View of the skating loop under construction at Riverside Park. (Image Credit: City of Kamloops)

By Victor Kaisar

Outdoor Skating

Riverside Park parking lots to temporarily close Monday as work continues on outdoor skating rink

Sep 20, 2025 | 2:17 PM

KAMLOOPS — There will be a pair of parking lot closures at Riverside Park on Monday (Sept. 22) to allow work on a new refrigerated outdoor skating rink to proceed.

The City of Kamloops says there will be a full closure of the Uji Way parking lot and a partial closure of the Sandman Centre parking lot between 4:00 a.m. and 5 p.m. that day as crews will be pouring concrete.

“A high volume of concrete trucks will be accessing the site,” the city said in a statement, noting the closures are needed “to ensure safety and efficiency.”

Construction on the $7.16-million outdoor skating rink – which began in March – is expected to wrap up later this year.

“The skating loop is about 400 feet long and we’ll also have more of an open rink which will be host to more beginner skaters and more intermediate and advanced skaters can casually skate around the loop,” Adam Gordon, the city’s Project Delivery Manager said, in a video on social media.

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“We’re also going to have lots of decorative lighting that will add to the ambiance of the facility as well as Zamboni building and space for seating and fire pits.”

At the time of approval in February last year, the outdoor skating rink was expected to cost around $5.4 million.

“There have been a couple of commodity based increases that we have had to absorb and this is unrelated to the tariffs,” Gordon told CFJC Today in March. “It’s just general escalation that we’ll typically see.”

“As well, there was a greater sentiment towards investing in not just the skating area but supporting amenities. Things like those benches and the like that will add to the experience of coming down there in the winter to go skating.”

Despite the increase, the project is being fully funded by the Province’s Growing Communities Fund. Previous city estimates noted that operating costs will be around $130,000 a year, and updated figures will be presented during the 2026 budget process.

“It’s a project we’ve been working on for a number of years and right now, we’re just a couple months away from completion,” Gordon added in the video. “We’re very excited to see it come to a conclusion.”

This rink will be only be used for non-programmed drop-in skating and not for organized activities like hockey. It’s expected to be open between December and March, and it will be free to use.

“The facility will support winter event hosting opportunities, such as winter festivals, live music, food vendors, seasonal celebrations, park enhancements and decorations, and will include an opportunity for skate rentals,” Gordon told CFJC in March.

“During the summer, the unfrozen concrete pad will be available for staging food trucks and other recreational activities.”

You can find more details about the outdoor skating rink at Riverside Park here.