Freshly frozen ice and community in Musikhusparken – Aarhus' new ice rink has opened

There's something special about the first day on the ice. The cold bites your cheeks lightly, while the steam from hot cocoa mixes with the sound of skates cutting through the newly frozen surface in the middle of the city.

Saturday morning, Musikhusparken is filled with anticipation. It has just passed ten o'clock, and children, young people and the elderly are standing close together in front of the new ice rink. Cool hands are holding cups of hot cocoa, hats are pulled down over their ears, and a common "now it's happening" is in the air.

The new ice rink is beautifully located in the middle of Aarhus, surrounded by the facade of the Music Hall, the colorful ring of ARoS and the new white wooden houses that form a small winter village in the city. This is where people are meant to gather. Here, the cold is not supposed to separate people, but bring them closer together.

Councilor Rabih Azad-Ahmad thanked the Salling Foundation for the donation and praised the collaboration behind the skating rink.

The opening brought together the people of Aarhus in a winter atmosphere

Aarhus' Councillor for Culture and Citizens' Services, Rabih Azad-Ahmad, opens the ice rink and you can feel the warmth in his words. He thanks the Salling Foundations for the donation and says that the ice rink will become a new gathering point in Aarhus' winter season.

He smiles briefly before continuing, “it means so much that we have places in the city where generations meet and move together. It brings smiles, health and unity and it really couldn’t get any better.”

He has been with us all the way. He was the one who got the ice rink back to Musikhusparken ten years ago.
Now he is standing here again, to open it again.

After the speech, he presents a symbolic skate on a wooden board to Karin Salling as a thank you for the Foundation's contribution.

“I hope you find a good place for it,” he says with a laugh. “Because this is about everything that moves Aarhus.”

Karin Salling welcomes them with a smile. People all around applaud, and for a moment the two of them stand in the middle of everything that has just begun.

The 11 girls from Aarhus Skating Club will be performing today's first performance at the newly opened ice rink in Musikhusparken.

Aarhus Skating Club opened the ice with a show

The music starts, and 11 girls from Aarhus Skating Club glide onto the ice.
Their dresses sparkle in blue, pink and purple, while the ice catches the reflection from the Concert Hall.
People along the edge film, take pictures and cheer while the girls move to the music.
For a brief moment, Musikhusparken is transformed into a winter setting where everything is about movement and joy.

Cocoa and small winter breaks

Next to the rink, the kiosk is buzzing with life. Here, hot cocoa and coffee are poured with big smiles behind the counter. The scent of chocolate and whipped cream mixes with the cold, while children warm up and older Aarhusians share memories of the time they themselves skated.

It all feels uncluttered. A kind of unplanned community where everything is simple. Warm hands, laughter, and the feeling that the city is standing still for a moment, together.

Hot cocoa is served with big smiles from the kiosk, a sure hit on a cold opening day.

The winter room, wooden houses and space to be together

Along the ice, the white wooden houses stand like small, cozy wooden houses in the winter cold.
Here you can rent skates, have your skates sharpened, buy hot drinks or seek shelter in the Winter Room, which is a room with benches, heat and space for brought food.
Outside, there are wooden tables where people sit with steaming cups and watch the ice cream sparkle in the light from the Music Hall.

Everything is designed as a place where Aarhusians meet. Not just to skate, but to be together and to feel the special mix of fresh air, red cheeks and laughter that only a winter day in Aarhus can provide.

Young and old took their first cautious steps on the ice and some had to quickly get back up.

“A place where people just meet” – interview with the councilor

After the speech, we chat with the councilor, who will soon be stepping down after many years on the city council.
“That’s one of the things I’m most proud of,” he says. “Having helped create places where people just meet, naturally, across generations.”

He points out towards the rink, where the first children have already taken their first steps on the ice.
“That's the great thing about a place like this, you can just walk by, put on a pair of skates and join in. It doesn't take much, but it gives so much back.”

About the new track he says:
“It’s not only beautiful, but also more sustainable. And it fits aesthetically into the area around the Musikhuset and ARoS. It’s important that it feels like a place that belongs here, in the middle of the city’s cultural heart.”

He also admits with a laugh that he is not a great skater himself:
“I've been on ice more than once, but I guess that's part of the experience,” he said, smiling.

Karin Salling and councilor Rabih Azad-Ahmad posed for a picture smiling after the opening.

A sustainable ice rink in the middle of the city's cultural heart

The skating rink in Musikhusparken was created with sustainability in mind. The materials have been chosen with care, and the ice is kept cold by modern energy solutions that reduce power consumption. The rink is open 24 hours a day and free to use, and the new wooden buildings house skate rentals, toilets, a kiosk, and the cozy Winter Room, where you can stay warm or eat your own food.

Here is everything you need to create winter memories in the middle of Aarhus, from steaming drinks and red cheeks to community and movement under the open sky.

The skating rink is more than a winter project. It is a new gathering point, a place where Aarhusians will meet again and again to feel that winter can also be warm.