Season Dates:

The Markham Civic Centre Rink is now closed for the season

Want to know how we make the outdoor rink ice?

Want to know how we make the Outdoor Ice Rink?

The Civic Centre Outdoor Ice Rink has an artificial refrigeration system which cools the concrete under the ice. Ice is built up slowly over time by spraying water onto the concrete and letting it freeze. Sometimes you will see staff using a hose to spray water, and sometimes they will use the Zamboni.

The refrigeration system is great but it can’t do all of the work on it’s own and we need the weather to help. The outdoor rink is exposed to the elements such as sun, wind, rain and snow, which all greatly affect how quickly the ice is made. And don’t forget all the leaves falling from the trees!

Once the ambient temperature drops so that it is in the negatives overnight on a consistent basis, we can build the ice and it will stay frozen. The system has to work pretty hard during the day when temperatures are higher and/or when there is a lot of sun and sometimes it can’t keep up. So when we are building the ice, we usually do it at night to help keep the ice that we have made instead of it melting or evaporating.

We look forward to welcoming you back next winter season!