Sometimes we forget that Barcelona, with its beaches, terraces, and Mediterranean sun, also has a historical connection to the cold. There was a time when ice skating in the city was a classic Sunday outing—the kind that included hot chocolate and churros for a snack, along with the occasional bruise on the knee as a souvenir. However, in recent years, that scene had become almost impossible. Between the closure of the legendary Skating rink on Roger de Flor Street in 2021 and the transformation of the old Palau de Gel into the temporary Barça museum, the Catalan capital had been left without ice.
That skating drought officially ends this week. The city is reclaiming its only space dedicated exclusively to skating with a facility that not only aims to fill the void left by the old Palau but also aspires to become a new destination for both athletes and those simply looking for a different outing near Camp Nou.
An icy haven in the heart of Les Corts
The new facility is located at 7 Carles Ferrer i Salat Street, as part of the ambitious Espai Barça project. This is not just another temporary setup; it is an Olympic-sized rink, measuring approximately 30 by 60 meters, that meets all standards for ice hockey and figure skating for the club’s amateur divisions.
What’s interesting about the space is its functional design, conceived so that high-level competition can coexist with public recreation. According to sources from the club and the Espai Barça project, the facility is designed to be a steady source of revenue and a community service that will be open practically every day of the year. It is, in essence, the answer to a demand from the neighborhood and the sports community that had been waiting three years for an alternative to the old facility on Arístides Maillol Street.
Beyond elite sports
Although hockey and figure skating will take center stage in the mornings and evenings, the main draw for the average person is the opening to the general public. The promised hours leave no room for excuses: from 7:00 a. m. until almost midnight, allowing even the most night-owls to lace up their skates after a day’s work.
Furthermore, this reopening marks the end of “exile” for many skaters who, since the closure of Skating, had been forced to travel to other towns in the metropolitan area or wait for the temporary Christmas rinks set up in shopping malls. With this new venue, Barcelona recovers a social asset that goes beyond the blue-and-red colors; it recovers a little piece of its winter identity right in the heart of the Les Corts district, proving that, despite the construction and constant transformations, there is always room for a classic that never goes out of style.
