September 29, 2017

An ice rink in Kiener Plaza will headline the festival, a partnership between Gateway Arch Park Foundation and the St. Louis Blues

The Gateway Arch Park Foundation and St. Louis Blues are teaming up again to bring an ice rink to downtown St. Louis. Winterfest at the Arch presented by Centene will begin on November 18 with the opening of the ice rink in the new Kiener Plaza, part of the historic renovations nearing completion at the Gateway Arch park and surrounding areas. The rink will remain open until January 1, 2018.

“We’re excited to partner with Gateway Arch Park Foundation again to bring hockey and skating under St. Louis’ defining symbol to the world.” said Chris Zimmerman, president and CEO of business operations for the St. Louis Blues. “Last year’s Winterfest was a great success, and we’re looking forward to a bigger and better festival this year.”

Building on the success of the inaugural Winterfest last year, this season’s festival will include more programming, events and partnerships and will once again include the uniquely memorable experience of ice skating in the shadow of the Gateway Arch. Highlights of Winterfest at the Arch will include:

•  Saturday, November 18 – Opening night celebration with Ameren Missouri Festival of Lights, including the return of the Salvation Army Tree of Lights, back to its historical home at Kiener Plaza
•  Thursday, November 30 – One Nation night with the St. Louis Blues and St. Louis Cardinals
•  Saturday, December 2 – St. Louis Blues Holiday Toy Drive and Viewing Party at Winterfest presented by FOX Sports Midwest. Fans can watch the Blues at Minnesota Wild game on an outdoor screen.
•  Public skating Thursday – Sunday, 2:00 p.m. – 9:00p.m. The rink will also be open Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day (check www.archwinterfest.com for a detailed schedule)
•  St. Louis Blues Try Hockey Free, Little Blues, 3-on-3 hockey league, and street hockey tournament
•  Holiday craft market
• Private rentals of the ice rink for groups of 100 or more

“We are incredibly grateful to our presenting sponsor Centene and our other wonderful sponsors for making Winterfest possible again this year,” said Eric Moraczewski, executive director of Gateway Arch Park Foundation. “Our first year partnering with the St. Louis Blues on this event was an amazing experience and we look forward to welcoming more visitors to Downtown St. Louis for a longer run with more events.”

The skating rink, made of real ice, will be in Kiener Plaza, which re-opened in May 2017 after a complete $20 million renovation as part of the overall $380 million CityArchRiver project. The project is reimagining the Gateway Arch and downtown experience for visitors, with many elements of the project already completed. The grand opening of the new Arch experience will be July 4, 2018, in partnership with the return of Fair Saint Louis.

Additional events as part of Winterfest at the Arch will be announced in the coming weeks. Check www.ArchWinterfest.com for news and information about how you can be part of the fun!