It’s the rink we didn’t need, but it’s the rink that’s probably going to bring us the most joy this winter in Montreal.
Between February 27 and March 29, 2026, in the center of Place Ville-Marie’s skyscrapers and beneath the giant ring that serves as a frame for insta-photographs of the city’s finest view of Mont-Royal, there’s going to be an ice rink.
For those with an undisclosed crush on Buddy in the long wool coat and chapka skating with Zooey Deschanel in the Christmas movie Elf, this may be the best place to find a date before Valentine’s Day. Maybe the Patinoire sous l’Anneau could become our Patinoire Rockefeller…
La Patinoire sous l’Anneau, Place Ville-Marie and the irresistible mix of business and pleasure
La Patinoire sous l’Anneau, about which little is known other than its name at the moment, is a collaborative project between Place Ville-Marie and Jeux Urbains, a sports festival in the middle of the concrete-covered downtown core that will take place in mid-March this year.
Montreal is a fairly small city, even though it has a network of suburbs stretching far into the countryside. Downtown, with its skyscrapers and big offices with windows you can’t open, is reasonably concentrated – an island in the middle of a whole city of small streets with two-storey brick condos.
On the other hand, the culture of finance bros, startups and nebulous jobs like consultant or asset holder is very prominent in this tiny center. Compared to the Montreal culture of art first, smoked meat and weed telecommuting, it’s sometimes a little scary for those of us who don’t work exclusively with numbers.
But it’s also mysterious and, with all those blazers we see passing by, quite intriguing. The combination of an activity as idle as skating – literally, going round in circles – and the raw concrete of Place Ville-Marie is almost irresistible. We’ll definitely have to go for the opening…
Practical info
Where? Esplanade Place Ville-Marie, under the ring
When? February 27 at 11:30 a.m., until March 29, 2026
How? free admission
Enjoy your skate!