News & Politics

Ice Skating at the Sculpture Garden Is Canceled This Year Because, Well, 2020

It's the first time the Washington-in-winter classic activity will be canceled in 20 years.

The National Gallery of Art's ice rink at the Sculpture Garden. Photograph by Brett Davis via Flickr Creative Commons.
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The list of things 2020 has canceled is long: in-person national conventions, the release of the new Bond film No Time to Die, your cousin’s rustic-chic barn wedding. And you can add another thing to that list: ice-skating at the National Gallery’s sculpture garden.

Due to Covid, the Washington-in-winter classic activity will be canceled for the first time in 20 years, reports Washington Business Journal. The rink is typically open November through March, where folks can sip hot chocolate and skate alongside sculptures by artists like Alexander Calder and Roy Lichtenstein.

However, guests can still visit the National Gallery if they want to see art sans-skates. The museum began reopening in July, and is currently offering free timed passes to select floors.

Fingers crossed this is the only ice skating cancellation of the year: As of now, there’s no news about the 2020-2021 skate season for other local spots like the Washington Harbour or Canal Park.

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Mimi Montgomery Washingtonian
Home & Features Editor

Mimi Montgomery joined Washingtonian in 2018. She’s written for The Washington Post, Garden & Gun, Outside Magazine, Washington City Paper, DCist, and PoPVille. Originally from North Carolina, she now lives in Del Ray.