Ice Skating Night Out in London: Skate First, Party After

By James Whitmore, Editor-in-Chief

Last updated: 15 October 2026

An ice skating night out in London is one of the easiest ways to get a group into a festive mood before the clubs open. Between early November and early January, rinks pop up in courtyards, squares and riverside spots across the city, and several of them sit within a short walk or cab ride of the West End's best clubs. This guide covers which rinks suit an evening plan, how to time the gap between the ice and the door, and where to go once your skates are back on the rack.

The format is the same as the rest of our "X first, party after" series: a fixed, ticketed early-evening activity that gives the night a shape, followed by a bridge for food and drinks, and then a club. Skating is a brilliant opener, but it has a couple of quirks that are worth planning around, so read the timing section before you book anything.

Why Skating Works as the Start of a Night

Skating does something most openers cannot: it gets everyone laughing within the first five minutes. Nobody looks cool on the ice for long, and a group that has spent 45 minutes holding each other up tends to arrive at dinner already loosened up. It also photographs well, which matters if the night is a birthday, a work outing or a first proper date.

It has three weaknesses, and a good plan designs around all of them.

• It is cold and tiring. An hour on the ice in December leaves people chilly and hungry. Plan a warm sit-down stop straight afterwards, not a queue outside a club.
• Slots are timed and sell out. Most rinks sell sessions by the hour, and the evening slots go first. Your whole night hangs on that one booking.
• It finishes early. The latest sessions at the big pop-up rinks start in the evening, not late at night, so there is always a gap of two to three hours before a club gets going. That gap is not a problem if you fill it on purpose.

Which Rink Suits a Night Out

For a skate-then-club plan, location beats everything else. A rink in central London lets you walk to dinner and then on to the club; a rink on the edge of town turns the night into a series of cab journeys. Here are the main outdoor rinks for the 2026/27 season, with dates, hours and adult prices as listed by Time Out's guide to ice skating in London (as of October 2026).

Best for a night out: Somerset House and Leicester Square. Both are in the West End, both are close to Covent Garden and Soho for dinner, and both leave you a short walk from the clubs around Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square and Soho. Leicester Square is new as an open-air rink this season: Time Out says it circles the square's Shakespeare statue, sits among the Christmas market stalls and runs sessions every 15 minutes with walk-ins as well as bookings, which makes it the most flexible choice if your group cannot agree on a time.

Battersea works if your group lives south of the river or wants a riverside dinner first, but plan on a cab into the West End afterwards. Greenwich and Hampton Court are lovely afternoon outings, but they are a long way from the clubs, so treat them as a daytime plan rather than the start of a big night.

Winter Wonderland has the biggest outdoor rink in the UK, but it is a whole night in itself. If Hyde Park is the plan, read our Winter Wonderland night out guide instead, which covers the park's timed entry and the route on to Mayfair.

Skate Lates at Somerset House

If the group wants the skating itself to feel like a party, Somerset House is the one to book. Its evening Skate Lates sessions put DJs on the decks above the ice, and for 2026 Time Out reports a line-up led by collectives including Daytimers, Netil Radio, Gauchoworld, BUMPAH and 2CPERREA, plus a K-Pop party on 23 November. Peak slots cost the most (up to £28.50 for adults), and the late DJ sessions are among the first to sell out, so book these as soon as your group has a date.

Two practical points. First, a Skate Late is still a skating session, not a club: it ends when the rink closes for the night, so you still need a plan for afterwards. Second, the energy of a Skate Late can make the gap before the club feel flat if you go straight to a quiet restaurant. A lively bar or a dinner spot with music keeps the momentum going.

How to Time the Night

The skating slot fixes everything else, so work backwards from the club, not forwards from the rink.

