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Hundreds crowd Pearkes arena for a free skate on Saturday evening

Ice Fest runs from Dec. 20 to 26
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Santa posed with Ron Neal, owner of The Neal Team, sponsored two hours of free skating for all on Saturday. (Devon Bidal/News Staff)

The second annual Ice Festival is in full swing at Pearkes Arena and admission was free on Saturday evening.

The family-friendly event kicked off on Friday at 6 p.m. with the first festive skate of the season. A giant winter snow globe has been placed at the centre of the rink along with trees, lights and snow to create a winter wonderland for attendees. The overhead lights are traded in for thousands of Christmas lights during the festival and the carols are cranked giving the chilly arena a cheery glow. Santa and the Grinch are scheduled to be sneaking around the festival too.

The festival is open to the public at various times throughout the day until Dec. 26 – although the arena will be closed on Christmas Day.

Thanks to a sponsorship from the Neal Estate Team, a real estate company in Victoria, attendees young and old were able to skate for free from 3 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 21. Hundreds of families made their way down to the arena to skate, take photos with Santa and get in the holiday spirit.

READ ALSO: Ice Festival in Saanich needs a Grinch (and other volunteers)

Everyone is welcome at the drop in Ice Festival skates and regular admission fees apply. Several private book slots are also still available for staff holiday parties and family functions. Private ice time, skate rentals and a dressing room or party room are included in the cost of the booking.

For the full schedule, visit the Saanich website and more information contact staff at the Pearkes Recreation Centre at 250-475-5400.


@devonscarlett
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devon.bidal@saanichnews.com