We checked 8 ice rinks near Brentwood, from Sapphire in Romford to Lakeside and Bluewater, for dates, prices and age rules. Updated November 2026.

There are eight places to skate within about 21 miles of Brentwood in 2026, and this guide lists them with dates, prices and age rules. We found none in the borough. Most people land on Sapphire in Romford, open all year, Lakeside for a Christmas rink, or Bluewater, open from 5 November.

Distances are straight lines from Brentwood town centre, so the drive will be longer. Prices can change by day and session, so check yours when you book.

All eight rinks at a glance

Rink Distance Open Adult from
Sapphire, Romford 6 miles All year £11.50
Christmas Fest Essex, Billericay 7 miles November and December, with a Santa ticket £40 ticket
Lakeside 9 miles 14 November to 3 January £21 plus fee
Riverside, Chelmsford 11 miles All year £8.80
Bluewater 13 miles 5 November to 3 January £15
Harlow On Ice 14 miles 21 November to 3 January £13.90
Lee Valley Ice Centre, Leyton 15 miles All year £16
Braintree Village 21 miles 12 November to 3 January £14

Open all year

1. Sapphire Ice and Leisure, Romford

The nearest rink you can book on its own, about 6 miles away, and Brentwood and Romford are both on the Elizabeth line. A full-sized rink run by Everyone Active, which calls it “Romford’s premier ice skating and leisure facility”.

It is home to the Romford Raiders ice hockey team and offers skating and hockey lessons. Everyone Active warns that the rink “may be shared use” during public sessions, and under-8s must be accompanied on the ice by a full-paying adult over 18.

No Christmas timetable had been published when our sister title last checked. Its full Romford guide has every session.

Open public skating daily, usually 10am and 2pm, with evening skates on Tue, Thu, Sat and Sun and a 4pm session on Fri (as read by Romford Today on 3 November)
Price adult £11.50 off-peak, £12.50 peak; junior £9.50 off-peak, £10.50 peak; the booking page shows which applies (as read on 3 November)
Booking online through Everyone Active, recommended, up to 200 skaters a session; cashless (as read on 3 November)
Call 01708 206 892
Address 24 Western Road, Romford, RM1 3JT
Website everyoneactive.com/centre/sapphire-ice-leisure
Good for open all year, full-sized rink, lessons, wheelchair access on the ice

2. Riverside Ice Rink, Chelmsford

About 11 miles away, and the cheapest adult skating on this list. Chelmsford City Council’s rink at Riverside Leisure Centre has public skating, a Friday Ice Disco and, from 5 to 31 December, Christmas at Riverside, with a resident DJ, snow machine effects and disco lighting.

The special sessions run on 5, 6, 12, 13, 19, 20 and 27 December, at 10am to 12pm and 2.30pm to 4.30pm. They are on top of the holiday skate sessions on the council’s timetable.

Our sister title has the full Riverside guide.

Open all year, as timetabled; Christmas at Riverside 5 to 31 December 2026; closed 25 and 26 December 2026 and 1 January 2027
Price free Lite card, skate hire included: term-time weekdays and Mon and Wed evenings £8.80; Fri evening and weekends £10.80; spectator £3.70
Booking online, in the Chelmsford City Sports app or by phone; cashless
Call 01245 615050
Address Victoria Road, Chelmsford, CM1 1FG
Website chelmsford.gov.uk/leisure-centres/what/ice-skating
Good for open all year, Christmas sessions, skate hire included, skating aids

3. Lee Valley Ice Centre, Leyton

About 15 miles away, on the edge of east London. Run by Better, it has “two Olympic size ice rinks under one roof”, with public sessions daily alongside hockey and figure skating.

The copper-clad curved roof of Lee Valley Ice Centre in Leyton
Lee Valley Ice Centre on Lea Bridge Road, Leyton. Photo: Lee Valley Ice Centre by The wub (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Up to four hours of parking is free for rink users, as long as you enter your registration at the terminal in reception. Holiday Skate and disco sessions run as timetabled, so check the centre’s timetable for Christmas dates.

