Union Square is a pretty solid part of SF, and the holiday ice rink is a fun thing to do there around the end of the year. It's crowded, parking sucks, and the rentable lockers are kind of trash, but you can't beat the holiday cheer of a little ice skating. I'd recommend trying it at least once if you're in the area. read more

So i finally got to go ice skating. After all the darn rain it was a beautiful sunny day for it. My husband and I had the whole rink to ourselves which was fantastic. I had such a blast that I can't wait until December to come so I can skate some more. read more

Holiday Ice Rink In Union Square - Skating Rinks Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Overall not a bad experience! My husband and I like ice skating and have been here twice. The process to check in and rent shoes was super easy. The only downsides are that the rink itself is quite small and the shoe quality is low. The first pair I tried on, one of the shoe laces was way too short and couldn't even be tied and you can tell just by looking that it was extremely old and worn down. There's also not really anywhere to put your belongings unless you pay for the lockers or just leave them out on the benches (what most people do). read more

Holiday Ice Rink In Union Square - Skating Rinks Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I haven't been here in years! My kids and I decided to visit the holiday ice rink around 2:30pm and it was wonderful because it wasn't as crowded as it usually would be closer to the evening. I could never skate without holding onto the wall but today was my first time renting a little polar bear for my daughter to hold onto while skating. You already know I was holding on as well and this made my experience much better (and more fun!) than those of the past! I was able to skate around the rink multiple times with my daughter while watching her enjoy her first time out on the ice. My daughter is 4yrs old and was super brave today! She had a blast during our hour at the holiday ice rink. She was eventually able to skate on her own while holding onto the polar bear as I stood holding onto the side of the rink, trying to snap photos of her, lol. I highly recommend taking your children here for some holiday fun! The environment was very festive, with the Macy's Christmas decor and HUGE Christmas tree in the center of the square. I will definitely visit here again in the next week or so to bring my son who missed out on today's festivities. read more

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One of the better holiday highlights in downtown San Francisco. This has been a long time downtown tradition. I used to be an avid ice skater, but stopped when I had a bad fall. So, can't speak to the quality of the skates or ice on the rink. Even if you don't skate, it's free to be a spectator! The rink is located in the heart of Union Square, where during the holidays, the police are all out in force in the immediate vicinity. read more

Holiday Ice Rink In Union Square - Skating Rinks Near Me - San Francisco, California

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just opened for the season and enjoyed like always! Been coming back every year and have made so many memories with family + friends. One of my favorite holiday activities read more

A classic! Beautiful location, great ice, and the view while skating is unmatched. I certainly would never suggest going to a bar nearby beforehand and getting a little toasted before you skate, but if you do.... go to the Rotunda and have an extra one for me. read more

Decided to check out the Union Square rink for the first time and bring the kiddos. Parking under Union Square was easy but we got a spot surrounded by pee puddle and associated smells (seems like the city needs to do a better job with that lot). Buying tickets was easy and completely electronic, yet a bit pricey at $22 for adults and $17 per kid. That price gives you an hour on the ice and skate rentals. The skates were pretty beat up and both me and my wife got pairs that didn't match (one older skate and one newer looking one ). Also a bit odd that your ticket is associated with a particular time so you can't really walk up and go out on the ice, but the wait was only 15 minutes from when we arrived. Good to have this attraction to bring vibrancy to Union Square, but it'd be great to see things spruced up a bit more. Also the ada compliance situation is a mess there are steps everywhere (challenging since we had a stroller) there are ramps here and there but the whole of Union Square is not user friendly for people bringing wheels. read more

4 stars because of the size of the rink. Many outdoor ice skating pop ups are extremely small, so this one felt a lot more spacious. General admission was $20 including skate rental and we also paid an extra $5 for a locker rental. You can keep your shoes and bags on the benches at your own risk, but they definitely do not allow any bags on the ice rink, so if you do not have someone looking after your things, the locker is the way to go. During peak season, I recommend buying your tickets online the night before because as you can see in the photo, a majority of the skating sessions were already sold out. Each session was 1 hour, but after 30 minutes and with all the people skating, the ice gets super rough and dangerous. Lots of toe pick holes in the ice and it's no longer comfortable to skate. From what I've seen, they will only use the Zamboni to smoothen the ice once before each session. read more

