BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Christmas City has closed down most festivities as we approach the twelfth night of the holiday, and the Ice Rink at SteelStacks is no exception. It served its final customers on Jan. 1, 2023.
- The Ice Rink at SteelStacks closed its inaugural season on Jan. 1
- The rink was presented by Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital via ArtsQuest
- The rink had over 12,000 attendees
More than 12,000 people laced up skates at the old industrial campus during 75-minute sessions across the holiday season. The ice rink was serviced by hand between each of these sessions. The rink itself was too small for a zamboni, according to Shannon Keith, ArtsQuest’s director of communications.
“The Ice Rink at SteelStacks welcomed 12,264 guests during its first year.”Curt Mosel, ArtsQuest chief operating officer
The rink was presented by Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital, who also offered sensory-friendly skating sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
“The Ice Rink at SteelStacks welcomed 12,264 guests during its first year,” said Curt Mosel, ArtsQuest chief operating officer. “We’re grateful to LVRCH for the generous partnership that enabled ArtsQuest to present this exceptional addition to our holiday offerings.”
On Monday nights, free skating was provided for children 13 and under by LehighValleyNews.com.
“We had a lot of fun with the theme nights,” said Ryan Hill, ArtsQuest senior director of programming. “A number of them were sellouts and people were thrilled to participate either via costumes, by playing trivia or by simply singing along.”
Keith gave information about the nature of the theme nights. She said, “We've had everything from an elf night to a pride night to a Star Wars skate, disco and Soul Train night, emo nights. We even had a skate with St. Nick. There were a lot of them.”
According to Hill, ArtsQuest is reviewing plans to bring the rink back in 2023.
