CANBERRA’S Skate in the City will return for the third consecutive year tonight. 

The transformation of Garema Place to a 400-square-metre winter wonderland saw almost 20,000 visitors from across Australia in its first year and the rink officially re-opens at 8pm this evening.

Young professional ice skaters laced up their skates and tested the rink out today before its opening, surrounded by new faux-snow sculptures designed by CIT students, giving the rink a frosty feel despite the sunny weather.

Following the success of last year’s Cultural Sundays, the rink will feature a handful of culturally-themed events starting with Scandinavia on Sunday June 30.

The Scandinavian Australian Association, in conjunction with the Canberra Lego Users Group, will create a Lego-themed day kicking off at 11:30am. Visitors can also construct their own Lego models with the provision of Barrels of Bricks in the marquee.

There will be activities for kids, with waffles, hot chocolate and coffee available on the day. A series of free Scandinavian-themed skate shows will take place between 11:30am and 4pm.

Skate in the City’s series of Cultural Sundays will also feature Canada and the USA, India, Germany and Japan.

A new addition by Canberra CBD Ltd is a snow box, where younger visitors can unleash their creativity by building snow men.

Performances by Stars On Ice skaters, a weekly Fashion on Ice show presented by local fashion providers and nightly skate sessions featuring the latest music will make their return.

This year will see themed nights, including superhero, onesie, and a wildlife theme this Saturday plus a “Wizard On Ice” show.

Skate in the City will be open seven days a week and running six sessions from 10am until 8pm, with an extra session at 10pm on Friday and Saturday nights. The event will run until Sunday July 28. 

Tickets for Skate in the City went on sale on June 1.