Holiday Ice Rink In Union Square - Skating Rinks Near Me - San Francisco, California

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A beautiful place to go ice skating, especially before Christmas, but we went after the holidays, and I didn't feel it was worth the $25 ticket price. While the setting is nice, it felt a bit expensive for the space. I'd prefer a rink with more ambiance that offers a better experience for less. read more

3.5 stars! It definitely gets you into the holiday spirit because the nearby xmas trees and lights agaisnt backdrop of downtown gives it a NYC white xmas feel. You do have to buy the tickets through their app, they don't sell tickets on site so you can't pay with cash. The website is a little confusing because you might be like "why can I only buy 1 ticket?" When really, the number you see is how much is left available. There's a limit for each session. I also recommend not paying for a locker unless you have super valuable stuff with you that you don't want to skate with. Otherwise just leave your shoes outside next to bench, no one should take them cause its a gated off area. Wish we knew that before heading over, since its outside we thought it was susceptible to stealing but its not shady, theres security around that prevent shady people from even being in that block. Of course never say never, I don't take responsibility if your stuff get stolen! I feel they let in too many people on ice rink, it was super crowded and at times felt like narrowly escaping bad skaters. So I wouldn't recommend doing this if its your first time, it will just make the learning curve that much higher. You need space to properly learn or else you'd be too scared. read more

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I was extremely disappointed when I went to skate today, and found out that they do not have any bathroom facilities! The website fools you and says that you can use the public bathroom that's in the garage underneath the ice-skating rink. It turns out that you need a special code to use the bathroom, which the people who run the ice-skating rink do not know?!?! - they had the nerve to tell me to go to the bathroom at the iPhone store or at the hotel down the street! The ice rink is extremely crowded with small children, and families, none of which are provided with any way to use any bathroom facilities?! - this is completely unacceptable! It is not to code and I don't know how the city of San Francisco could ever approve a Public facility which does not provide any bathrooms to its customers. The skating rink was not cheap. And you have to pay for every single thing, including your locker. NO BATHROOMS !!! Be WARNED. read more

Always a fun experience here. Love the ambiance with the music and the lights. It's does get busy and at times crowded, but can't blame them for that. Location is great and it's a fun activity for all. read more

My friend and I each tried to buy our own tickets at the same time on their website and then we found out that they only had one left. So, I ended up getting the last ticket and my friend couldn't get one. It said to call them to ask if there were any more spots. My friend called them and explained the situation to her and the lady was incredibly rude. She did not help my friend at all, just telling her that there is no refund and that I would just have to skate by myself. I can't recommend any businesses where employees are very rude to their customers. read more

A bit small. Wonderful location. You can take bart to go there, just a short walk. Not crowded. Price is a bit high but imagine skating under the stars, holding hands with you love ones. Romantic and yet covid safe! Good healthy exercise to do at night till 11pm. I will go again. Wear xmas lights with batteries to go there for an extra fun way to skate. read more

Holiday Ice Rink In Union Square - Ambiance - Skating Rinks Near Me - San Francisco, California

Finally got to live my dream of always wanting to ice skate here! Was it everything I had expected and more? No. But still really fun! You have to buy tickets online in advance and I def recommend purchasing a locker because you don't want to run the risk of getting your stuff stolen. You wait in line to check in and have proof of vaxx ready to go! Surprisingly, the line to enter and getting skates went by really fast and was easy. I give this 4/5 stars because I wish that there wasn't a one hour time limit per ticket AND I wish the rink was a little bigger. Still had a really fun time on the ice and am looking forward to more winter seasons here :) read more

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My little girl had an amazing time here. We went the day before Thanksgiving and we were able to book reservations for a time slot about 30 minutes after arrival. Everything is done via a QR code such as reserving a time and buying tickets to skate, buying socks etc. We rented an ice skating assistant (a cute little penguin) to help my daughter ice skate. She absolutely loved it here. It does get super crowded here and I saw a large man fall over a tiny little girl cause of the crowds so just want to give a heads up on that. They have plenty of help on the floor with several employees skating to help out those who fall etc. It's also in a beautiful setting in the city right inside Union Square and with a beautiful view of the Christmas tree and decorations. Fun place to go with your kids and family. read more

