Carolina Beach's New Boardwalk Ice Rink Fills the Nights Between Island of Lights Events

"Who doesn't love ice skating? Who doesn't love ice skating at the beach? Who doesn't love ice skating at the beach in North Carolina?" Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jim DeGilio asked Town Council in September. Port City Daily reported that Mayor Lynn Barbee and Mayor Pro Tem Deb LeCompte added the answer together: "And at Christmas."

Until now, the holidays on Pleasure Island have come in single nights. There's the tree lighting, the parade, the flotilla, the Tour of Homes and New Year's Eve, each one a separate evening with quiet weeks in between. The temporary ice rink Council funded on Sept. 8 runs from Nov. 27 through Jan. 3, so the Boardwalk will have something open almost every evening between those events. That changes how you plan the season. Pick a few big nights, then treat the rink as the place to go on all the others.

Opening night is also Lighting at the Lake

The rink's first day is Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving. That same evening, Island of Lights holds Lighting at the Lake at 6:30 p.m. at Atlanta Avenue and Lake Park Boulevard. It's free, and Santa is expected. The season's first big event and the rink's first public night fall on the same date, a short walk apart.

Lake Park itself may look different this year. At the September meeting, Town Manager Bruce Oakley said demolition of the Lake Park bridge and bathroom would start in October, earlier than first planned, so the work would be finished before the Nov. 27 lighting. Town Parks and Recreation is also taking a bigger role in the lighting this year, working with Island of Lights to add programming and amenities, according to the town's Aug. 25 workshop packet.

A lot between Silver Dollar and Hurricane Alley's

The rink goes on the lot between Cape Fear Boulevard and Carolina Beach Avenue North. In the September meeting minutes, DeGilio described the site as just south of Silver Dollar, north of Hurricane Alley's, and west of the new bathrooms. Town staff helped mark out the plot. The ground needs a little leveling, and Oakley told Council that current staff could handle the grading.

The rink is right where the Boardwalk is busiest. On any open night you can skate, then walk to a Boardwalk restaurant without moving the car. This first year, tent vendors will set up around the rink selling hot chocolate, cookies and gifts. Barbee likes the idea of a "Christmas Village." DeGilio has looked into collapsible wooden huts in the style of a German Christmas market, at about $5,000 each, but called them "kind of an aspirational thing." For 2026, plan on tents.

The $50,000 Council approved is one-time seed money from room occupancy tax. The town pays up front and then asks the Tourism Development Authority to reimburse it. DeGilio told Council the goal is for the rink to pay for itself in later years "out of the profits and other monies."

The weekly schedule, and what to check before a Monday

These are the hours Port City Daily published for the season:

The same article also says public skating runs five days a week, with Mondays and Tuesdays set aside for special programming such as figure-skating exhibitions, lessons and private parties. Someone even suggested a pickleball tournament on skates. The approved plan in the council minutes says the same, with public skating Wednesday through Sunday. Count on Wednesday through Sunday for open skating. Before you take the family on a Monday or Tuesday, check with the Chamber or the town.

The rink's operator hasn't been named publicly, and ticket prices haven't been published yet. The minutes describe the operator as an Ohio-based company with 36 years in the business that has also run a rink in Southport. For a rough idea of cost, Southport's Winterfest rink at the Fort Johnston Tennis Courts charged $15 with skate rental in December 2025, according to the State Port Pilot. That's another town's price from last year, not a preview of this one.

How the big nights line up with the rink

Island of Lights' 2026 dates are set. All four of the events below fall on a Friday or Saturday, when the rink stays open until 11 p.m.

Because the rink stays open late on those nights, each event can turn into a whole evening. On parade night, Lake Park Boulevard closes and public safety crews run checkpoints, which the town's workshop packet describes as extensive behind-the-scenes work. If you can walk to the Boardwalk, you can watch the parade and then skate while the roads reopen. The flotilla starts at 6 p.m., and the public votes for favorite boats by text. That leaves the rest of the evening free for the Boardwalk. Tour of Homes is self-guided, and the $12 tickets are sold at Pleasure Island businesses. Buying one is an easy reason to stop by a few local shops ahead of time.

The town has more on its own holiday list. Parks and Recreation is planning a Holiday Market with children's activities, Santa and face painting, a Holiday Movie Night showing "A Christmas Story," Christmas by the Sea with Santa, train rides, holiday music and food vendors, plus Letters to Santa and a Holiday Decorating Contest. Watch the town's recreation calendar for those dates as they're announced.

New Year's Eve runs in two shifts

Dec. 31 falls on a Thursday this year, and the plan for the night comes in pieces. The rink is open 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Inside that window, the town is trying out a new family event on the Boardwalk, Rockin' New Year's Eve, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. It's built for families who don't want to stay out until midnight, and the town is treating this year as a first-year test.

At 9 p.m., the same hour the rink closes, the Island of Lights New Year's Celebration starts, with a giant beach ball dropped at midnight followed by fireworks. The location moves between Carolina Beach and Kure Beach from year to year, and the 2025 celebration was held in Kure Beach. The organizer's page lists the 2026 event under Carolina Beach in one place and names the Kure Beach Pier in another. The Wilmington and Beaches calendar lists the Carolina Beach Boardwalk. Check the location closer to the date before you set a meeting spot.

If the Boardwalk does host the midnight celebration, the whole evening happens on one block. You'd go from the rink to the family event in the early evening and stay put for the ball drop.

Why the island is trying for a winter season

LeCompte told Council that shoulder-season events matter for keeping local businesses going and attracting year-round investment. She compared the rink to Christmas by the Sea, which was also created as a shoulder-season event. DeGilio reported that some business owners plan to skip their usual off-season layoffs this year. As Port City Daily quoted him, a few owners "don't want to bring in new staff for seven weeks during the holiday season, lay them off again and bring them back in April."

For you, that could mean some familiar Boardwalk crews stay on through December. The Chamber is also hoping for something from the Carolina Hurricanes, who won the 2026 Stanley Cup. It has contacted the team about bringing a replica trophy and having players sign autographs or skate in exhibitions. According to the minutes, nothing has been finalized, so treat it as a possible bonus and don't plan a night around it.

The rink is set to run through Sunday, Jan. 3, three days after New Year's.

Living a short walk from the Boardwalk counts for more when there's something to walk to most nights from Thanksgiving to New Year's. If you're weighing how close to the Boardwalk you want to live, by year-round or seasonal use, Maxx Jackson can tell you which Carolina Beach streets keep the rink, Lake Park and the parade route within walking distance. Schedule a Consultation and bring your holiday calendar.