Explore Discovery Green this Holiday Season
The Ice at Discovery Green
Holiday Skating on Kinder Lake presented by the Houston Chronicle
November 27, 2008 - January 19, 2009
October 16, 2008 – Houston’s downtown park, Discovery Green, will offer a spectacular menu of holiday activities this season. Reconnect with family and friends and enjoy these holiday festivities at the park:
The Ice at Discovery Green
Outdoor ice skating makes a welcome return to downtown Houston with The Ice at Discovery Green, Holiday Skating on Kinder Lake, presented by the Houston Chronicle. The ice rink opens Thursday, November 27, following the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The 7,200 square-foot skating surface at Kinder Lake will be open daily from November 27 through Martin Luther King Day, January 19, 2009. For just $10, including skate rental, visitors to Discovery Green will enjoy outdoor ice skating and a number of exciting special events planned throughout the holiday season. Opening night will feature the classic film, White Christmas presented by TUTS and be shown on a super-sized screen on the Anheuser-Bush Stage, overlooking the rink. That is just the beginning as almost nightly, events and festivities will be sure to delight skaters and non-skaters alike.
- Mondays: Houston Skating Stars, featuring performances by the region’s best figure skaters, coaches, precision teams and ice show performers
- Tuesdays: All That Jazz…On Ice with local jazz musician JAWAD performing on the Anheuser-Busch Stage
- Thursdays: Silver Blades on the Silver Screen including White Christmas presented by TUTS, It’s a Wonderful Life and more
- Fridays: Hot 95.7 Cool Tunes, Hot Ice
- Saturdays: Skate with Santa presented by KUHF (in December)
Holiday Experience
Each Thursday, the Downtown Green Market will include products from the city’s artists and craftsmen, using local and sustainable materials. This will be a great opportunity to select unique gifts, as well as your weekly organic produce, fruit and holiday delicacies. And be sure to get your organic hot cocoa and apple caramel cider from The Ice at Discovery Green concession area.
Voices of Houston is an audio installation created by Houston artist, J Hill, inspired by Houston Grand Opera's world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis's The Refuge. Excerpts from The Refuge are intermingled with sounds of Houston's rich cultural landscape collected by the artist. Speakers located in the Maconda Grove at Discovery Green showcase Voices of Houston throughout the holiday season.
Dan Phillips one-of-a-kind art installation, Recycled Gazebo, on the Compass Bank Waterside Lawn will extend its stay at the park through the holiday season and be alight with an array of changing colors.
In a joint project with the Buffalo Bayou Art Park and artist Davis Graeve, internally-lit holiday ornaments will hang from the live oak trees along the Brown Promenade. The 28, five-foot-diameter globes feature photographs taken by students at Wharton Elementary School, FUUSA and Discovery Green children’s workshops.
After the New Year, watch the ice fly at an Ice Carving Event at 10 a.m. on Saturday January 10. Eight ice artists from around the U.S. will use chainsaws and blow torches to transform large blocks of ice into frozen masterpieces. The finished sculptures will be lit and displayed as long as they last. From 5 – 6 p.m., the work will be judged by a panel of art and ice experts, as well as park visitors. Following the awards ceremony at 6:30 p.m., stick around for ice-carving master Reverend Butter of DLG Ice Factory. Set to music, Reverend Butter puts on an ice-carving display that simply must be seen to be believed. Prizes are awarded for the winning sculpture and a random drawing of park visitors who voted for their personal favorite.
Holiday Dining
The holidays are a perfect time of year to dine at Discovery Green. Be sure to visit The Grove, The Lake House and the Treehouse while you are taking in the sights and sounds of winter in downtown Houston. Visit www.thegrovehouston.com for hours and information.
Admission and Hours of Operation for The Ice at Discovery Green
The Ice at Discovery Green will open to the public on Thursday, November 27, 2008 with daily hours of operation through Monday, January 19, 2009. At The Snow Box, an area just for toddlers, double runner blades and helmets will be available. Rink admission is $10 for all ages, which includes skate rental. Groups are welcome, but advance reservations are advised by calling 713.434.RINK (7465).
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Thanksgiving Day
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11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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Monday-Thursday (school days)
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4 – 9 p.m.
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Fridays, Saturdays, school holidays
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10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
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Sundays
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10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
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Christmas Eve
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10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
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Christmas Day
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1 – 11 p.m.
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New Year’s Eve
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10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
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New Year’s Day
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10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
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All public hours are as weather permits. The ice rink may be closed at times due to weather conditions,such as unseasonably warm weather, lightning or rain. We apologize for any inconvenience.
The Ice at Discovery Green is produced by IceRinkEvents, a Houston-based designer, manufacturer, installer, and operator of ice rinks around the globe. The skating surface will span 7,200 square feet of the model boat basin all sitting within Kinder Lake, it will hold 6,000-gallons of water, and its surface temperature will be maintained at a cool 22 degrees.
Downtown Trolley
This free trolley service connects visitors to downtown destinations on weekends for shopping, dining and entertainment, including Discovery Green and The Ice.
Friday 6:30-11:30pm
Saturday 11am – 11:30pm
Sunday 11am – 7:30pm
About Discovery Green
Located in downtown Houston, Discovery Green is 12 acres of urban green space including one-acre lake, children’s playground area, interactive water features, multi-use amphitheater stage and sloping lawn, small and large dog runs, and two restaurants, the Grove and Lake House operated by Schiller Del Grande Restaurant Group. The park is free and open to the public.
Discovery Green Conservancy
Discovery Green Conservancy is a private, non-profit organization that operates the park. At the behest of Houston’s Mayor Bill White, the Conservancy was formed in December 2004 and was charged with designing, building and operating Houston’s new urban park. The park opened in April 2008.
Location
Discovery Green is located at 1500 McKinney in downtown Houston, in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center and the Hilton Americas. The park is just blocks away from Main Street, Minute Maid Park and Toyota Center.
Contact Information
713.400.7336; www.discoverygreen.com or 713.434.RINK (7465); www.theiceatdiscoverygreen.com.
Parking
Metered parking is available on streets surrounding the park; and meter stations accept credit cards and cash. Metered parking is in effect Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. - 6 p.m. Rates vary. Most on-street parking is FREE after 6 p.m., Monday - Saturday; all day Sunday and on Official 2008 City Holidays. Please check street signs carefully. Street-level lots and parking garages offer easy access to Discovery Green. Go to www.discoverygreen.com for nearby garages and additional parking information.
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The Ice at Discovery Green is proudly supported by:
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