Downtown Des Moines Has a Holiday Kickoff Date. Brenton's Ice Doesn't.

On Thanksgiving Day 2025, a few cars were parked along Robert D. Ray Drive and people were waiting at the Brenton Skating Plaza entrance to be the first ones on the ice. WHO 13 reported that the first skater got there about twenty minutes early. Staff couldn't say when skating would start.

The ice was still too thin for the Zamboni. Workers added another layer of water that day. They told WHO 13 that sunlight was the biggest problem because it melts the ice during the day, and that the snow in the forecast could push the opening back again. The rink finally opened on Monday, Dec. 1.

This year, downtown's holiday season has a fixed start. On Friday, Nov. 20, the Historic East Village lights its tree and the Downtown Winter Farmers' Market opens at Capital Square. Brenton is the one downtown winter tradition without a 2026 opening date, and the "Nov. 20" opening night on its events page has no year attached.

The Nov. 20 on Brenton's events page sits among last season's events

If you search for Brenton's opening date right now, you'll probably land on the City of Des Moines events page. It lists an Opening Night on "Nov. 20," 5 to 11 p.m., with Santa photos, a Christmas tree and regular admission to skate. No year is given.

The events around it come from the season that just ended. The Swiftie Skate listed there is set for Dec. 13, with a note that weather moved it to Saturday, Dec. 20. That's the 2025 event, and the City's 2025 opening release also promoted it for Dec. 13. The theme nights below it run on January and February dates from the season that just ended.

With that company, the Nov. 20 listing doesn't confirm a 2026 opening. Last year, WHO 13 reported a planned Nov. 21 opening that moved to Thanksgiving, and the rink ended up opening Dec. 1. Des Moines Parks and Recreation hasn't announced an opening date for 2026–27 yet.

Opening day has slipped before

Last year wasn't the first time. Here's what local coverage shows for recent seasons:

The plan keeps landing in the same week, right before Thanksgiving. The actual opening has ranged from that week to early December. Brenton is an open-air rink on the Principal Riverwalk, so the weather decides when skating starts.

The 2023–24 season shows that weather also matters after opening day. In February 2024, Des Moines Parks and Recreation told WHO 13 that record-breaking temperatures were showing up more often than in earlier years, and that crews were working late nights and early mornings to treat the ice. Many scheduled programs were canceled and several were moved to later dates.

What the ice is waiting for

The City posts its weather rules on the Brenton Skating Plaza page. They apply all season, and they help explain why mid-November is hard:

• 55 to 59 degrees: the rink opens at sundown
• 60 to 65 degrees: closed for the day
• Over 65 degrees: closed until the ice recovers
• Forecast under 5 degrees or wind chill below zero for most of the open hours: closed for the day
• Snow: the rink gets cleared and opens as soon as possible

Warm and snowy weather both caused trouble last year. The City's release blamed the 2025 delay on "unseasonably warm temperatures and the recent snowstorm." A sunny 58-degree November afternoon makes for a nice walk downtown, but under these rules it costs the rink its daytime hours.

Nov. 20 is set on Locust Street

The fixed events of opening weekend are both on Locust Street.

The Holiday Promenade turns 25 this year. It runs five Friday nights from Nov. 20 through Dec. 18, 5 to 8 p.m., free and family-friendly. The Historic East Village Neighborhood Association and Downtown DSM, Inc. produce it. Each Friday has its own featured event:

1. Nov. 20: Tree Lighting with Santa Claus, plus a Drag How the Grinch Stole Christmas Story Time
2. Nov. 27: Holiday Window Display Contest with Sing DMC Caroling
3. Dec. 4: Winefest's Very Merry Vino in the Village
4. Dec. 11: Cozy Night with an Elf screening at Wooly's
5. Dec. 18: Light Up the Night with live ice sculpting and Santa

East Village shops and restaurants are promising extended hours and holiday specials every Friday.

A few blocks west, the Downtown Winter Farmers' Market opens its 21st season the same day at Capital Square, 400 Locust St. Prairie Meadows presents it, and admission is free.

Vendors inside will sell local produce, meat, cheese, eggs and holiday gifts. Food trucks will park outside on Cowles Commons. The vendor lineup hasn't been released, and food truck and entertainment details are coming closer to the event. On Saturday, Nov. 21, the market hosts a Winter Porch Planter Make-and-Take at 10 to 11:30 a.m. and 2 to 3:30 p.m. Registration is required for both sessions.

On Friday, Nov. 20, the market closes at 2 p.m. and the Promenade starts at 5. You can shop at lunch and come back for the tree lighting. Those hours hold whether it's 25 degrees or 62.

What skating costs once it opens

The Brenton page currently lists these rates. Des Moines residents get the discount by showing a driver's license, student ID or other proof of address.

When the rink opened in 2024 and 2025, KCCI and the Des Moines Register reported $10 adult admission and $5 rentals. With the resident discount, Des Moines residents still pay those amounts. Everyone else pays a dollar or two more than those reports showed. For a family of four, the group pass costs $25 with the discount, which covers four admissions and four pairs of rental skates on the same day.

Last season's regular hours were Monday through Thursday 5 to 9 p.m., Friday 5 to 11 p.m., Saturday noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those are the most recent hours the City has posted. Expect them to stay the same until the City says otherwise. For parking, the 2025 release pointed skaters to nearby meters or the East 2nd Street Parking Garage.

How to know when skating starts

Brenton gives you a few ways to keep up so you don't end up waiting at the gate:

1. Text BRENTONSKATING to 84483. That's the City's alert line for weather closures. It's useful from opening week through March.
2. Check the live capacity map before you leave to see how many skaters are on the ice.
3. Fill out the waiver online ahead of time so you don't have to do the paper form at the window.
4. Watch for an announcement that names the 2026–27 season. Both of last season's real updates, the move to Thanksgiving and the Dec. 1 opening, came through local news and a City release.

If the ice is ready by Nov. 20, you'll have tree lighting, market shopping and skating all in one day. If it isn't, Locust Street still has a full Friday planned for 5 p.m., and the rink will open later in the season.

I'll be heading to Locust Street on Nov. 20 no matter what the thermometer says. If you have questions about life downtown, or you just want to compare notes on Brenton's opening date, Laura Major would love to hear from you. Let's Connect.