Frozen Fun: Discover Bulgaria's Exciting Ice Rinks (PHOTOS)

Society | December 4, 2023, Monday // 11:11| views

The Christmas holidays are approaching and with them the opening of a number of Christmas markets and ice rinks. Here's where and when you can enjoy the ice fun in Bulgaria:

Sofia

Ice rink "Slavia"

Ice rink "Slavia" has a capacity of 2000 seats and is part of Sports Complex "Slavia. The ice field has standard dimensions - 30 by 60 meters, which allows holding national and international competitions in ice hockey, figure skating and short track. In the store of the complex you can find specialized high-quality hockey equipment, ice skates, inline hockey, skates and accessories for figure skating. On the territory of the stadium there are 12 modernly equipped dressing rooms, which are conveniently connected to the ice field. For those wishing to practice skating for pleasure, there are available rink lessons. The rink is available Wednesday and Friday from 19:00 to 20:30 and Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 to 13:00 and from 17:00 to 18:30. Every Saturday at the evening rink there is a raffle with lots of prizes. A DJ takes care of the visitors' good mood. Anyone can order a song directly on the Facebook page of the "Slavia" ice rink and the DJ will provide it. The ice sports at the "Slavia" ice rink are varied and adapted to the time and capabilities of all trainees. In the new halls, groups of different sizes can train, depending on the type of sport and the number of participants.

Ariana Ice Rink

The ice rink is located on Lake "Ariana" in the Borisova Garden, it is covered with a tent and works around the clock. It is located on 1400 sq.m. and one of the largest outdoor ice rinks in Europe. It offers excellent conditions, lots of fun and pleasant surprises for all winter skating lovers. It works during the cold months of the year.

Yunak

The ice rink at the stadium "Yunak" opened on December 1, Friday. The ice rink will be open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 11:20 p.m. MultiSport cards will also be accepted this season.

Free entry for children under 13 remains on weekdays for the 10 am and 2 pm sessions. A Family and Friends package is also available, which gets six people in for the price of five tickets. A special program "Little heroes on ice" provides free access to children with disabilities and an accompanying person.

Entrance with rented skates is 15 BGN, and with your own - 13 BGN. Children under 3 enter for free.

Ice Park

For the second year in a row, the Bulgarian capital will have the largest ice rink in the Balkans - Ice Park.

This time, the facility in the Prince's Garden, next to Orlov Most, will be built in a much different way and will have a skate-wardrobe and a Christmas market.

The ice rink became a reality with the cooperation of "Sofia - European capital of sports" and will work throughout the winter.

Others:

The ice rink in the capital park "Vazrazhdane" also opened its doors.

The "Frozen Street" at the Cinema Center in Boyana also provides an opportunity for a new and unforgettable experience on the ice. It will be open until December 30.

Ruse

The ice rink in Ruse is now open.

The municipal company will manage the attraction this year as well. If the maximum daily temperature is below 15 degrees, there is no danger of the ice melting, the mayor said. Therefore, this is the maximum required temperature to start icing the field.

The rink will be open until January 15, but if it opens later than planned, it could continue until the end of January next year.

As for the prices, this year there will be no skating fee, as there was before. The price for one hour of ice skating will be BGN 10 for both children and adults.

The penguins will cost BGN 5, and a group of 6 people will be able to buy a ticket for BGN 7 per person.

The subscriptions, which include 10 hours on the ice, will be BGN 60.

And if a company or a private event wants entertainment on the ice, it can be up to 50 people in total, the amount is BGN 400 per hour.

But the pleasant surprises do not end only with the ice rink - next to the field there will be an Ice Park, where there will be attractions for children, delicious food, mulled wine, a grill will be offered, and there will also be pavilions for Christmas decorations and gifts. These entertainments are at the rink, and are not part of the traditional Christmas bazaar, explained Kunchev.

In addition, at Christmas there will be Santa Claus, as well as a photo frame for the little ones to take pictures with the white-bearded old man, who will give them presents on December 25.

A mailbox will accept the letters of Ruse residents with their wishes. Free envelopes and forms will be distributed at the ticket counter for the rink, the mayor also revealed.

Plovdiv

This winter, there will be an ice rink in the center of Plovdiv. This became clear from the first briefing of the new mayor Kostadin Dimitrov, who devoted a large part of it to the way the city will look for the Christmas and New Year holidays. The mayor emphasized that certain conditions must be met in order for the ice skating facility to be built, from which he will not deviate.

There must be insurance on the square for 100 thousand BGN. Even if one tile is moved or broken, the company will no longer be allowed to build such a facility in Plovdiv. Everything on it must be carried by hand, as well as have additional insulation. These are the conditions we have set," stressed Kostadin Dimitrov. And he added that there was an idea to have the ice rink this winter on the square in front of Bratska mogila, but there are no necessary conditions there.

He specified that the people of Plovdiv will have the opportunity to skate in the winter, but it follows that the company that built the front rinks should undertake the commitments in question to the city administration. We remind you that last year there was no rink, as the facility caused great damage to the new central city square last season.

The mayor also announced that there will be a Christmas mood in all Plovdiv neighborhoods - Christmas trees will be lit in all six city districts. Work is already underway on the construction of the large artificial Christmas tree in the square. The Christmas tree will be nearly 13 meters tall, and its lights will be ceremonially lit on December 1.