The Maggie Daley Ribbon Opens a Week Before Downtown's Holiday Season. Tickets Go on Sale Monday.

The first ticketed sessions on the Maggie Daley Park Skating Ribbon are on Friday, November 13. That is seven days before the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink, the Christmas Tree Lighting, the Millennium Park Holiday Market and Christkindlmarket all open on Friday, November 20. For anyone living on the Lakeshore East side of Columbus Drive, that week from November 13 to November 19 is the only part of the season when the Ribbon runs with nothing else on downtown's holiday calendar around it.

You can't just walk over and get on the ice that week. The Ribbon sells its season in blocks, released on a fixed schedule, with no waitlist. The tickets for that first week go on sale Monday, November 2.

Monday, November 2, at noon

The Maggie Daley Park ticket page releases reservations at 12:00 p.m. Central on eight Mondays across the winter. Each release opens the next stretch of the calendar:

1. Monday, November 2, 2026: sessions November 13 to November 29, including Thanksgiving weekend
2. Monday, November 16: sessions November 30 to December 10
3. Monday, November 30: sessions December 11 to January 3, which the park designates the Holiday Season
4. Monday, December 21: sessions January 4 to January 17
5. Monday, January 4, 2027: sessions January 18 to January 31
6. Monday, January 18: sessions February 1 to February 14
7. Monday, February 1: sessions February 15 to February 28
8. Monday, February 15: sessions March 1 to March 7, the closing day

The first release covers the most valuable dates on the calendar. It includes the full week before downtown's holiday events open and Thanksgiving weekend. The third release, on November 30, covers the stretch from December 11 to January 3. During those dates the Ribbon runs its full weekend schedule, with shorter days on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, and group outings are not booked at all.

The Ribbon also outlasts the city's rink at the other end of the season. The McCormick Tribune Ice Rink is listed as running from November 20, 2026, into February 2027, weather permitting. The Ribbon's last day is March 7, 2027. The Ribbon starts the downtown skating season a week early, and its schedule runs past the rink's listed February dates into early March.

The rules that matter when you live a few minutes away

Living nearby helps less than it seems to, because the rules limit the casual walk-up. Walk-up sales happen only if a session has not sold out online. If a ticket type shows sold out, nothing is sold at the gate and there is no waitlist. For any session that sells out online, a short walk to the Ribbon only pays off for someone who already holds a ticket.

The schedule is built on two-hour sessions, with the ice resurfaced between each one:

Prices depend on the day and on whether you buy ahead. Skate rental runs $17 online and $19 at walk-up, Monday through Thursday outside holidays. On Fridays, weekends, holidays and during the Holiday Season it's $21 online and $23 at walk-up. The $2 premium only applies on days when a walk-up ticket is still available at all.

A few details from the park's fine print change how you plan a session:

• Transfers close three days out. You can move a ticket to another date or session for $3 through the Chicago Park District's Active account, but only if you do it at least three days before the ticketed date.
• Handing a ticket to a neighbor is free. You can gift or resell a ticket privately by forwarding the confirmation email with its QR code, with no transfer fee.
• Refunds come only from closures. The park gives no refunds unless Ribbon management closes the ice. When weather cancels a session, it plans to announce the cancellation at least an hour ahead and refunds automatically within up to 10 business days.
• One transaction covers up to ten tickets. That's enough for a household plus guests in town for Thanksgiving. Groups of 30 or more go through a separate 2026–27 group form, and there is no group discount.
• Rental skates don't cross Randolph's park line. Only Maggie Daley Park rental skates go on the Ribbon. Skates rented at Millennium Park, or anywhere else, don't count as your own skates.

The free sessions, for anyone who owns skates

Owning skates changes the math on the Ribbon more than anything else. Bring-your-own skaters pay $5 for most sessions. Each day, one session is free.

• Monday through Friday, non-holiday: the 11 a.m. session is free
• Saturdays, Sundays, holidays and the entire Holiday Season: the 8 a.m. session is free

From December 11 through January 3, the free session moves to 8 a.m. every day, including weekdays. That's the stretch when guests are in town and the rest of downtown is at its busiest. An early skate needs a ticket like any other session, so the 8 a.m. slots for those weeks go on sale with the November 30 release.

Some details for owners. Sharpening is not available on site, so blades need to be ready before the first session. Lockers in the fieldhouse cost $3 for a small one or $5 for a large one, take card swipe only, and last three hours. Skate aids are $11 and can't be reserved, so they go first-come on the day of your session. For skaters with physical disabilities and their companion skater, skate assist sleds are available when supply allows.

Rental skates run from child size 8 through men's size 15, with no half sizes. The park notes that hockey skates run about one size larger than your shoe size, while figure skates run true to size.

November 20, when the rest of downtown arrives

The week after the Ribbon opens, five events start within about 36 hours of each other, all a short walk west or north of the neighborhood.

The city's October 1 announcement from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events puts the tree lighting's main stage on Washington Street next to the Chicago Cultural Center. The program includes fireworks, large viewing screens throughout Millennium Park and a live broadcast on ABC7 Chicago. The tree stays lit through Sunday, January 10, 2027. The Christkindlmarket returns to Daley Plaza for its 2026 run, and the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival takes over the avenue the next evening.

The two rinks are on different systems. The city's McCormick Tribune Ice Rink page lists free admission and long daily hours, and posts weather closures on Millennium Park's Facebook page. The Ribbon charges for rental and most bring-your-own sessions, sells by session and posts cancellations on its own website and social channels. Plan a holiday weekend across both, and you'll need to check two separate sources for weather closures.

What hasn't been announced yet

Two of the park's winter offerings are still waiting on details. The Maggie Daley Park igloo rentals page tells visitors to check back in October 2026 for more information, and it lists no 2026–27 reservation dates. The terms currently on that page describe igloos for up to eight guests overlooking the Ribbon. Guests can go back and forth between the ice and the igloo, adding skates costs $50, and reservations are first come, first served. Those terms could change once the season's details are posted.

A new program is listed for this winter as well. S'Mores & Fire Pits at the Maggie Daley Cafe is "coming Winter 2026/2027," and the park says more information will follow as the season gets closer. For skaters coming from outside the neighborhood, the park links to discounted parking through Millennium Garages.

The first ticket release opens Monday, November 2, at noon Central, for sessions November 13 through November 29.

At RM Luxury Group, we track the New East Side calendar the way our clients use it, from the first Ribbon session to the last one in March. If you're hosting guests downtown this holiday season or considering a residence close to Maggie Daley Park, request a private consultation and we'll walk you through the buildings closest to the ice.