Release Date: October 31, 2006

Popular Ice-Skating Rink in National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden Opens in Mid-November for Eighth Consecutive Year

Aerial view of the National Gallery of Art ice-skating rink and the Gallery’s West Building. Photo by Rob Shelley © National Gallery of Art

Washington, DC —The National Gallery of Art ice-skating rink in the Sculpture Garden will open for the eighth consecutive year in mid-November and remain open through mid-March, weather permitting. The ice rink, a popular recreational destination in Washington, attracts approximately 50,000 visitors each season. The rink’s sleek, modern design creates open vistas throughout the parklike setting and offers skaters–both novice and experienced–the added experience of viewing large-scale works of 20th-century sculpture by such internationally renowned artists as Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Louise Bourgeois, Joan Miró, Scott Burton, Ellsworth Kelly, Alexander Calder, Roy Lichtenstein, and others.

The indoor Pavilion Café offers a variety of affordable food and refreshment to visitors of all ages. A state-of-the-art music system, with twenty-four speakers installed on light poles around the rink, provides uniform sound to skaters without distracting other visitors to the garden. Lights encircling the rink illuminate the ice, enhancing the skating experience and contributing to the festive atmosphere.

Skating Rink Hours and Fees

The hours for the ice-skating rink are Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Admission for a two-hour session (beginning on the hour) is $7.00 for adults and $6.00 for seniors age 50 and over; children age 12 and under, and students with school ID. The skate rental fee is $3.00 (ID required as a deposit); and the locker rental fee is $.50 ($5.00 deposit required). Season tickets are available for $195.00. For general information and announcements about openings and closings, or to make skating reservations, call (202) 289-3360 or visit www.pavilioncafe.com. More details are available http://www.nga.gov/ginfo/skating.shtm.

Groups at the Gallery and in the Galleries

Pavilion Café reservations and discounts on ice rink admission and fees are available for groups of ten or more by calling (202) 289-3360. To arrange a special guided tour of the Gallery’s permanent collection before or after a visit to the ice rink for twenty or more adults, call (202) 842-6247 three weeks to four months in advance. Information about Gallery other programs, exhibitions, restaurants, and Shops, is available at (202) 737-4215 or www.nga.gov.

Pavilion Café

The Pavilion Café offers a panoramic view of the Sculpture Garden and ice rink and serves freshly made wraps, sandwiches, gourmet pizzas, salads, and a variety of delectable desserts. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, wine, and beer are available, also visitors may enjoy light fare inside the Pavilion Café or outside on the patios especially designed for dining. Café hours during the skating season are Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Visitors may access the skating rink and the Pavilion Café at 7th Street and Constitution Avenue NW; 9th Street and Constitution Avenue NW; 7th Street and Madison Drive NW; or 9th Street and Madison Drive NW. For current information or to reserve space in the café for ten or more people, call (202) 289-3360 or visit www.nga.gov.

During the evening, when the Gallery and Sculpture Garden are closed to the public, access to the ice-skating rink and Pavilion Café is restricted to the Constitution Avenue and Madison Drive entrances at 9th Street.

General Information

The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are at all times free to the public. They are located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, and are open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1. For information call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (202) 842-6176, or visit the Gallery's Web site at www.nga.gov.

Visitors will be asked to present all carried items for inspection upon entering the East and West Buildings. Checkrooms are free of charge and located at each entrance. Luggage and other oversized bags must be presented at the 4th Street entrances to the East or West Building to permit x-ray screening and must be deposited in the checkrooms at those entrances. For the safety of visitors and the works of art, nothing may be carried into the Gallery on a visitor's back. Any bag or other items that cannot be carried reasonably and safely in some other manner must be left in the checkrooms. Items larger than 17 x 26 inches cannot be accepted by the Gallery or its checkrooms.

For additional press information please call or send inquiries to:

Press Office
National Gallery of Art
2000B South Club Drive
Landover, MD 20785
phone: (202) 842-6353 e-mail: pressinfo@nga.gov

Deborah Ziska
Chief of Press and Public Information
(202) 842-6353
ds-ziska@nga.gov

If you are a member of the press and would like to be added to our press list, click here.