Open public sessions daily, as timetabled; centre Mon to Fri 6am to 11pm, Sat 6am to 10pm, Sun 6am to 8pm
Price public skating adult £16, junior £13, skate hire included; Holiday Skate family of four £52.50; disco adult £17, child £14; skate aid £5; spectator £3
Booking online through Better
Address Lea Bridge Road, London, E10 7QL
Website better.org.uk/leisure-centre/lee-valley/ice-centre
Good for open all year, two rinks, free parking for rink users, disco sessions, accessible parking, lift

Christmas rinks nearby

4. Christmas Fest Essex, Billericay

About 7 miles away, but not a rink you can book on its own. A family-run Christmas experience built around a private walk-through to Father Christmas, followed by a 60-minute timed skate.

The organisers say the ice is real rather than plastic or synthetic, and that they own the rink. They said on 28 October that 2026 was 90% sold, with only a small number of slots left.

They also say the site is not accessible by wheelchair or scooter, because of the woodland ground.

Open November and December 2026, by timed booking
Price tickets from £40 in November and £50 in December, plus a £10 booking fee (as read by Basildon Today on 3 November); skating, skates and aids where available included
Booking online only; a child must be in the booking
Address Heath Road, Billericay, CM11 1HL
Website christmasfestessex.co.uk
Good for real ice, Father Christmas, families with young children, one parking space per booking

5. The Christmas Destination at Lakeside

About 9 miles away. A seasonal rink at The Quays with fairground rides alongside; entry to the park is free and skating is booked by the session.

The lake at Lakeside in West Thurrock, with waterside restaurants on the right
The lake at Lakeside, with the waterside restaurants beside it. Photo: The Lake at Lakeside, Thurrock by Mike Pennington (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Sessions last 45 minutes and you check in 15 minutes before. There are SEND sessions on Thursdays (4pm in term time, 12pm in school holidays) and Sundays at 10am, and late-night discos on Fridays and Saturdays.

The site’s FAQ still shows older, lower prices: the booking page has adult £21, which comes to £22.01 with the fee. Early bird prices run Monday to Thursday, 16 November to 10 December; Basildon Today read them as £14 a skater on 3 November.

The site does not say whether the ice is real. No under-3s can skate, and children aged 15 and under must have an adult with them on the ice.

Open 14 November 2026 to 3 January 2027; to 20 December, Mon to Thu 4pm to 9pm, Fri 4pm to 10pm, Sat and Sun 10am to 10pm; from 21 December daily 10am to 10pm (hours as read on 3 November)
Price adult £21; child 3 to 15 £16; family of four £64; push-along or ride-on skate aid £9; plus a booking fee of just under 5%
Booking online, or at the box office next to the rink if space allows
Address The Quays, Lakeside Shopping Centre, West Thurrock, RM20 2AD
Website thedestinationatlakeside.com/icerinkbookings
Good for SEND sessions, late-night disco, skate aids, free entry to the park

6. The Ice Rink at Bluewater

About 13 miles away, across the Thames, and the first of the area’s Christmas rinks to open, on 5 November. A covered rink outside The Village, with 45-minute sessions.

Restaurant terraces with blue parasols outside The Village at Bluewater
The outside dining area of The Village at Bluewater; the rink is outside The Village. Photo: Outside dining area of The Village, Bluewater, Kent by Richard Humphrey (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Children aged 8 and under must have an adult ticket holder skating with them, and children aged 9 to 12 need a responsible adult watching from the spectating area. The calendar marks parent and toddler sessions, quiet sessions, adults-only Friday discos, 2-for-1 sessions and Skate and Sing nights, which we saw priced above the usual rate at £18.50 for an adult.

Our sister title has the Dartford guide.

