Most of downtown Holland's holiday calendar happens on 8th Street, where the sidewalks are heated and the shops stay open late. Two of the season's draws sell tickets online in advance, and one of them opens the same day the season's first market weekend begins. On Friday, November 20, 2026, the Holland Ice Park opens its second season at 71 E. 6th Street. Skating there is sold online only, in 90-minute sessions with limited space. The same afternoon, Kerstmarkt opens its first weekend at the Civic Center Marketplace, 150 W. 8th Street.
The Ice Park runs through March 14, 2027, so it outlasts every other event on the list. Because it now sits inside Dutch Winterfest programming, the rest of the season has started to fit around it.
Season two at Window on the Waterfront
The Ice Park opened on November 14, 2025. FOX 17's opening-night report put the project's cost at $11.5 million and described an ice skating pond, a 700-foot skating ribbon, a separate curling sheet, three fireplaces and a concession stand. Downtown Holland's winter page calls it "all-new" this year. Holland Parks and Recreation calls last winter the park's inaugural season and says this winter adds more skating sessions, curling clinics and Learn to Skate classes for kids.
Holland Parks and Recreation's Ice Park page says space per session is limited and tickets must be bought online ahead of time. The rules are strict for a city rink:
- Price: $10 for a 90-minute skate session, and skate rental is included.
- How to buy: online, in advance, at hollandrecreation.com.
- Payment: the park is cashless.
- Changes: open skate and curling reservations are non-refundable and can't be moved to another session.
- Spectators: no ticket needed.
- Skate assist: an optional skate-assist device costs $5 per session.
- Curling: the curling sheet is booked separately at $100 to $125 for 90 minutes.
Tickets are released one month at a time. November sessions went on sale October 16 at 9 a.m., so they're already on sale as this post goes up. Later months follow the same pattern: February 2027 tickets go on sale January 16, and tickets for March through the end of the season go on sale February 16. Bringing your own skates doesn't lower the price.
The park is closed Mondays. Session start times are 4 and 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 4, 6 and 8 p.m. on Fridays; 10 a.m. through 8 p.m. on Saturdays; and noon through 5:30 p.m. on Sundays. The recreation department notes these times can change. Those Friday evening slots matter more once the Kerstmarkt weekends start.
How the Ice Park fits with Kerstmarkt and the 8th Street events
Kerstmarkt runs five weekends. Its Friday hours are 3 to 7 p.m. and its Saturday hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., from November 20–21 through December 18–19. Downtown Holland's winter events page describes it as an outdoor European-style market with more than 30 artisan vendors.
The market and the park are a short walk apart, so the timing is easy. Kerstmarkt closes at 7 p.m. on Fridays, and the Ice Park has 6 and 8 p.m. sessions on Friday nights. You can browse the market first and skate afterward, or skate at 4 and reach the market before it closes. Kerstmarkt runs through December 19, which gives you four more weekends to try either order.
The 8th Street events fall around those weekends:
| Date | Event | Hours | Advance tickets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri, Nov. 13 | Shop 'Til You Drop, with discounts up to 30% off | 6–9 p.m. | Not listed |
| Fri, Nov. 20 | Ice Park opens; Kerstmarkt's first weekend begins | Market 3–7 p.m. | Required for the Ice Park |
| Sat, Nov. 21 | Holiday Open House | 5–8 p.m. | Not listed |
| Tue, Dec. 1 | Parade of Lights | 6:30 p.m. | Not listed |
| Dec. 1–5 | Dutch Winterfest | Varies | Check Tulip Time by event |
| Fri & Sat, Dec. 4–19 | Magic at the Mill | 5–9 p.m. | Required |
| Sat, Dec. 12 | Shopping Jam | 8–11 a.m. | Not listed |
For the Holiday Open House, Downtown Holland lists Santa and his elf, a reindeer petting corral, strolling carolers, freshly roasted chestnuts, and shop promotions such as free gift wrapping. Greenridge Realty sponsors it. It falls on the Saturday of Kerstmarkt's first weekend, the day after the Ice Park opens. That puts the Ice Park opening, the first Kerstmarkt weekend and the Open House on back-to-back days, November 20 and 21.
