Lewisham's covered ice rink ran 22 November to 4 January last winter, entry free and attractions ticketed. Nothing announced for 2026: what to watch for.

Short answer, as of 3 September 2026: nothing has been announced. The Winter Gardens, the festival that brought Lewisham’s first covered ice rink to Beckenham Place Park, has not published dates, prices or a return for winter 2026.

That is not the same as it being cancelled. Last year’s announcement came out on 16 October, about five weeks before opening, so on that timetable a 2026 season would not be public yet. This page records exactly what ran last winter and what we checked, and we update it the moment anything is confirmed.

What we checked, and what it showed

  • visitwintergardens.co.uk, the event’s own booking site, is still live but its content has not been updated since February 2025 and it carries no dates.
  • beckenhamplacepark.com has published no news about the Winter Gardens since 16 October 2025. Its most recent items are the July 2026 steel pan festival and the Revel Puck Circus summer run.
  • The park’s events listing shows nothing at all for autumn or winter 2026.

So there is no first-party source pointing either way. If it returns, the park’s own news page is where it appeared last time.

What ran last winter

The Winter Gardens was announced on 16 October 2025 for Saturday 15 November 2025 to Sunday 4 January 2026. It did not open on time: the park postponed the opening to Saturday 22 November because of a Met Office severe weather warning, so the season ran about six weeks rather than seven.

Entry was free. The attractions were ticketed separately, which is the detail people get wrong when they budget for it.

What was on site, per the park’s own announcement:

  • The ice rink, billed as Lewisham’s first all-weather covered rink, with themed sessions through the season
  • The Revel Puck Circus, a returning fixture at the park
  • A Christmas market of more than 15 stalls, plus a Christmas tree seller
  • Plonk Golf, a nine-hole Christmas-themed crazy golf course
  • A funfair with more than 15 rides
  • The Winter Lodge, split into an adults-only bar, a family zone and a games area
  • Street food, and the Homestead Courtyard shops and cafe
  • Dogs allowed throughout

We are not quoting last year’s skating prices. The rink was ticketed by session, but the figures circulating in listings sites do not match a first-party source we could read, and prices would be reset for a new season anyway.

If it returns, what to plan around

Two things about this park catch people out, and both applied last winter.

It straddles a boundary in name only. Beckenham Place Park is owned and run by Lewisham, and the Winter Gardens was billed as a Lewisham first, even though the postcode is BR3 and the name says Beckenham. If you are looking for it in Bromley’s what’s-on listings, that is why it is not there.

Getting there is a train problem, not a parking problem. Beckenham Hill and Ravensbourne stations both sit on the park’s edge, on the Thameslink route through Catford and Bellingham. Our trains and travel page covers the line. The park has car parks, but they filled early on December weekends last year, and the roads around the Beckenham Hill entrance are narrow. Our parking in Lewisham page has the borough’s charges, and anything dug up on the approach will show on our roadworks and travel page.

When to check back

On last year’s timing, an announcement would come in mid-October, with tickets on sale immediately. If nothing has appeared by the end of October, the sensible read is that it is not running.

In the meantime, the borough’s fixed winter dates are the Blackheath Fireworks proposal for 7 November and the Cinderella pantomime at the Broadway Theatre in Catford from 9 December, which is already on sale.

Sources