Howard Park’s 16,000 square foot ice trail and pond is a premier winter destination for the South Bend region.  The ice trail features rolling hills and soft curves that provide skaters with a diverse terrain when making their way around the loop. The ice pond is attached to the ice trail but provides a more traditional skating experience with an isolated skating area that can be used for learning to skate or skating activities like broomball.

Ice skating is available throughout the cold-weather season, 7 days a week. Admission to the skate trail and pond and skate rentals are available at the support building located on the east side of the park.

Questions? Check out the frequently asked questions below.


Ice Skating Season: November 29, 2024 to March 2025

Monday
4:00 PM | 6:00 PM

Tuesday **
4:00 PM | 6:00 PM

Wednesday
4:00 PM | 6:00 PM

Thursday ***
4:00 PM | 6:00 PM

Friday
4:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 8:00 PM

Saturday ***
10:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 8:00 PM

Sunday
12:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 6:00 PM

*all sessions 80-minutes in length

**Admission $5 (Excludes Dec 20 – Jan 4)

*** Ice Pond will be closed Jan 9 – Feb 27 for Learn to Skate

Black Friday (Nov. 29)
12:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 6:00 PM

Winter Open (Dec. 7)
10:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 8:00 PM

Holiday Break (Dec. 20 – Jan. 4)
10:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 8:00 PM

Christmas Eve (Dec. 24)
10:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM

Christmas Day (Dec. 25)
No open skate

New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31)
10:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 8:00 PM

New Year’s Day (Jan. 1)
12:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 8:00 PM

MLK Jr. Day (Jan. 20)
10:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 6:00 PM

President’s Day (Feb. 17)
10:00 AM | 12:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 6:00 PM


RESERVE YOUR SKATING TIME ONLINE

Limited online reservations guarantee your time on the ice.


DRESS WARM

Make sure to layer up, dress warm and be prepared to be outside. During your visit you are welcome to change skates outside, and enjoy the use of the outdoor fire pits and heaters located throughout the park grounds.


OUTDOOR SKATE CHANGING

Change your skates outdoors near one of our additional heating elements! Additional seating and heating elements have been added outdoors to provide space for skate changing and warming up during Zamboni breaks. Still, your first plan of attack to stay warm should be to layer up and dress warm. As a backup plan, visit the South Bend Chocolate Café to Go stand for a warm cup of hot chocolate!


LEAVE VALUABLES AT HOME

Lockers will be available to rent during your 80-minute skating session inside the Event Center, however, we encourage you to leave valuables at home.


CONSIDER VISITING DURING NON-PEAK HOURS

For those interested in a less crowded experience, consider visiting the Ice Trail during the week (Monday - Friday with skate sessions at 4PM & 6PM) to avoid the days and times with the highest volume of people.


MOVE THROUGH THE LINE FASTER BY BRINGING YOUR OWN SKATES & PURCHASING A SEASON PASS!

Though skate rental is included for free with all admission purchases, bringing your own skates provides another opportunity to get on the ice sooner.

2024 - 2025 Programs & Events

$5 Skate Night
All admission (adult and youth) is just $5 on Tuesdays. Does not apply during the holiday week of Dec. 20 – Jan. 4

Learn To Skate Classes
Courses are 4-weeks long, each class is 30 minutes in length. See page for more details and to register.

DJ Skate Night
Every Friday night starting Dec. 6 at the 8:00PM skate session. Regular rates apply.

Yoga On Ice
Saturday, Dec 14 & 28                8:30AM – 9:15AM on the Pond

Howards Hungry Hungry Hippos
Thursday Dec. 19. More information coming soon

Paint it Forward
Sunday Jan. 5. More information coming soon

Low Sensory Night
Wednesday Jan. 29. More information coming soon

MLK Dream Center Presents: Black History Skate Night
Sunday Feb. 16. More information coming soon


Ice Rentals

School Field Trips
Available anytime during the work day, Monday – Thursday and must be scheduled one week in advance. See page for more details.

