KC Irish Fest Terrace Stage Open

KC Irish Fest's Terrace Stage, known at this time of year as the Crown Center Ice Terrace, will be open as usual this year.

KC’s only public outdoor ice skating rink is surrounded this winter by the renovation that began immediately KC Irish Fest finished in September. However, although access is somewhat restricted to the Crown Center site, skaters will still be able to skate on the rink, which opens for its 33rd season on November 4.

The Crown Center Ice Terrace, opened November 26, 1973, and last season drew about 50,000 skaters. It takes about two days to cool the cement of the surface with freon, and then about 24 hours to lay ice on the rink by spraying water onto the surface every hour, freezing it in thin layers to get an ideal thickness of around one and a half inches. To give the ice its white color a special white paint is used.