Last winter the ice under the Brooklyn Bridge opened on November 24, a few days before Thanksgiving. This Saturday, November 14, Roebling Rink starts its third season at Emily Warren Roebling Plaza. That same morning, the Brooklyn Flea Holiday Market sets up under the DUMBO Archway for its first weekend.
That change gives the waterfront a holiday season that opens in two stages. From November 14 through Thanksgiving weekend, you get the rink, the Flea on weekends and the bridge-side lights. Starting November 30, the calendar adds a daily market and a run of evening events. If you live within walking distance of the park, those first two-plus weeks are the low-key part of the season, and this year's rink rules are set up for neighbors who book ahead.
What changed at the rink since last winter
This season, admission depends on where you live. The Brooklyn Bridge Park announcement lists two prices: $16 admission and $8 skate rental for New York City residents, and $20 and $12 for everyone else, with taxes and fees included. Here's how it compares with last season's release:
| 2025 season | 2026 season | |
|---|---|---|
| Opening day | Monday, Nov. 24 | Saturday, Nov. 14 |
| Admission | $16 for everyone | $16 NYC residents, $20 non-residents |
| Skate rental | $8 | $8 NYC residents, $12 non-residents |
| Resident perk | Limited free walk-up tickets at select sessions | Lower resident price at every session |
| Arrival window | Two hours, for 60 minutes on the ice | 90 minutes, for 60 minutes on the ice |
| Mon to Thu hours | 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. | 1:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. |
| Weekend hours | 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
In dollars, a resident who rents skates pays $24, the same as last year. A visiting friend or relative pays $32, which is $8 more than last winter. If you're hosting guests from out of town over the holidays, a party of four non-residents now pays $128 with rentals, compared with $96 last season.
Your timing matters more, too. Last year you had a two-hour window to show up. This year your ticket is good any time within a 90-minute slot, and the ice gets cleaned between sessions. Tickets are non-refundable, but you can reschedule up to five hours before your session. The park recommends buying online, and walk-ups get in only if there's room. On a weekday, the extra half hour of evening skating now runs to 9:30 p.m.
Lessons are still run by Fireworks Skating Academy, at select sessions on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. The lesson price includes rink admission, but skates are a separate rental.
How opening day runs, hour by hour
On Saturday, the first two sessions are free. Free tickets are limited and handed out online through roeblingrink.com. Here's the park's schedule in order:
- 10:30 a.m. to noon: first free skating session.
- 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: educational and craft activities led by Brooklyn Bridge Park educators, plus holiday movie screenings during the day.
- Noon to 4 p.m.: the Brooklyn Museum's Museum on Wheels is on site.
- 12:30 to 2 p.m.: second free skating session.
- 6:30 to 8 p.m.: Milk, the drag performer and figure skating champion, performs and skates during this session.
- 8 to 8:30 p.m.: the New York City Gay Men's Chorus sings a holiday set.
The Brooklyn Flea Holiday Market runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Archway and Plaza, so a morning skate and an afternoon at the market fit together easily. DUMBO's holiday page lists more than 40 vendors selling gifts, vintage and jewelry, along with mulled wine, performances and string lights. If you'd rather go further afield, Industry City's Krampus Market is also on Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Tom Kane Theater at brooklynONE, according to Visit Brooklyn.
To get to the rink, take the F to York Street, the A or C to High Street, or the 2 or 3 to Clark Street. NYC Ferry's DUMBO stop and the B25 bus also serve the plaza.
The weeks between November 14 and Thanksgiving
From opening day to the end of November, the waterfront calendar is simple. The rink is open daily except Thanksgiving. The Flea runs on Saturdays and Sundays, which gives you two full weekends before Thanksgiving: November 14 and 15, and November 21 and 22.
The rink is closed on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, and the park says holiday hours may vary, so check the posted schedule before that week. That day, the Santa mailbox goes up next to the Holiday Tree in the Archway Plaza and stays through Christmas Eve. It's decorated by Creatively Wild Art Studio, and some letters get a reply with $100 in Dumbo Dollars to spend in the neighborhood.
The tree is new this year. Katie Wendt of Augenblick Studios designed its ornaments around DUMBO icons dressed up for the holidays. Augenblick, an animation studio based in DUMBO, also makes the holiday projections that appear each night on the BQE, the Manhattan Bridge and building facades.
Before you head to Jane's Carousel, check the day. Its posted fall schedule keeps it closed Mondays and Tuesdays and open 11 a.m. to 5:50 p.m. on other days through December 31. Beginning January 1, it also closes on Wednesdays.
Where to eat near the ice
Several of the places near the rink weren't open last skating season. Three of these 2026 openings are a few blocks from the plaza, and the fourth is a walk up the hill:
- Titán, 5 Front Street. A Northern Mexican restaurant and bar serving regional dishes, tacos, seafood and agave spirits. Eater reported its opening on June 17.
- Chaat Dog, Time Out Market, 55 Water Street. Halal hot dogs with chaat toppings and other Desi-American street food. It opened its permanent stall on June 6, per Hoodline.
- Don't Matter, 55 Sands Street. A listening bar built around vinyl, with DJs and a short drinks list. It opened August 5, according to Brooklyn Bridge Parents.
- Frenzie, 129 Atlantic Avenue. Sourdough pizza, small plates and wine. It's a longer walk up through Brooklyn Heights and opened August 13, according to the same Brooklyn Bridge Parents roundup.
One familiar spot is gone. Plymouth Cafe at 90 Henry Street served its last sandwich on June 15, so anyone used to grabbing lunch there before heading down the hill will need a new stop.
When the December calendar takes over
On the Monday after Thanksgiving, DUMBO's season moves from mostly weekends to nearly every day. FAD Market opens on November 30 in the Empire Stores lobby and runs daily through December 20, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with gifts and stocking stuffers from small makers based in New York City. The neighborhood's main events then come within four days of each other:
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Wed., Dec. 2 | Holiday Bar Crawl | From 5 p.m., with $12 specialty cocktails, $9 wine or mocktails and $6 beers at 14 spots |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | DUMBO Tree Lighting | 4 to 7 p.m. at the Archway and Pearl Plaza, tree lit at 5:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Shop the Studios | 1 to 6 p.m., more than 80 DUMBO artists open their studios, maps at the Brooklyn Flea |
Shop the Studios is in its sixth year, and its map comes from the Flea's booth under the Archway. That means the market that opened on November 14 is also where you start the gallery walk three weeks later. The Flea's last weekend is December 19 and 20, and FAD closes on December 20 as well.
Lightscape returns to Brooklyn Botanic Garden from November 20 through January 3, with 16 installations on a redesigned trail, Brooklyn Paper reports. That's a separate trip, and it's open from the second Flea weekend through the end of the season.
Back at the rink, the free opening sessions are limited. The resident price is $16, and you can reschedule up to five hours before your slot.
If you're thinking about the waterfront for the longer term, whether that means swapping a Brooklyn place for something on the East End or adding a home near the water, The Connelly Team knows both shorelines well and can walk you through what your current home is worth before you decide. Request your free home valuation and start that conversation whenever the timing feels right.
