Ice skating season starts at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park on Saturday, October 31. The rinks have been running roller skating since spring, and opening weekend brings the ice back with free lessons, a free hockey session with the New York Rangers and the first public skate of the season.

It is also the last weekend of the Lakeside Fall Festival, so the same Saturday puts a pumpkin patch, a corn maze and the Haunted Hotel next door to the first skaters of the winter.

What is free on opening day

Lakeside's opening weekend schedule lists two free sessions on Saturday, October 31:

  • Try Hockey for Free with the NY Rangers, 9 to 11 a.m., an introduction to the game on the ice.
  • A free ice skating lesson, 11:40 to 11:55 a.m.

Lakeside asks skaters to register for opening weekend events through its website at lakeside.prospectpark.org. The Prospect Park Alliance adds that the season's first weekend also carries discounted ice hockey.

The rest of the weekend

Saturday's evening public skate runs on the published schedule, and the rink is holding two $5 sessions over the weekend: Freestyle on Saturday from 5 to 6:20 p.m., and Stick N Puck on Saturday from 6:30 to 7:50 p.m. and again on Sunday, November 1, from 9 to 10:20 a.m. Lakeside notes that a cash discount applies at the counter and that card payments are charged the standard price.

From October 31 on, the center runs daily public sessions through the season, along with a skating school, freestyle and figure skating, private lessons, an adult hockey league, learn-to-play programs for adults and kids, and adult open hockey. Lakeside has said Skate with Santa and holiday tree decorating are coming later in the season, with details to follow.

About the rink

The LeFrak Center at Lakeside sits on the edge of Prospect Park Lake, the park's only freshwater lake, and holds about 30,000 square feet of skating surface across a covered rink and an open-air rink. It is run by the Prospect Park Alliance, the nonprofit that manages the park with the city, together with the Ekstein Development Group.

The lake beside it is getting work of its own. In September, Governor Kathy Hochul announced $4 million in state funding to finish the final phases of the Prospect Park Lakeshore Restoration, a $25 million project to rebuild the bridle trail with stormwater infrastructure, trade asphalt for rain gardens, add accessible paths and bridges and install dark-sky friendly lighting along the lake.

Last weekend of the Fall Festival

The Lakeside Fall Festival closes the same weekend, October 31 and November 1. It has a pumpkin patch, a corn maze, carnival games and tarot card readers, with the Haunted Hotel walk-through sold separately. Across the park, the Prospect Park Carousel at the Children's Corner turns into the Haunted Carousel every day from October 29 through November 1, noon to 5 p.m., at $3 a ride or $13 for a book of five tickets.

How to get there

The LeFrak Center at Lakeside is at 171 East Drive in Prospect Park. Take the Q to Parkside Avenue and enter the park at Parkside and Ocean avenues, or take the B, Q or S to Prospect Park station and enter at Ocean Avenue and Lincoln Road. Lakeside notes that all events it hosts are non-refundable. Questions go to (718) 340-3312 or info@lefraklakeside.com.

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