Northampton’s festive ice rink skates to success attracting thousands to Market Square

12 January 2026

More than 55,000 people visited Northampton’s Market Square to enjoy the ice rink and other festive activities throughout December, delivering a significant boost to town centre shops and businesses.

Between 4 December and 4 January, thousands of visitors were attracted to the ice rink and a special programme of festive entertainment, including Carols on the Square, Christmas Jumper Day and Santa on Ice, alongside a range of fun rink activities for families, students and people with disabilities.

Footfall in the Grosvenor Shopping Centre was up 19.3% compared to the previous year and ticket analysis shows visitors using the ice rink came from a broad range of locations including London, Birmingham, Devon, Kent, Coventry, Leicester, East Lothian, and Glasgow.

The Market Square on Ice and festive programme was delivered by West Northamptonshire Council (WNC) as part of its wider ambition to drive footfall, support local businesses and enhance the town centre experience, with support from Northampton BID and other local partners. Sponsors of the ice rink and wider activities included Northampton Town Council, London Northwestern Railway and the South Midlands Local Skills Improvement Plan.

The festive footfall boost comes just months after the success of Northampton’s role as a host of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, which saw nearly 10,000 people flock to the Market Square for fanzone activities in August and September. Just weeks later thousands of people returned to celebrate Northamptonshire Day.

Building on these recent successes, the Council will now move forward with developing a broader programme of Market Square events and activities throughout the year to further boost footfall, support local traders and enhance West Northamptonshire’s reputation as a must-visit destination.

The response to the ice rink and festive activities has been fantastic and it’s been great to see Northampton Market Square so busy over the Christmas and New Year period.

These events have created a real sense of energy and community spirit encouraging people to spend time in the town centre and support our local traders and businesses. Importantly, we’ve delivered this programme with the support of our partners in a financially responsible way while achieving exactly what it set out to do – bring people into the heart of Northampton.

Cllr James Petter, WNC’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Local Economy, Culture and Leisure

It has been wonderful to see so many people of different ages and abilities enjoying the ice rink over the past month, it created such a buzz around the Market Square for the festive season.

The skating and additional activities built on the success of our Christmas Lights Switch On event at the square in late November, and we are pleased to have worked with West Northants Council and other partners to deliver an amazing festive experience for the town.

Cllr Keith Holland-Delamere, Chair of the Community Services Committee at Northampton Town Council

The 14m x 22m rink - designed and engineered by the specialist team behind ITV’s Dancing on Ice and London’s iconic Somerset House – was the first of this scale to be delivered in West Northants and was funded through a budget specifically ringfenced for leisure and cultural activities designed to attract visitors into the town centre, with remaining costs met through local partnerships, including sponsorship and £69,252 funding from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

In addition, the Council generated over £122k in income through ticket and bar sales, enabling the programme to break even overall and ensuring the activities were delivered responsibly, without placing any additional pressure on core Council services.

Christmas in Northampton is always special but this year had an extra buzz, with the ice rink, Santa’s Grotto, Grinch takeover, live music and entertainment proving a huge hit and bringing in the crowds.

Giving visitors access to experiences that create lasting memories and make them want to return time and time again is the key to a successful town centre, and this year saw Northampton leading the way in delivering feelgood festive activities for the whole family.

Mark Mullen, Operations Manager for Northampton Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID)

Feedback recorded from visitors in a post-event survey and via the event’s Guest Book was overwhelmingly positive. One visitor said: “It was great to have a large, professional ice rink in the town centre, it made the whole market square look and feel really festive, especially when it got dark – we loved that there were different events on around the rink too.” Another added: “It is a delightful setting. Nothing better than being on the ice and having fun with loved ones. This is just what Northampton needed and it is a brilliant addition to the town this Christmas.”

Residents, businesses and partners will be invited to have their say on future events in the coming months, helping to shape an exciting and inclusive programme that reflects what people want to see in Northampton town centre.