Private Event
Take advantage of an exclusive opportunity to have the entire Howard Park Ice Trail all to yourself. Available 7 days per week (excluding holidays). See page for more details.

Use code "EARLYBIRD10" for 10% off of season passes. Offer expires October 24, 2020.

SKATE ADMISSION

ages 3 - 17
$7Admission + Skate Rental
  • Rental of skates included for free

SKATE ADMISSION

ages 18+
$10Admission + Skate Rental
  • Rental of skates included for free

REDUCED-RATE ADMISSION

SKATE-IT-FORWARD
$4Admission + Skate Rental
  • All ages. Rental of skates included for free.

Did You Know?
10% of all proceeds support our Skate-it-Forward program which covers the cost of skating for children and families who may not otherwise be able to afford it.

Learn More

We Want To Hear From You!

Please consider sharing your feedback about your time with VPA. We are 100% committed to providing the ultimate ice skating experience at Howard Park and look forward to hearing from you!

Frequently Asked Questions

Skate sizes are available in children’s size 8 through men’s size 15. All skates are men’s hockey skate sizing. Sizing one size down from a normal men’s street shoe should get you the optimal, snug fit. For more information on finding your exact size, check out this sizing guide.

Locker space is available in the Centier Bank Commons. Lockers come in two sizes (19.7” deep x 12.8” wide x 14.4″ tall and 19.7” deep x 12.8” wide x 24” tall), with the largest size able to accommodate a family. Lockers are $2 per hour for the regular size and $3 per hour for the jumbo size (or free for season pass holders by scanning the barcode on the front of their season pass). Cubbies under benches are also available, but items left here are unattended. (Howard Park/VPA is not responsible for lost or stolen items)

We offer private rentals of the ice pond or trail during non-public skate hours. Fill out our contact form here to request more information.

We have two (2) skate assist sled is available for use by skaters with physical disabilities and their companion skater.  

Unfortunately, skate sharpening is not available onsite. 

If our website says we are sold out, we are unfortunately sold out. Due to the safety of our guests, we have a limited number of skaters that we can have on the ice for each session. If your desired skating session is sold out, please try to reserve another day!

If your skate session does not appear online or there is no message that we are sold out, please contact the Howard Park front desk at 574.299.4765.

If you need to make a change to your current reservation, you can log into your Customer Terminal from your confirmation email to make any changes or send our staff a note.

We would love for you to host your event with us at Howard Park. Event details can be found here or by calling our team at 574-299-4765.

The Zamboni will typically resurface the ice every 80 minutes (weather-dependent) and will take 40 minutes to complete.

Regular Zamboni Run Times:

  • Monday – Thursday: 5:20PM – 6:00PM
  • Friday: 5:20PM – 6:00PM, 7:20PM – 8:00PM
  • Saturday: 11:20AM – 12:00PM, 1:20PM – 2:00PM, 3:20PM – 4:00PM, 5:20PM – 6:00PM, 7:20PM – 8:00PM
  • Sunday: 1:20PM – 2:00PM, 3:20PM – 4:00PM, 5:20PM – 6:00PM

Parking is available along the street or in the Zion Church parking lot.

Yes, we are excited to be able to offer introductory skating lessons for anyone 3 years old and older. All classes will take place on the Tire Rack Ice Pond.  Click here for more information.

We have a limited amount of skate assists for children. Ask any staff member for details. 

If the weather isn’t looking great for your skating session you do have the option to reschedule for a different day and time in your Customer Terminal. If you want to wait it out, we will notify all guests via email at least one hour prior to your scheduled skating session if your session will be cancelled.

No. Only guests who are ice skating will need to make a reservation. Those who are not ice skating can enjoy the park.

The Family Season Pass is valid for 2 named adults living in the same household and up to 6 of their dependent children under the age of 18.

Yes. Private ice rental is available on specific days and times, outside of open skating hours. For pricing and availability, please fill out a reservation inquiry.