Ice skaters zipped around the outdoor rink at 739 Second St. in Brentwood, across from City Hall on Thursday evening. Running for its fifth year, the ice rink was opened on Nov. 19 and will welcome skaters through Jan. 9.
Brentwood on Ice was one of the very few ice rinks in the Bay Area and the only one in the East Bay that opened up in 2020 amidst COVID-19 restrictions. Tom Gregory, who owns a party rental and equipment supply business called Got-a-Party, started Brentwood on Ice in 2017.
“I run this business with my own money,” Gregory said. “I received a $20,000 grant from Brentwood city as well. But I opened the rink at my own risk last year.”
Gregory noted that last year the rink welcomed skaters from states such as Nevada, Washington and even New York. “We had sold about 14,750 tickets and about 90% of those tickets were purchased by those outside of East Bay and California,” he said. “We implemented the mask mandate and did not have a snack bar or the heated lounge.”
Subscribe to our weekly arts & culture newsletter
Because Contra Costa County has since eased COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s ice rink does not require masks and also has a snack bar.
Brentwood on Ice is open from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. from Fridays to Sundays and from 12 p.m. to 9:30 from Mondays to Thursdays as well as on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Ice at the Veranda in Concord is open through February 14, 2022. Hours vary
Kristi Yamaguchi Holiday Rink at City Center in San Ramon is open through January 2, 2021. Hours vary
Another ice rink in the Contra Costa County opens in Walnut Creek on Dec. 10 and will run through Jan. 9.
For information on Brentwood on Ice, visit brentwoodonice.com. For information on Walnut Creek on Ice, visit walnutcreekonice.com.