On a Thursday night in December, what will be open at the bottom of the Dublin Link? On most weeks of the skating season, the answer for the rink is nothing. Riverside Crossing Park Ice Rink normally runs Friday through Sunday only.
This season the rink's calendar has a run of added weekday dates. Lay them next to the hours for Christkindlmarkt Dublin, the city's first European-style holiday market, and the midweek nights line up exactly. From Saturday, Nov. 21, through Christmas Eve, the rink and the market work as a single destination on nearly the same schedule. They split only at a few edges, and those edges decide whether your evening plan works.
Every midweek market night is also a skating night
The market is open Wednesday through Sunday. Hours are 4 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, noon to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and noon to 8 p.m. on Sundays. It is closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and admission is free. The rink sits in the lower plaza on the east side of the Dublin Link. It covers 3,200 square feet, and admission is $15 per person with skate rental included. You pay the same rate if you bring your own skates.
Here is how the midweek and holiday dates compare through Christmas Eve:
| Date | Christkindlmarkt | Ice rink |
|---|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 25 | Noon–9 p.m. | Noon–9 p.m. |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Closed for Thanksgiving | Not listed |
| Wed., Dec. 2 and Thu., Dec. 3 | 4–9 p.m. | 4–9 p.m. |
| Wed., Dec. 9 and Thu., Dec. 10 | 4–9 p.m. | 4–9 p.m. |
| Wed., Dec. 16 and Thu., Dec. 17 | 4–9 p.m. | 4–9 p.m. |
| Mon., Dec. 21 and Tue., Dec. 22 | Noon–9 p.m. | Noon–9 p.m. |
| Wed., Dec. 23 | Noon–9 p.m. | Noon–9 p.m. |
| Thu., Dec. 24 | Noon–4 p.m. | Noon–4 p.m. |
Every Wednesday and Thursday that the market is open, the rink is open too, during the same hours. Saturdays run noon to 9 p.m. at both, and Sundays run noon to 8 p.m. at both. So for five weeks, a family can treat skating and Glühwein as one outing, whichever night they choose.
Where the two schedules still split
The overlap has gaps, and they mostly fall on Friday afternoons and opening weekend.
- Opening Saturday, Nov. 21. The market's grand opening starts at noon. The rink opens for the 2026–2027 season at 5 p.m. that day.
- Regular Fridays. The market opens at noon on Fridays, and the rink's standard Friday hours are 5 to 9 p.m. The rink opens early, at noon, on only three Fridays: Nov. 27, Dec. 4 and Dec. 18. On Dec. 11, plan on a 5 p.m. start for skating.
- Weather. This is where the two split most often, because each attraction's closure rules sit at the opposite end of the thermometer. Christkindlmarkt closes for sustained winds or gusts of 40 mph or more, for sustained temperatures of 20°F or lower, or when emergency travel bans are in effect. The rink closes for excessive rain, for temperatures around 60 degrees, or for poor driving conditions in and around the city.
That means a raw, single-digit night with clear roads could leave the ice open and the huts shut. A warm, rainy December Saturday could do the reverse. Check both before you leave the house, especially if the outing was planned around one of them.
A few rules apply to the market alone. Pets are not allowed, and two complimentary wheelchairs are available first-come, first-served with ID. The rink is wheelchair accessible through the Zamboni doors. It has a heated restroom nearby, skate sizes from youth 9 to adult 13, and no time limit on sessions. Skate trainers are not provided.
What's inside the 40 huts
The market's online directory lists 40 numbered huts. Several vendors are already familiar to people in Dublin and Columbus. A September vendor announcement carried by EIN Presswire named these local businesses:
- Die Creperie, also known as Holy Crepes, from Dublin
- Der Französische Laden, The French Store, also from Dublin
- Say Yes Pretzels from Columbus
- The Red Stable from German Village
The food list covers raclette, Döner kebab, schnitzel, Käsespätzle, bratwurst, pretzels, potato pancakes, Flammkuchen and chimney cakes. Drinks include mulled wines, Feuerzangenbowle, Kinderpunsch for kids, hot chocolate, cider and zero-proof beer. The directory also lists Belgian waffles, Polish pottery, cuckoo clocks and official market souvenirs. Those include a first-year limited-edition boot mug and ornament. The City of Dublin's announcement describes the mug as the first in a series of annual designs, each sold only during its own season.
The market's entertainment page still says its schedule is coming soon. CityScene reported plans for musical groups on a stage, plus carolers. One special evening already has a date. Sankt Nikolaustag, St. Nicholas Day, is Sunday, Dec. 6, from 6 to 8 p.m.
How the market got to Riverside Crossing Park
In its August announcement, the City of Dublin said the market followed several years of planning. That work began with a 2022 feasibility study, and a competitive selection process then picked Christkindlmarkt Dublin, LLC, to develop and run it. CityScene reported that Dublin City Council voted in November 2025 to give the operator a renewable five-year contract.
The City's announcement calls the market a planned "recurring regional destination." In that same announcement, market CEO Maria Adele Rosenfeld described it as:
"a place people return to every year because of how it makes them feel."
The same release pitches the market to day-trip and overnight visitors from across Ohio and nearby states, paired with Dublin dining, shopping and hotels. For people who live a few minutes away, that changes how to plan. The market's busiest crowds are likely on weekends, and the shared midweek evenings from 4 to 9 p.m. are the nights built for a quick visit after work.
Fitting the rest of December around it
Dublin's other December events land on dates that overlap with the market's open days:
- Thursday, Dec. 3: Tree Lighting at Coffman Park. The event runs 6 to 8 p.m., and the City lists Santa lighting the tree at 6:15 p.m. It also lists caroling, performers and food, and Coffman Homestead will be open for tours. Coffman Park Drive closes in front of the pavilion during the event. Rec Center visitors are directed to enter from Post Road or from Downpatrick off Tara Hill. The rink and the market are both open until 9 p.m. that night, so you can head downtown afterward.
- Saturday, Dec. 5: Merry Market at Bridge Park. Experience Columbus lists this event from noon to 3 p.m. at 6608 Longshore St., with more than 120 local makers, Santa photos and live music. It sits a short walk from the Christkindlmarkt huts on a day when both the market and the rink run noon to 9 p.m. Confirm the date with the organizers before you go.
- Sunday, Dec. 6: Sankt Nikolaustag at Christkindlmarkt, 6 to 8 p.m.
- Starting Dec. 1: The Twelve Elves of Dublin. This free scavenger hunt runs through Historic Dublin during participating businesses' normal hours. The listing gives an end date of Dec. 22 in one place and Dec. 23 in another.
For parking, the City points market visitors to on-street spaces and the Downtown garages, including Bridge Park, Bridge Park West and Rock Cress. The market's own visit page lists its address as 6694 Riverside Drive. It says parking locations, rideshare drop-off and wayfinding details will be posted there, so check it again before opening weekend.
After Christmas Eve, the rink has the park to itself
The market closes for the season at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 24. The rink closes on Christmas Day and then runs its longest stretch of the winter. It's open noon to 9 p.m. every day from Saturday, Dec. 26, through Wednesday, Dec. 30, and noon to 4 p.m. on New Year's Eve. On New Year's Day it's open 4 to 9 p.m., and on Monday, Jan. 18, it's open noon to 6 p.m. After that it returns to its Friday-through-Sunday schedule until closing day, Sunday, March 14, 2027.
At Columbus Prime Realty, we keep track of the dates that shape a Dublin winter, from the first Glühwein mug on Nov. 21 to the last skate on March 14. If you're curious what your home near the Dublin Link or anywhere else in Dublin is worth this season, get your free home valuation and we'll follow up personally.
