Surprise, spooky surprise! Centenary Square’s giant Christmas attractions enjoyed an unexpected ‘soft’ early opening last night.
And the timing was perfect for an evening when Westside’s pubs, bars and restaurants were extra busy thanks to Halloween.
Ice Skate Birmingham took advantage of the heavier-than-normal footfall and balmy weather for a Thursday 31 October evening to iron out any gremlins ahead of the official opening today. You can watch the opening night here:
The giant skating rink will now be open daily from 10am to 10pm until Sunday 5 January 2025, closing only on Christmas Day.
The three other attractions in Centenary Square are the 40m Big Wheel, the 55m City Flyer and the revolving and spinning Air ride.
Abie Danter, whose city-based family firm Danter Attractions has once again built the entire site in less than three weeks, said: “Trying to open everything at once can be difficult.
“Given the weather and the fact that Thursday night was Halloween, we had a soft opening to make sure that everything was running smoothly.”
“With better weather in recent days than we had at this time last year, we were ahead of schedule with the build but, of course, still had to wait for the official safety and fire inspections before we could open.
“We’ve got extra lights this year on white, picket fences, the curved railings above the library’s basement as well as in the trees, too.
“Our family-friendly bar is back with views over the entire site including the rink and there are brand new, purpose built food stalls to make the site even better looking.
“We hope that everyone will come down to see what we’ve got and to try the rides as well as the ice skating. Sessions on the rink can be booked online so that you will be guaranteed your slot regardless of the weather.
“This is the best site in Europe and we can’t think of anywhere that we’d rather be in the run up to Christmas and New Year and beyond.”
The Star Flyer opens daily at noon, weather permitting.
Sample food prices in Centenary Square
- Soup of the day, £3.
- Cheese toasties, £5.
- Speciality toasties, such as Smokey Joe, £7.
- Burgers from £7.
- Loaded fries or dirty fries, £10.
- Donuts from £5.
Pictures and video for Westside BID by Graham Young
ENDS