I was disappointed with the ice-skating rink in union Square. When it was our turn to skate, the ice was bumpy and not cleaned. I feel like for the price I paid the ice should've been cleaned. It was honestly hard to skate because we were skating on bumpy ice. I do not recommend ice-skating here. It's the first and last time for me. read more

I recently went to skate here with friends & I fell and bumped into a worker on the ice & immediately checked if he was ok & his response was completely unprofessional & extremely rude he called me a names & saying "I was really bad skater & wtf is wrong with you" & then his other employe the old gentleman with white started to incoherently insult me while all was trying to do was make sure everyone was was ok & then another employee joined it and started verbally attacking me for falling on accident it was like dealing with children bickering at you like we're all adults but obviously some of us weren't raised right I ended going back another day & the manager of the ice rink came up to me saying that I can't be bumping into people with just the most hostile attitude & I calmly explained people fall accidents happen this is a physical activity & I fell & then started to explain how his coworkers are verbally attacking me and he immediately said no they didn't even tho he wasn't there & then he started asking if I even had a ticket even tho she scanned it earlier I asked for his name & he refused to tell me I think bc I told him I'm going to leave a review about this & he just walked away & then after that the same guy I bumped into called me a a fucking Beamer while running away after he clocked out I told that to the boss & he defended him saying he didn't the boss is a racist piece of shit and he defends his workers being racist i have met some of the nicest poeple that work there but 4 out of the rest of them like to bully people read more

The staff was incredibly helpful and had great attitudes. Thanks for the great experience.

Drove all the way from the east bay to come to the opening ceremony because I won it on the official Instagram page. They didn't see my message for 3 days. Then they finally saw the message but didn't respond. I replied asking if I need tickets or if my name is on the list no reply. Fast forward to today. I go to the entrance and they said my name is not on the list. I show them the Instagram for the winning to see preferred viewing and free skating. They told me to comeback at 7. I finally commented on the original post and then they responded and said my name is on the list. I go back to the desk and they finally told me I needed to enter through the exit area. By that time I already missed most of the opening ceremony. I go inside and I see the person passing out tokens for what I'm guessing is for the free skating and of course they didn't give me one. I waited for my friend to come also from the east bay because I didn't know if my name is there in the first place and they never told me a single thing. I talked to someone about the supposed gift but they didn't know because they said the social media team is separate from them. This whole "free" win from the official Instagram is not worth the trouble fighting traffic to come to the city for this opening ceremony event. I will NOT be recommending people to come here! read more

I've done this every December I've lived here and I have LOVED it every time. It makes for such a gloriously festive evening, skating around in a mad little rush of kids unafraid of death, their worried parents chasing after them, Olympic figure skaters doing spins in the middle, groups of rambunctious friends with a clear skill spread, young couples with an iron grip on each other, trembling adults gripping the edges and apologizing every three seconds (me), the occasional kind old couple wandering right outside who smile and share Christmas greetings....all at the heart of Union Square, which really comes alive in December, with the songs and lights and trees! All the trees! It's decently cheap holiday thrill for the hour with rentals ($25) if you're looking to just have a jolly old time with a group of friends and not actually get all your money's worth out of skating (you'd want to go to a larger rink for that). Personally I have a blast spending the hour getting slightly better at not falling and yelling at everyone to look at me. Others actually skate. Must be nice. read more

Skating in Union Square during the Christmas holiday season should be on everyone's winter bucket list. It's so beautiful! Especially at night, with all of the lights from the high rises, lit palm trees, their huge Christmas tree, and Macy's behind the rink with every window nestled with a wreath and their big beautiful tree in the front of their building. Plan ahead as their peak times tend to sell out and they are not flexible with additional skaters/extended skate time. Booking online is simple and handled through EventBrite. Skating can be cancelled due to inclement weather. It sprinkled the evening we skated and we were able to keep skating on. It was actually pretty magical! The only downside is the ice rink was pretty wet from the rain, causing my daughter to get her bottom pretty soaked when she fell a couple times, but she survived! :) The reason I only gave 4 stars: 1. I booked for 4:30pm, and there were only 4 slots left. The email confirmation came over for 10am. Feeling alarmed I thought maybe I booked the wrong slot, didn't want the 4:30pm to sellout and read in the T&C's that they would issue a refund or provide a future booking. I booked again for 4:30pm. When the confirmation came over again, I see that it said 10am. Then I noticed when I scrolled down further into the email, it said 4:30pm in another section. This can create a lot of confusion for customers and now I was double booked. I reached out to the contact on EventBrite for a refund and have had no response for 6 weeks. I'll now be filing a dispute with my credit card company to obtain the refund. 2. Their skates/laces are pretty old/raggedy. The least they should do is replace the laces to keep them looking a bit more fresh. read more

