New Albany's Tree Lighting Got Shorter. Its Holiday Season Got Three Months Longer.

"Highly weather dependent." Director of Strategic Initiatives Abbey Brooks used those words in August to describe what New Albany's first outdoor ice rink might earn. She told City Council the season could bring in $150,000 to $200,000, and the New Albany-Gahanna Beacon reported the exchange.

That forecast tells you where the holiday season has moved this year. For years it centered on one long Sunday afternoon in Market Square. Starting this Sunday, Nov. 22, it centers on a sheet of real ice at the Charleen & Charles Hinson Amphitheater, open four days a week through Feb. 28. The tree lighting itself still happens, but at a new site and in a much shorter window.

The ceremony shrank while the season stretched

In 2024 the New Albany Chamber of Commerce presented the Holiday Tree Lighting Celebration in Market Square on Sunday, Nov. 24, from 3 to 6 p.m. Roaming performers included a stilt walker, the Grinch and the Frozen cast, and food came from Market Square restaurants and food trucks. The 2022 edition followed the same Market Square format.

This year the City of New Albany's holiday page puts the tree at Rose Run Park for the first time. The ceremony starts at 5 p.m. with carols led by a children's choir, a countdown with Santa and the Mayor, and free hot drinks and donuts. The city's announcement lists the ceremony as running from 5 to 5:30 p.m.

The afternoon activities that used to fill Market Square now happen inside the amphitheater, behind a $15 admission, and the free part of the day is the half hour at the tree. In 2024 the day's main event was the tree. In 2026 most of the day happens at the rink, which keeps running long after the lights go on.

How the rink is set up to pay for itself

The Beacon's report on the August meeting shows how the city structured the rink. Council approved it 6-0 on Aug. 18 under Resolution R-34-2026. Brooks put the city's capital cost at $167,000, and when Council Member Marlene Brisk asked, she confirmed the figure covers only the rink itself, not separate changes to the amphitheater.

The operator is Outdoor Ice Rinks, a family-run company with a seven-person team and more than 80 years of combined rink experience. After operating expenses, the city and the operator split admissions and rental revenue 50-50. The deal runs one year with two possible one-year renewals. Brooks said the $15 fee would be revisited after three years.

So the budget depends on how many cold, skateable nights the winter brings. City officials told council that New Albany would be the second suburban Central Ohio community with this kind of outdoor real-ice skating, after Dublin.

When the ice is open

Admission is $15 per person and includes skate rental and every activity inside the amphitheater. Mayor Sloan Spalding asked about session length, and Brooks said the fee covers one to 1.5 hours of skating depending on the day.

Regular hours from Nov. 22 through Feb. 28:

• Thursday and Friday, 5 to 9 p.m.
• Saturday, noon to 9 p.m.
• Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.
• Monday through Wednesday, closed to the public and available for private rentals

The city says hours will expand during winter break and on holidays. Weekday afternoons are otherwise off the schedule, so for school-age skaters, that break is likely the best stretch for skating before dinner.

The city's amphitheater page gives the venue's address as 170 E. Dublin-Granville Rd. It describes the amphitheater as part of the school campus, next to the McCoy Center, along the Rose Run Park corridor.

Two Sundays built around the rink

The city scheduled both themed skates to end shortly before a lighting ceremony at Rose Run Park, so families can do both in one afternoon.

1. Sunday, Nov. 22. Santa Skate runs from noon to 4:30 p.m. at the amphitheater, with festive music, photos with Santa, letters to the North Pole and jingle bell decorating. The Holiday Tree Lighting follows at Rose Run Park at 5 p.m., and the rink stays open until 8 p.m.
2. Sunday, Dec. 6. Hanukkah Skate runs from noon to 4:30 p.m., with a skating dreidel, dreidel decorating and traditional games for chocolate coins. The community Menorah Lighting starts at 5 p.m. at Rose Run Park, with rabbis leading traditional blessings, a children's choir and free hot drinks and kosher donuts. The rink again stays open until 8 p.m.

Both themed skates cost the regular $15 and include skate rental. Both lighting ceremonies are free.

Getting to the tree around Rose Run Phase II

The tree's new home sits next to an active construction site. Rose Run Park Phase II is expanding the park into the area between Village Hall and the New Albany Police Department. The city's project page says the Village Hall and police department parking lots are closed to the public, with temporary parking south of Village Hall Road.

The road closures will still be in place on lighting day. A city update from Oct. 29 says the southbound S. High St. lane and the turn lane on E. Dublin Granville Road stay closed through Wednesday, Nov. 25, three days after the tree lighting. Earlier restrictions on E. Dublin Granville Road, Main Street and Locust Alley are being lifted. The city asks drivers to allow extra time and follow posted signs.

The finished project will be New Albany's Veterans Memorial, designed by landscape architect MKSK with a focus group of residents, veterans and veterans' advocates. Plans include a heroes walk, a contemplative plaza, a water feature and a life-size sculpture honoring Gold Star Families. The sculpture was created by sculptor Michael Kraus, is being fabricated by Travis Cook, and will be the city's first permanent piece of public art. The New Albany Company donated two acres for the expansion, including the former police station and gas station sites. The city expects to finish in late fall 2027.

The rest of December stays on the same few blocks

The city's Village Center page describes Market Square as the hub that includes the library, the Rose Run corridor and the amphitheater. Most of December's other dates fall inside that same small area.

• Saturday, Dec. 5. The Healthy New Albany Indoor Farmers Market runs from 9 a.m. to noon at the Philip Heit Center. It's part of a monthly first-Saturday indoor season with produce, baked goods, coffee and artisan goods, according to the New Albany Chamber calendar.
• Saturday, Dec. 19, 11:30 a.m. Sensory Friendly: Santa & the Symphony at the McCoy Center for the Arts, 100 E. Dublin Granville Rd.
• Saturday, Dec. 19 and Sunday, Dec. 20, 3 p.m. The New Albany Symphony's Holiday Spectacular, also at the McCoy Center.

The McCoy Center and the rink sit side by side on the same campus, so the symphony weekend is an easy match with a Saturday or Sunday skate.

Where to eat between the ice and the tree

The Village Center DORA covers 41.9 acres, including parts of Market Square and the Rose Run area, and the city's DORA page lists the restaurants and bars inside it. These spots are within the same few blocks as the rink and the tree:

• Rusty Bucket, 180 Market St.
• Hudson 29, 260 Market St., Suite D, which offers lunch, brunch, dinner and a bar-only happy hour
• Mellow Mushroom, 260 Market St., Suite A
• Bendi Wok N' Bar, 160 W. Main St., for Asian-fusion dishes and cocktails
• BrewDog, 97 W. Dublin Granville St.
• Fox in the Snow, a bakery and coffee shop at 160 W. Main St., for something warm before a noon session

Two newer names are also in the Village Center. Harvest Pizzeria announced its New Albany location in June for 24 E. Main St., as 614now reported, and NBC4 identified the space as the former 24 Main. Apollo Coffee is at 45 N. High St. Signage for both was on the city's Architectural Review Board agenda for Oct. 12, according to the Beacon.

If family is coming in for winter break and someone starts asking what it would take to live closer to the rink, the team at Home Connections Group is glad to walk you through the Village Center streets, from the skates to the front door. Let's Get You Home.