ROTTERDAM, 16 July 2026 – Schaatsbaan Rotterdam and Rotterdam The Hague Airport have announced plans to relocate the popular ice rink to part of the airport’s P3 car park. Subject to technical studies and the necessary permits, the new location is expected to open in autumn 2028.
Image: Schaatsbaan Rotterdam director Tijs Nederlof and Rotterdam The Hague Airport Commercial and Financial Director Joyce Gardner.
The proposed move would secure the long-term future of a winter attraction that welcomes around 250,000 visitors each season. Schaatsbaan Rotterdam will remain at its current RHV Leonidas site during the next two winters while the airport plans are examined and developed.
Current ice rink faces subsidence
Moving has become necessary because the ground beneath the current site is suffering from significant subsidence. The uneven surface makes creating and maintaining the ice increasingly difficult, placing the future of the rink under pressure.
Schaatsbaan Rotterdam and the municipality have spent several years examining potential alternatives. Rotterdam The Hague Airport was selected because the location could be available within a relatively short period, while other options were expected to take ten years or longer to realise.
Do you run a business? RotterdamStyle is looking for a main sponsor. Get exclusive visibility across our website for a fixed fee. Interested? Contact us 🤝
Research before final approval
The agreement is currently an expression of intent rather than a final relocation decision. Technical feasibility, planning permission and other regulatory matters still need to be investigated before construction and preparations can begin.
Both organisations say they are confident that these steps can be completed successfully. Should the process remain on schedule, visitors could skate at the airport from the winter season beginning near the end of 2028.
“I am incredibly happy that, after years of searching, we have managed to find a new location for Schaatsbaan Rotterdam,” says rink director Tijs Nederlof. “This secures the future of the rink for many years and allows us to continue doing what we stand for: letting as many people as possible enjoy the ice.”
Nederlof added that the airport had welcomed the proposal warmly and that he expects the partnership to benefit both organisations. Until the move takes place, the existing rink at RHV Leonidas will continue operating during its normal winter seasons.
Night-time visualisation of the proposed Schaatsbaan Rotterdam site at Rotterdam The Hague Airport.
Ice rink planned for P3
The new rink would occupy part of the P3 parking area at Rotterdam The Hague Airport. From late 2028, it is expected to operate for at least four months each year, roughly between 1 November and 1 March, depending on the timing of the autumn and spring school holidays.
This period fits the airport’s seasonal rhythm. Winter is traditionally quieter for the airport, meaning part of the parking area can accommodate the ice rink when demand for those spaces is lower. During the busier travel months, the site can return to its regular airport function.
The proposed design includes Schaatsbaan Rotterdam’s recognisable covered oval track, with colourful lighting making the rink visible across the airport grounds after dark. Visualisations place the ice complex close to the terminal buildings, surrounded by the existing parking areas.
The airport location could also make the rink more accessible from across the Rotterdam metropolitan region. Visitors would combine a familiar winter activity with a setting normally associated with departures, arrivals and rather less graceful movement through security.
Do you run a business? RotterdamStyle is looking for a main sponsor. Get exclusive visibility across our website for a fixed fee. Interested? Contact us 🤝
Shared use of airport space
Joyce Gardner, Commercial and Financial Director of Rotterdam The Hague Airport, describes the plan as a way to give the airport grounds a wider social role while protecting a popular Rotterdam facility.
“With the ice rink, we can add even more value to the region from RTHA,” Gardner says. “We are securing the future of a much-loved facility in Rotterdam, enjoyed by a quarter of a million visitors each year, while making it more accessible to the entire metropolitan region.”
She also points to the benefits of using land differently across the seasons. “We can use our grounds more efficiently by giving space that is less intensively used in winter a social purpose. This partnership shows how multifunctional use of space can contribute to a strongly connected region.”
The move would bring together two recognisable Rotterdam institutions, although skaters will need to wait until the investigations are complete before booking any imaginary flights around the oval. More details about the plans and future seasons will be announced as the project progresses.
