St. Pete's downtown holiday display gains an ice rink

ST. PETERSBURG (FOX 13) - The holiday display sitting along St. Petersburg’s waterfront is nothing short of stunning and this year it will be even better with an ice skating rink.

Amanda Peach normally skates on pavement but this weekend, thanks to the city of St. Pete, she’ll be skating on ice.

“I think it’s very special, everyone is coming down after Christmas, we are going to have an ice skating rink but warm weather so you’re going to have the best of both worlds,” Peach said.

Starting this Saturday, through January 7, an ice skating rink will set up along the water in Albert Whitted Park.

St. Pete Parks and Recreation is adding ice skating to its holiday celebration activities.

“Obviously our climate is one of our largest challenges,” city spokesperson Mike Jefferis said.

And it’s a huge commitment. A 200-ton ice chiller will be used to keep four inches of ice frozen solid.

Crews will be running a Zamboni and spraying the ice with water every night to add another layer.

The sides of the tent will be raised, depending on the weather.

 “Everyone is excited about exposing their children or their grandchildren to this experience. Or it’s bringing back the nostalgia of when they were a kid and up north,” Jefferis said.

Sessions are $10 for an hour. You can find the rink schedule at http://www.stpeteparksrec.org/.