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Skates really hurt our feet. The ring had dips by the side railing which makes it hard for beginners. It's SF so lots of people to be expected- so the hour and time frame helps steady out the amount of people. It wasn't over crowded and an hour is enough time on ice . They only had skate helpers from toddlers. Older beginners are out of luck. Getting and returning skates was quick and easy. read more

This is great fun place to go during the holidays. My little friends had a blast and I had a blast watching them It was 20$ to ice skate. The shoe rental is included. It is super kid friendly. There are employees who watch out for people who do not know how to ice skate very well they helped my friends up a few times lol This place is rt smack in the middle of union square. Rt across from Macy. Beautifully decorated and fun vibe. They play great music and have hot chocolate. My little friends got free Alaska airline sweaters. Over all it was a fun great experience and it really set the tone for the holidays. read more

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The workers were very nice! I loved every part of it except when my feet started to hurt LOL. I also wish they kept the ice smooth because it got slippery after a while and some parts rough. They were very strict about the time limit, which in my opinion was great! The restrictions were to keep a limit of people on the ice and I felt safe. Will most likely come back next winter! read more

Holiday Ice Rink In Union Square - Skating Rinks Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The Union Square Ice Skating Rink, sponsored by Safeway, is centrally located in Union Square, surrounded by festive holiday decorations and lights. The ice rink is efficiently managed where tickets and rentals are purchased online, rather than in-person. To help beginning youth skaters, the rink offers walkers shaped like polar bears and penguins. We wish the walkers were offered in adult sizes. Be advised the rink can be crowded at times, making it more challenging to skate and unsafe situations. I recommend offering separate skate times for beginning, intermediate, and advanced skaters. A fun winter tradition that I recommend checking out before the rink closes on Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. read more

Holiday Ice Rink In Union Square - Ice Rink - Skating Rinks Near Me - San Francisco, California

I'm a Bay Area native and have yet to ice skate in SF - until this year! My girlfriend took me on a sunny Sunday morning and we had a great time. Below are some tips based on our experience: - Great atmosphere: there are three ice rinks in SF - one at Embarcadero, one at Civic Center, and this one in Union Square. The Union Square Ice Rink has by far the best atmosphere. You are in the middle of all the downtown Christmas decorations and can get some pretty great pics while on ice with the big tree in the background. - Buy tickets online in advance: tickets can sell out quickly so buy your tickets via the website in advance. Adult tickets are $18 + $2 online fee, which includes the skate rental. This may seem high, but this is actually cheaper than the Civic Center ice rink which is $22 total. Buying tickets online can be a little confusing. First you select your date (all the dates will say 10 AM session), then after you select your date you pick your time. Make sure you pick the right time! - Crowd not that bad: yes, the rink does get a bit crowded, but if you are like me and only go skating once in a blue moon, you aren't going to be skating too fast anyway. If you are an experienced skater, the crowd will definitely slow you down. - Skates hurt: bring high, thick socks if you can. After an hour on the ice, my ankles were hurting like crazy! Each session is 90-minutes and we had to cut our session short because our ankles were hurting so badly. Not the best quality skates. - Pack lightly: backpacks are not permitted on the ice, so pack lightly to avoid having to pay $3 for a locker. Happy holidays, be safe, and have fun! read more

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We went during the noon session. I think they are 1 .5 hr long seasions. Skates included in price. Was not too crowded. No restrooms avail. I tried to rent a $6 skate trainer to help my lil one, my 9 yr, but they said she was too tall. Nice big tree in the area. Touristy area. We had a nice time. read more

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We went skating at the Union Square Ice Rink yesterday. Overall, it was a pretty fun afternoon. The only thing I found disappointing was the condition of the skates they rented there. The skates were in bad shape. The shoelaces on the skates were all torn and shredded. The skates themselves were torn in places too, my shoelace hooks were bent, and my friends rented skates were even wet inside. I would recommend that the rink purchase new skates for next season and throw the majority of these old skates out. read more

