent Garden and its market are about eight minutes away on foot, and the Strand has pubs for a hot toddy once your legs have recovered. The nearest station is Temple, two minutes from the entrance, with Covent Garden, Charing Cross and Embankment each about eight minutes' walk.

Skate at Somerset House is at Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 1LA, and the telephone number is 0343 208 1497. The rink is open from 11 November 2026 to 10 January 2027. Tickets are sold online, adults pay from £13 and children from £11, plus a £1.50 fee per ticket. Entry to the courtyard is free, and a ticket is only needed to skate. Skate Lates run on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights with DJs until 11 pm, and the K-Pop session is on 23 November. Download the Karpo APP to save the rink and plan the rest of your evening nearby.