Mobile residents could have a new way to celebrate the holidays this year if city leaders sign off on a proposal to install a temporary ice skating rink downtown. The idea was part of a broader push by Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson to expand the city’s holiday offerings after promising residents a bigger celebration than in years past.
“The holiday season is an important time for our community to come together, and this is one way we can all celebrate,” Stimpson said in a statement announcing the plan.
Under the proposal awaiting Mobile City Council approval, the rink would be set up at Cooper Riverside Park, giving skaters a view of the Mobile River and downtown skyline. If approved, organizers hope to open the attraction around Nov. 12 and keep it running through Jan. 12, covering the stretch from Thanksgiving through the New Year and the city’s traditional Moon Pie Drop celebration.
“Our citizens and guests can enjoy something you don’t typically see in southern cities,” Stimpson said of the rink. “There is no better place to skate than on the waterfront of Mobile, Alabama, with our beautiful skyline as a backdrop.”
The contract under consideration would bring in Magic Ice USA to install, operate and maintain the rink, at a cost to the city of roughly $132,000. City officials have said they expect to recover much of that expense through rental fees charged to skaters and groups using the rink throughout its run.
Downtown ice rinks have become a popular seasonal draw in warmer-climate cities across the South in recent years, and Mobile’s proposal follows a similar model: a temporary outdoor rink set up in a high-traffic public space, drawing families, tourists and holiday shoppers into the downtown corridor during the weeks leading up to Christmas.
The measure was submitted for the City Council’s agenda this week, and council members are expected to take up the contract in a coming meeting. If it wins approval, city officials say they will follow with details on ticket pricing, operating hours and any special events planned around the rink’s opening.
Should the council approve the deal, Mobile would join a small number of Gulf Coast cities that have tried outdoor ice attractions despite the region’s mild winter climate, betting that novelty and holiday spirit will draw crowds downtown during what is typically a slower season for foot traffic in the historic district.
City officials have not yet said whether the rink, if successful this year, could become an annual fixture of Mobile’s holiday season, but the proposal reflects an ongoing effort by the current administration to boost downtown activity and tourism year-round.