Free ice-skating has returned to Bury St Edmunds town centre following funding from Bury St Edmunds Town Council.

A free-to-use synthetic skating rink has been installed in Charter Square at the arc Shopping Centre and has been organised by Our Bury St Edmunds Business Improvement District (BID).

The rink will be open every day except Christmas Day until January 5, operating from 11am to 5pm. On Christmas Eve, it will be open from 10am to 4pm.

Mark Cordell, chief executive of Our Bury St Edmunds BID, said the attraction follows the success of a similar rink in 2023.

“The synthetic ice rink we had here in 2023 was very popular, so we wanted to replicate this attraction this year,” he said. “Thanks to the generosity of the Town Council we have been able to do so, but with an even bigger rink this time which has a maximum capacity of 40 people.

“There have been many attractions in the town centre up to now to encourage people to visit, and the ice rink continues this trend into the New Year. As a consequence of the Town Council funding, use of the rink is free and there is no need to book – just turn up and enjoy the facility.”

The rink forms part of ‘Christmas in Bury St Edmunds’, a programme of festive events taking place in the town centre from mid-November through December, organised by a partnership of local organisations.

Bury St Edmunds Town Council is one of the partners and contributed £50,000 towards town centre Christmas activities in 2025.

Bury St Edmunds Mayor Councillor Donna Higgins said: “Ice skating at Christmas just seems right. With this activity lasting through that awkward ‘what now?’ time before school starts again, this continues our determination to help our families at a time when there are so many demands on the family budget.

“My thanks to the arc Shopping Centre for donating the space and to the BID for doing the organising on our behalf.”

Allan Hassell, manager of arc Shopping Centre, said the centre was pleased to host the rink again.

“We’re delighted to host the ice rink again this year and can’t wait to see everyone enjoying this fantastic attraction over the Christmas and the New Year period,” he said.

“Huge thanks to the Town Council for funding the ice rink and the BID for arranging it with us. The ice rink will be free for all to use, and we would love it if visitors are able to donate to Still Good Food, which is arc’s Charity of the Year, as they do marvellous work for the local community all year round.”

Further information about other Christmas activities in the town is available at www.christmasinburystedmunds.com.