Always busy during the holidays, book online , they have no cash register. Book your time and adult or kids , rent a small locker for valuables, my child had so much fun. Also you can get a penguin push if you don't know how to skate . This is us Dec 2023 read more

I've always wanted to ice skate during the holidays in downtown union square, wear an ugly sweater, drink wine and be mesmerized in the Christmas spirit! I did just that here, finally, and it was lovely. It was quite reinvigorating to be on skates after a long while on not being on ice. I miss it. City lights with the Christmas charm is glowingly lit here. Come what may... read more

Holiday Ice Rink In Union Square - Prince Charming is fixing my lace...ready to ice skate - Skating Rinks Near Me - San Francisco, California

Decided to visit while in town for a quick visit(and was close to our hotel). Had so much fun, and it was great seeing so many families enjoying this rink, right in the middle of Union Square. Loved the opportunity to buy a timed ticket, probably helped to maintain crowd control. Plenty of staff on hand, very friendly. Skating in limited to an hour, and the pricing is $25: $20 to skate,$5 for locker rental, but I had fun! read more

Holiday Ice Rink In Union Square - Skating at Union Square Ice Rink in SF - Skating Rinks Near Me - San Francisco, California

Been the yesterday on Christmas Eve and it was so beautiful, the lights and the vibe was awesome. Many people's the street food looks not inviting.. read more

We had a blast here! We ordered two tickets and a locker the day before our scheduled time. We arrived and there was a short line but it moved quickly for those who had purchased tickets online. We were required to show proof of vaccination. Reservations were only for an hour but that was plenty of time considering how crowded it was (this was the only downside). We headed out after about 50 minutes. It is really a magical place to visit around the holidays and the lights on the surrounding buildings makes things even better. This is the perfect place for a date! read more

Holiday Ice Rink In Union Square - Ice Rink - Skating Rinks Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Such a fun experience! Ice skating in the city by the tree! You def have to reserve tickets in advance which is not a big deal. I liked that they limit the amount of people and once the hour is over, everyone leaves. The prices are fair and I really enjoyed the DJ available, having songs to jam out to enhanced the experience. I got a locker for 5 dollars and was able to fit four pairs of shoes, a purse and a pea coat. I recommend dressing in layers because I wore a sweater and a pea coat and I warmed up soo much the sweater by itself was just fine! A must try experience! I was surprised they were open New Year's Day, a great way to start the new year! read more

Holiday Ice Rink In Union Square - Night view of the tree in union square, beautiful to see and great for holiday pictures! - Skating Rinks Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Omicron Spreading Event! Great Ice Skating! This is where we all got Covid-19. The Omicron variant struck us hard. Go Skating and get Omicron! Yes we were all vaccinated and wearing face masks. In Retrospect we all should have been wearing N95 masks. Also there was no social distancing being enforced! read more

Holiday Ice Rink In Union Square - This is just after we were all infected with Omicron! - Skating Rinks Near Me - San Francisco, California

Ok, yes, it's a wonderful holiday activity. We had a great time for my son's birthday outing with his friends. Fortunately, the weather worked out and we didn't need to cancel, though there was a puddle(s) on the ice that needs to be remedied. The rating reflects my complete objection to the cancellation policy that only gives you credit for the current season. With COVID, the weather, and the fact that many of the customers are tourists, it's just not a fair policy. Give a multi season credit or, better yet, a Safeway gift card. Again, it's a great activity, but they need to be fair on their cancellation policy. read more

Holiday Ice Rink In Union Square - Skating Rinks Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Chris the Manager was so awesome and helpful so was all the staff. They take safety very serious , made sure all the ice was perfect and that my teenagers had the right fit skates I appreciate that. Great music playing as well!! Definitely plan on bringing the family and friends back read more

Holiday Ice Rink In Union Square - Clean ice ready for second round! - Skating Rinks Near Me - San Francisco, California

beautiful location if you bring your own skates. sadly they dont have enough skates so will give you a pair of soaking wet skates (from lysol) which soak through your socks (not to mention gross). poorly managed and staffed. read more