Open 5 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, closed Christmas Day; on the dates we sampled, hourly from 4pm on term-time weekdays and from 10am at weekends and in the holidays
Price skate hire included: off-peak adult £15, child £13, family of four £46 online in advance; peak adult £17, child £15, family £56; on the day off-peak £16.50, £14.50, £52 and peak £18.50, £16.50, £62; skating aid £5
Booking online or at the box office by the rink
Address Bluewater, Greenhithe, DA9 9ST
Website bluewater.icetickets.co.uk
Good for covered rink, parent and toddler, quiet sessions, wheelchair tickets, 2-for-1 sessions

7. Harlow On Ice

About 14 miles away. Real ice under a decorated marquee beside The Harvey Centre, so sessions go ahead in the rain.

The purple arched West Walk entrance to The Harvey Centre in Harlow
The Harvey Centre's West Walk entrance in Harlow; the rink's marquee goes up beside the centre. Photo: Harvey Centre, West Walk entrance by Mutney (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons

Most last 45 minutes, and skates run from junior size 9 to adult size 14. Under-3s cannot skate, children aged 8 and under must have a ticket-holding adult with them, and children aged 12 and under must be supervised from the viewing area.

Our sister title has the Harlow guide.

Open 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027; first sessions from 10am; closed Mondays until 14 December and on Christmas Day (day pattern as read by Harlow Online on 3 November)
Price skate hire included: saver adult £13.90, child £11.90; standard adult £18.90, child £15.90; peak adult £19.90, child £16.90; student £16.95 at standard times; essential companion free; skating aids from £4.90
Booking online; 15% off three tickets with at least one adult and one child
Address West Gate, Harlow, CM20 1JN
Website harlowonice.co.uk
Good for real ice, covered, family discount, essential companions free, parking at Harvey Centre

8. The Ice Rink at Braintree Village

About 21 miles away, the furthest here. An undercover rink beside the outlet centre’s North Car Park, which the FAQ warns can get busy at peak times, on the same booking system and age rules as Bluewater.

The calendar marks quiet sessions and Skate and Sing nights among others, and the session length is 45 minutes.

Open 12 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, closed Christmas Day; on the dates we sampled, hourly from 4pm on term-time weekdays and from 10am at weekends and in the holidays
Price skate hire included: off-peak adult £14, child £12, family of four £44 online in advance; peak adult £16, child £14, family £52; on the day off-peak £15.50, £13.50, £50 and peak £17.50, £15.50, £58; skating aid £5
Booking online or at the box office by the rink
Address Chapel Hill, Braintree, CM77 8YH
Website braintree.icetickets.co.uk
Good for undercover, quiet sessions, wheelchair tickets, Skate and Sing nights

How we chose

These are the places to skate within about 21 miles of Brentwood with a 2026 Christmas season or sessions all year. Central London’s Christmas rinks and Alexandra Palace are a longer trip and are not listed here.

Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@brentwoodonline.co.uk. Taken a good photograph of any of these places? Email it to newsdesk@brentwoodonline.co.uk and we will add it with your name as the credit.

More Christmas in Brentwood

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Is there an ice rink in Brentwood?

We found none in Brentwood borough for Christmas 2026, either permanent or temporary, as of 5 November. The nearest all-year rink is Sapphire Ice and Leisure in Romford, about 6 miles away. Christmas Fest Essex in Billericay is about the same distance, but you can only skate there with a Santa experience ticket.

What is the cheapest ice skating near Brentwood?

On published adult prices, Riverside in Chelmsford at £8.80 on the free Lite card for term-time weekdays, then Sapphire in Romford at £11.50 off-peak. Prices at Riverside and Lee Valley include skate hire, as they do at Bluewater, Braintree and Harlow On Ice.

Which ice rinks near Brentwood are open on Christmas Day?

Bluewater and Braintree Village both close on Christmas Day, and so does Riverside in Chelmsford, which also closes on 26 December and 1 January. Harlow On Ice was also listed as closed on Christmas Day when read on 3 November. Sapphire had published no Christmas timetable when last checked on 3 November.