Free synthetic ice rink opens at Laikunlava on 21 November

A free synthetic ice rink will open at Laikunlava in Tampere on 21 November. It will be open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. until 20 December, the City of Tampere says.

The pop-up is organised as a lead-up to the ISU Figure Skating World Championships and uses synthetic ice so people can skate even when temperatures are above freezing. Salla Mäkelä, Secretary General of the World Championships, said organisers want the event visible in the city well before competition week and to make skating easy to access. "Every Finn has the right to learn to skate," she added. Local figure skating clubs will offer free lessons on Thursday and Friday evenings and on Saturdays. Skates can be hired on site.

The opening ceremony is scheduled for Saturday 21 November. The rink will host pre-event celebrations on Finland's Independence Day, 6 December, and on Sunday 20 December. A detailed programme and timetable will be published closer to the events in the Tampere events calendar and on the Culture House Laikku website.