The park is free to enter; skating is $18, and the six-week run is a test for the park's future.
By Joseph Jackson | ST. PETERSBURG (Nov. 6, 2026)
The short version
Winter Wonder runs Nov. 20, 2026, to Jan. 3, 2027, in Williams Park, 350 2nd Ave. N., downtown St. Petersburg.
Entry is free. Skating costs $18 for adults, $9 on three Tuesdays in December, or $65 for a season pass.
The St. Petersburg Downtown Improvement District calls it a six-week test before $800,000 in state-funded park work.
Downtown St. Petersburg gets an outdoor ice rink this holiday season. Winter Wonder opens Friday, Nov. 20, in Williams Park and runs through Jan. 3, 2027, according to the St. Petersburg Downtown Improvement District, which is running it with sponsor Duke Energy.
The rink sits in front of the park's renovated bandshell on the north end. A makers market, food and drinks, live entertainment and family activities fill the rest of the 3.3-acre park, according to I Love the Burg and WUSF.
What does it cost?
Walking in is free. Only skating needs a ticket, according to WiLD 94.1 and I Love the Burg:
Adults: $18 per skater
Two-for-One Tuesdays: $9 per skater on Dec. 1, 8 and 15
Season pass: $65, unlimited skating with skate rental included, according to Centro Tampa Bay
Groups: $15 per skater for 10–19 people, $12.50 for 20–30
Reservations are open now.
When is it open?
The rink is open seven days a week: 6–10 p.m. Monday through Friday and 2–10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, according to WiLD 94.1. The full market, with food and drinks, runs Thursday through Sunday.
Why Williams Park?
Williams Park is St. Pete's oldest public park, and the Downtown Improvement District sees Winter Wonder as a trial run for what it could become, WUSF reported in September. District CEO Shaun Drinkard told the station the six weeks will show how people actually use the space.
Organizers have secured $800,000 in state money for more improvements, including more electrical capacity for markets and festivals. That work is expected to start in early 2027, after Winter Wonder leaves. Existing events like Localtopia and the Saturday Morning Market are meant to stay, according to WUSF.
The park has long been a gathering place for unhoused residents. Drinkard said the plan is not to push anyone out. "It's not a ticketed, gated event," he told WUSF.
How does it compare with Tampa's rink?
Organizers bill Winter Wonder as Tampa Bay's only open-air downtown ice rink, according to WUSF. Across the bay, Tampa's Winter Village at Curtis Hixon Park also runs an outdoor rink for the season, Nov. 20 to Jan. 3. Skating there is $17 for adults and $15 for kids under 12, skates included, according to Winter Village.
Not to be confused with Tampa's Winter Wonder Wharf at Sparkman Wharf (Dec. 4) or the onbikes Winter Wonder Ride (Dec. 19). Both are in our Tampa Bay events calendar.
Disclosure: Eat This Dessert First, owned by FMNN founder Joseph Jackson, sells at the Winter Wonder makers market.