The holiday jingle “It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams filled an ice rink of families, partners and friends in the holiday spirit. From young children to grandparents, everyone was contributing to holiday cheer.

The Raising Cane’s River Center has recently become a place for shared joy and winter festivities.  Since Dec. 18, it has hosted “Ice Skating on the River,” and hundreds of people have spent their time having fun doing something that usually is unavailable for Louisiana residents.

On the sidelines, skates were being laced up, friends were taking pictures and new learners were slowly getting the hang of walking with ice skates. Outside, long lines of excited visitors waited to receive their skates and walk in.

Many newcomers were on the ice. Friends and partners with interlocked arms, parents holding onto their children’s hands teaching them how to slow and to stop, siblings racing and skating together. 

All over the ice, there were people holding onto the wall and learning how to do their first spin, and there were some that had fallen on their butt for the third time. Many visitors had wide, excited smiles. Girls had bows in their hair, and friends and couples wore matching outfits.  A warm feeling of winter joy was shared among the people in the room.

There’s a few things you should know before heading to the ice rink. First, the lines to get in can be long, so it is best to arrive early so that you get your money’s worth. There is a clear bag policy, and the skates they give out are all in men’s sizes. Refreshments are available at the ice skating rink. 

At the ice rink, there are some rules to keep everyone safe. All electronics need to stay off of the ice, so quite a few people were standing beside the wall to take pictures. All skating traffic goes in one direction, and the middle should be left open for experienced ice skaters. 

The skating sessions go for 75 minutes. There are typically six sessions each day starting from 10 a.m., with a new one starting every two hours. The ice rink will be closed on Christmas, and on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, it will close after the 4 p.m. session. 

To sign up for a session, you must go through Ticketmaster. For a solo ticket, the upfront cost is $21, but after fees and such, the cost is around $30. Also available for the ice rink is group pricing. Buying for a group of 10 or more will lower the price for each ticket by about $5. With Ticketmaster, there is also the add-on of ticket insurance if something happens or goes wrong and a person can’t make it to the time they bought it. There is no free parking; it will cost $10.

The ice rink will be open until the end of the year.