1. Pick the club night first. Clubs open on set nights (see below), and the best tables at weekends in December go weeks ahead. There is no point booking a Saturday skate if the club you want is full.
2. Book one of the last skating sessions of the evening. With rinks closing around 9pm, a session starting in the early evening finishes in good time for dinner. Allow time to queue for skates, put them on and hand them back.
3. Book dinner for straight after the ice. Everyone will be cold and hungry. A table booked 30 to 45 minutes after your session ends gives you time to swap boots and walk over.
4. Aim to reach the club between 10.30pm and 11.30pm. That is when most West End clubs start to fill. Arriving before 10pm usually means an empty room; arriving after midnight on a December Saturday can mean a long wait at the door.

A sample Friday: skate at Somerset House from about 7pm, dinner in Covent Garden at 8.30pm, a drink nearby, then into the club for 11pm. It is a long night, but it never has a dead hour.

Where to Go After the Ice

These are the clubs we book that sit closest to the central rinks. Opening nights and hours are from our venue listings as of October 2026; always check the night you want before booking anything else.

From Leicester Square or Somerset House:

• TSQ Club, beneath Thai Square at Trafalgar Square, is the closest club to both West End rinks. It opens on Fridays and Saturdays from 10pm to 3am, with last entry at 2am. Entry is paid on the door rather than a free guestlist, and tables start from £1,000 minimum spend. See our TSQ Club guide for the door and table details.
• Cirque le Soir in Soho is the most theatrical option, with performers working the room through the night. It opens on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and finishes at 3:45am. Our Cirque le Soir guestlist page covers how the door works.
• The Box in Soho is the late-night cabaret choice for a group that wants a show rather than a dancefloor. It opens Wednesday to Saturday. Read our guide to The Box before booking, because it is a very different night from a standard club.

A little further, into Mayfair: Tape (open Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday; the main room closes at 3:45am) and 99 Regent Street, formerly Cuckoo Club (Wednesday to Saturday, entrance on Swallow Street), are both a short cab ride from Somerset House and an easy walk from Leicester Square. They are the right call for a group that wants a table and a dressier room.

From Battersea: head into the West End by cab and use the same list. The ride is short at that time of night, and it saves the group from changing trains in skating clothes.

What to Wear When the Night Has Two Halves

This is the part most groups get wrong. A rink wants warm layers and something you can move in; a West End club wants smart clothes and, at most doors, no sportswear. Plan the outfit around the club, not the ice.

• Dress for the club, layer for the rink. Smart trousers or a dress with a warm coat, scarf and gloves works on the ice and at the door. Take the coat off at the club cloakroom.
• Avoid long, loose hems and anything you would hate to see wet. You will probably fall at least once, and the ice is wet.
• Skates are hired at the rink, so your own shoes come with you. Wear club-ready shoes you can carry or check in at the rink, rather than trainers you then have to wear all night.
• Keep bags small. A big shopping bag is awkward on the ice and unwelcome at most club doors.

Check the rink's own rules on gloves, bags and lockers when you book, because they vary from site to site.

Making It Work for Groups, Dates and Work Parties

Skating suits almost every kind of group, but each one needs a slightly different plan.

• Big groups: book everyone into the same session in one transaction, then book one long dinner table. Large groups are easier to get into a club with a table booked in advance than on the door.
• Dates: skating is a classic second or third date because it gives you something to do with your hands and plenty to laugh about. Our date night out guide covers the dinner and bar steps in more detail.
• Christmas work parties: a group skate is a good team activity that does not depend on everyone drinking. If the evening then moves on to a club table or a private area, our Christmas party planner covers tables, hire and costs for December.

Plan Your Skate and Party Night

An ice skating night out works best when the rink is central, the slot is booked early and the gap between the ice and the club is filled on purpose with a warm dinner and a good bar. Pick the club night first, book the skating around it, and dress for the door rather than the rink. If you would like help putting the club half of the night together, from a table at TSQ Club or Cirque le Soir to a bigger booking in Mayfair, message our team on WhatsApp with your date, group size and the rink you have booked, and we will suggest what fits.