The Kristi Yamaguchi Holiday Ice Rink at City Center Bishop Ranch has a season that runs from November 6 through January 3, 2027. This is the first year it has an overhead canopy. The rink started at City Center in the 2021–22 season, so this is its sixth winter on Bollinger Canyon Road. With a roof overhead, the forecast matters less when you pick a night. Price and programming matter more, and on this year's schedule those two follow a clear weekly pattern.
What the canopy changes
City Center's 2026 ticket page says the new overhead canopy lets you "skate, gather and celebrate all season long, rain or shine." Bay Area Telegraph pointed out that Walnut Creek has covered its downtown rink for years. It also said a roof helps most once the rainy season settles in.
The rink was already advertised as rain or shine back in its first season. What's new is the cover over the ice and the people on it. December rain can come in a string of wet days. With a roof, a session you booked on Sunday for the following Tuesday is far more likely to feel like the outing you had in mind.
Once weather drops out as the deciding factor, two things are left to choose by: what you'll pay and what's happening on the ice. The schedule sorts both by day of the week.
The weekly price pattern
Standard admission is $23 for a 90-minute session, and skate rental is included. Value admission is $16. It applies all day Monday and Tuesday, and to the 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. sessions on Wednesday and Thursday.
Regular weekday hours are 1 to 8:30 p.m., with sessions starting at 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m. On a Monday or Tuesday, that means all four sessions are $16, including the evening ones after work or school. Later in the week, the $16 price covers afternoons only.
| Day | Hours | Session starts | Admission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday–Tuesday | 1–8:30 p.m. | 1, 3, 5, 7 p.m. | $16 all day |
| Wednesday–Thursday | 1–8:30 p.m. | 1, 3, 5, 7 p.m. | $16 at 1 and 3 p.m., $23 at 5 and 7 p.m. |
| Friday–Saturday | 11 a.m.–10:30 p.m. | 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 p.m. | $23 |
| Sunday | 11 a.m.–8:30 p.m. | 11 a.m., 1, 3, 5, 7 p.m. | $23 |
For a family of four, the gap between a Tuesday 5 p.m. session and a Saturday 5 p.m. session is $28 in admission alone. The ice and the rental skates are the same. Skate aids cost $15 extra, go first-come, first-served, and can't be reserved ahead. Weekday sessions are the easier bet if your youngest skater needs one. The fire pits are back too. Reservations start at $50 and include a kit for four s'mores, according to Bay Area Telegraph.
The schedule is subject to change, so check the ticket page before you head over.
Thursday evenings carry the programming
Mondays and Tuesdays have the price advantage. Thursday evenings have the events. After the Friday, November 6 opening ceremony, every themed and special night on this season's schedule falls on a Thursday at the 5 p.m. or 7 p.m. session, which is the $23 rate.
- Family Photo Night: Thursdays, November 12 and 19, at 5 and 7 p.m. A skating ticket is required on top of the photo session.
- K-Pop Night: Thursday, December 3, at 5 and 7 p.m.
- Stars & Stripes on Ice: Thursday, December 10, at 7 p.m.
- Olivia Rodrigo Music Night: Thursday, December 17, at 7 p.m.
Families after a holiday card photo have two dates in November. Teenagers have the December music nights. Anyone who just wants an hour and a half on the ice for less money can go Monday or Tuesday and skip the themes.
Saturday mornings belong to a different group. The five-week Learn to Skate Academy costs $169 and runs Saturdays from November 14 through December 19, with no class on November 28. Ages 5 to 8 meet from 9 to 9:45 a.m., and ages 9 to 14 meet from 10 to 10:45 a.m. All of that wraps up before the 11 a.m. public session, so a lesson morning can turn into family skate time without a second drive.
The two holiday weeks run on their own clock
The weekly pattern loosens twice this season. From November 23 to 27 and from December 21 to January 3, the rink opens at 11 a.m. on every day it operates. That adds morning sessions on weekdays that normally start at 1 p.m., which helps when school is out.
The rink is closed on Thanksgiving and on Christmas Day. It's open on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. January 3 is the last day of the season, so the end of winter break is your last chance to skate.
Thanksgiving week shows how this plays out. The rink is dark on Thursday, November 26. That same morning, the Bishop Ranch Turkey Trot runs from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. According to the race site, runners gather at Off Center at Bishop Ranch, in a new festival area right next to City Center. The 5K follows the Iron Horse Trail around Lake Annabel on a flat mix of pavement and packed dirt, and the races are chip-timed. The 5K costs $45.26 with fees, and the Tiny Turkey .05K for kids under 5 costs $22.20. Proceeds go to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. The next morning, Friday, November 27, the rink opens at 11 a.m. and Santa is in Alexander Square from noon.
The rest of City Center's calendar falls on rink days
City Center's other holiday events all take place a short walk from the ice, so most of them can share a trip with a skate session.
- Friday, November 20, 6–7 p.m.: The Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, with the Monte Vista Band, a group of singers, and Santa's arrival. The ceremony sits between the 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. sessions, and Friday hours run until 10:30 p.m., so the 7 p.m. or 9 p.m. session works well after the lights go on.
- Visits with Santa in Alexander Square, noon–4 p.m.: November 21–22, November 27–29, December 5–6, December 12–13 and December 19–20. Each of those days lines up with the 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. skate sessions.
- Thursday, November 26, 8:30–10:30 a.m.: The Turkey Trot, on the one Thursday the rink is closed.
Across town, the City of San Ramon holds its Bah Humbug! 5K on Saturday, December 5. The race starts at 9 a.m. at the San Ramon Central Park Community Center, 12501 Alcosta Blvd. December 5 is also a Santa day at City Center, so a morning race and an afternoon visit fit into the same Saturday.
Nearby changes on the same road
If you take Bollinger Canyon Road toward I-680, you'll pass a restaurant space in the middle of a changeover. DanvilleSanRamon reported in October that Clementine's, at 18070 San Ramon Valley Blvd., has closed. The same owners are converting it into Casa Mia Restaurant, with a planned Mexican and American menu, and signs at the site said "coming soon." It will be the first East Bay location for a brand that also runs restaurants in San Jose, Mountain View and San Carlos. The building sits at the southeast corner of San Ramon Valley Boulevard and Bollinger Canyon Road. Clementine's had served breakfast, lunch and dinner there since 2012.
North of there, Dos Coyotes Border Cafe closed its restaurant at 3191 Crow Canyon Place on September 24, Bay Area Telegraph reported. Back at City Center, lululemon held its official opening on August 8 at 6000 Bollinger Canyon Road, Suite 1400, and Bay Area Telegraph described the store as a one-year pop-up. If you're shopping before a session, the store is a few steps from the ice.
At Aliloupour Real Estate Team, we follow City Center's calendar the way our neighbors do: which nights are $16, which Thursdays have a theme, and when Santa is in Alexander Square. If you'd like a heads-up on San Ramon happenings like these through the season, or you have questions about your own corner of the Tri-Valley, give us a call. We're always happy to talk about this community.
