For the last two years, New Albany's holiday tree lighting was a Sunday afternoon in Market Square. In 2024 it ran from 3 to 6 p.m. on November 24, in front of the New Albany Library at 200 Market Street. In 2025 it was the same three-hour window on November 23, again in Market Square.
This year the tree lighting moves across the village to Rose Run Park, which the city calls a new location for the tree. The same day, New Albany opens its first outdoor ice rink at the Charleen & Charles Hinson Amphitheater. The city's October 13 announcement gives the rink's run as November 22 through February 28. That is fourteen weeks. A one-afternoon event has become a season, and it now sits on the Rose Run side of the village.
Sunday, November 22, From Noon to Lights
Opening day is ten days after this post goes up. The rink and the tree lighting share the date, so the day runs as one schedule:
- Noon to 4:30 p.m., Santa Skate at Hinson Amphitheater. Festive music, photos with Santa, letters to the North Pole and jingle bell decorating. Admission is $15 per person and includes skate rental and every activity inside the amphitheater.
- 5 to 5:30 p.m., Holiday Tree Lighting at Rose Run Park. A children's choir leads carols, Santa and the Mayor count down to the lighting, and hot beverages and donuts are free. The ceremony itself is free.
- Until 8 p.m., the rink stays open. That leaves time to skate after the lights come on.
The ceremony is shorter than the old Market Square format. The tree lighting is now a half hour, and the rink holds the hours around it. In 2024 and 2025 the whole celebration fit into three hours. On November 22 the paid skating window alone runs four and a half hours, and the ice is open for eight hours in all.
The Rink's Ordinary Weeks
After opening day, the rink has a fixed weekly schedule, and the themed skates become the exception. The city's Holiday Lighting Festivities page lists these hours:
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday through Wednesday | Closed |
| Thursday | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Friday | 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Saturday | Noon to 9 p.m. |
| Sunday | Noon to 8 p.m. |
That adds up to 25 hours a week. Most of them fall on weekends. On weekdays, Thursday and Friday evenings are the only open hours. The city says hours will expand during winter break and on holidays. The listed admission is $15 per person, including skate rentals and all activities in the amphitheater.
The city calls the rink New Albany's first-ever outdoor ice rink. A Friday night in January now has an option in the village that did not exist last year.
Rose Run Is Still a Construction Site
The tree's new home sits beside an active park project. Rose Run Phase II is under construction between Village Hall and the police department. It will add a veterans memorial with a heroes walk, a contemplative plaza, a Gold Star mothers sculpture and a water feature. When the city announced the project in January 2026, it projected completion in late fall 2027.
That puts the 2026 tree lighting next to a project with about a year of work still ahead. It also affects driving to the village on opening day. According to the city's October 29 construction update, the southbound lane of S. High Street and the turn lane on E. Dublin-Granville Road stay closed through Wednesday, November 25. November 22 falls inside that window.
The same update says the city is removing other restrictions on E. Dublin-Granville Road, Main Street and Locust Alley. The city asks drivers to use caution, allow extra time and follow posted signs while work continues. For a family arriving at noon for Santa Skate and staying past the 5 p.m. countdown, that means coming in from the south on High Street with one lane fewer than usual.
December 6 Follows the Same Schedule
Two weeks later, the Sunday schedule repeats for Hanukkah. The Hanukkah Skate at Hinson Amphitheater runs from noon to 4:30 p.m. and includes a photo with a skating dreidel, dreidel decorating and traditional games played for chocolate coins. Admission is $15 per person, skate rental included, and the rink stays open until 8 p.m.
At 5 p.m. the community menorah lighting begins at Rose Run Park. Rabbis lead traditional blessings, a children's choir sings traditional songs, and the community counts down to lighting the menorah. Hot beverages and kosher donuts are free during the ceremony.
Both lightings now happen in the same park, paired with skating at the same rink, on Sundays two weeks apart. Rose Run will host the city's two main winter ceremonies while its next phase is still being built.
The Days the Rink Is Closed
The rink is closed Monday through Wednesday, and the December calendar has events on some of those days.
Tuesday, November 24. The McCoy Center is showing Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas for free from 7 to 10 p.m., and no ticket is required, according to the McCoy Center's event listing. The screening falls two days after the rink opens, on a night the ice is closed.
Saturday, December 19, and Sunday, December 20. The New Albany Chamber of Commerce community calendar lists Santa & the Symphony and the NASO Holiday Spectacular on December 19, and a second Holiday Spectacular on December 20. CAPA's production page identifies the December 19 Holiday Spectacular as a New Albany Symphony Orchestra performance at the McCoy Center, with Benny Benack joining the orchestra and chorus. Both dates fall on rink days. That Saturday the ice is open from noon to 9 p.m., so an afternoon skate can come before an evening concert.
Where Market Square Fits Now
Market Square keeps its restaurants. Hudson 29 lists its New Albany location at 260 Market Street, Suite D. Rusty Bucket lists its New Albany location at 180 Market Street. Both are on the same street as the library, where the tree stood in 2024. On Main Street, Fox in the Snow lists its New Albany bakery and cafe at 160 West Main Street. Each business posts its own hours, and those are the ones to check before a weekend skate.
The free hot drinks and donuts move to Rose Run with the ceremony. Dinner is still on Market Street. On November 22, the ice is at the amphitheater, the tree is at Rose Run and the restaurants are on Market Street, all in the village center. It is the first year the holidays have been spread across all three.
We'll be on the ice and around the village this season. If a visit to Rose Run gets you thinking about where your household fits in New Albany's next few years, the team at Jill Beckett Hill is glad to talk it through over coffee. Book A Consultation whenever the timing feels right.
