Ice rink and Christmas market proposed for Noble's Park in Douglas

A temporary ice rink and Christmas market could open at Noble’s Park in Douglas this winter under a planning application lodged by Frosty’s Wonderland Isle of Man Ltd.

The company wants to put up a marquee at the Boneyard, close to the TT Grandstand, for a seasonal event running for four weeks from mid-December to mid-January, according to Isle of Man Today. Exact dates have not yet been set.

The planning statement seeks approval for a 12m by 42m marquee during December 2026 and January 2027, with time allowed either side for putting it up and taking it down. Inside would be an 11m by 30m Christmas-themed rink, skate hire and a Christmas market, which the applicant says would run on two days each week.

The main details set out in the application are:

• Opening hours of 10:00 to 22:00
• Timed skating sessions, with up to 100 skaters per session and as many as 10 sessions a day
• A viewing area for friends and family watching from off the ice
• A kiosk inside the marquee selling soft drinks and snacks
• Two to three local food vendors outside
• Tickets sold online and on site

Visitors would park in the designated spaces behind the Grandstand, which sit just above the rink site. The applicant says the motorsport team has given permission for mobile toilet blocks already on site to be used.

The company expects between 30,000 and 40,000 visitors over the course of the event, which it says is in line with similar events it has run on the island before.

In its conclusion, the applicant describes the scheme as a “temporary, fully reversible development” and says it has delivered the seasonal event on the island successfully for ten years. It states that arrangements are in place for site access, parking, health and safety and waste management, and that the site would be fully restored once the event ends.

The proposal would add to the island’s existing winter options. The Fun Barn in Onchan converts its roller skating facility into an ice rink over the festive period, and other temporary rinks have appeared over the years, Isle of Man Today reported.

Planners will decide in due course whether to grant permission for the period requested.