Shopping Jam on December 12 is built for early risers. Participating businesses open two hours early and take 30% off at least one item from 8 to 9 a.m., 25% off from 9 to 10, and 20% off from 10 to 11. Kerstmarkt opens at 9 a.m. that Saturday, so you can go straight from the early sales to the market.
Dutch Winterfest puts the Ice Park on its schedule
Dutch Winterfest runs December 1 through 5. It's hosted by Tulip Time, and Downtown Holland describes Sinterklaas festivities, curated holiday tours, ice skating and cultural tastings. On the Tulip Time Winterfest calendar, the Ice Park appears as a regular stop.
On Tuesday, December 1, the day starts with Delft Downtown, which runs 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Dutch Skate is at the Ice Park from 6 to 6:30 p.m., and the Parade of Lights steps off at 6:30. The parade starts at 8th Street and Columbia Avenue and heads west on 8th to the Civic Center at 150 W. 8th Street. Gentex Corporation sponsors it, and it has more than 80 floats, commercial vehicles, walkers and marching bands. Downtown Holland says the 2026 parade entry list is full.
On Wednesday, December 2, the Holiday Huis Tour runs 4 to 8 p.m., with check-in at United Bank. Dutch Skate is back at the Ice Park from 6 to 6:30.
On Friday, December 4, the schedule fills up. Kerstmarkt is open 3 to 7 p.m. at the Civic Center, and the Sinterklaas Shuffle runs 5 to 8 p.m. from the Tulip Time Office. Magic at the Mill opens for the season at 5 p.m., and Dutch Skate is at the Ice Park from 6 to 6:30.
On Saturday, December 5, Kerstmarkt runs 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and the Sinterklaas Shuffle runs 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dutch Skate moves to the afternoon, 2:30 to 3 p.m., and Magic at the Mill runs 5 to 9 p.m.
Tulip Time's full calendar has more than these headline events, including a Holland Community Theatre show and a Winter Jazz Concert. Check event details and tickets on the Tulip Time site before you go.
Magic at the Mill: the other advance ticket
Windmill Island Gardens hosts Magic at the Mill on Fridays and Saturdays, December 4 through 19, from 5 to 9 p.m. The centerpiece is a "tulip field" of 1,000 LED blossoms timed to holiday music, with the DeZwaan windmill and the grounds lit up. There's also the historic Dutch carousel, a Dutch street organ playing holiday tunes, and a chance for kids to greet Sinterklaas. Downtown Holland says tickets must be bought in advance at windmillisland.org.
The Ice Park and Magic at the Mill both say tickets must be bought in advance, and some Winterfest events, such as the Holiday Huis Tour, have their own ticket pages on the Tulip Time site. The Ice Park and Magic at the Mill share evening hours on six December nights, so if you want both on the same Friday or Saturday, book them together.
A possible new lunch stop on West 8th
There may be a new place to eat near the Kerstmarkt this season. WOOD TV reported on October 12 that Mariners Market is working toward a fall opening at 82 W. 8th Street near River Avenue, the former Cakabakery space. It describes itself as a "coastal Italian-style sandwich shop" built around focaccia sandwiches. Owner Anna Maier, a Hope College graduate, also runs Great Lakes Charcuterie and Boxed Up Kitchen. She told WOOD TV the shop is meant for takeout: "Grab it and continue your day." No firm opening date had been announced at the time of that report, so check before planning a Kerstmarkt Saturday around it.
The Ice Park season also runs past the holidays. February tickets go on sale January 16, 2027. On February 5–6, 2027, LG Energy Solution's Holland on Ice and the Snowmelt 5K bring ice carvers and a run on the heated sidewalks downtown. The Kerstmarkt and the parade end in December, but the rink keeps selling sessions until mid-March.
If a move or a sale is on your calendar this winter alongside the parade and a few skate sessions, Krissy Dykstra and the team can plan showings and paperwork around the weekends you've already booked downtown. Contact Us when you're ready to talk through timing.
