On the north side of Broadway, the bridge deck sits above a wide platform called Ascension Saint Thomas Landing. The rail cut that gave the Gulch its name runs below the same span. This year, starting Saturday, November 21, that covered platform will hold a sheet of real ice.
Last year's rink at Nashville Yards was described as a pilot. The 2026 version opens about a week before Thanksgiving and stays open through January 3. It also comes with a tree lighting, a weekend market and a full slate of free programming. For anyone who lives on the Gulch side of Broadway, the holiday season now starts earlier and runs longer, and most of it happens one bridge away.
From a Hotel Rooftop to Real Ice
The rink has moved around. WKRN reported in December 2025 that the earlier skating rink had been on the rooftop of the Grand Hyatt hotel. It moved down to Ascension Saint Thomas Landing for 2025 because the larger space left room for more activities.
That first season under the bridge used "glice," a synthetic surface. Nashville Yards described it to WKRN as delivering the same thrill as standard ice, with the sustainability benefit of needing no electricity or water. Pickleball courts, food and drink vendors, and a fire pit filled out the platform around it.
For 2026, Nashville Yards calls the synthetic surface something it "piloted" for the 2025 holiday season. This year's rink is real ice, kept for the whole season. Running real ice takes the water and power the synthetic version was promoted for avoiding. Choosing it anyway, along with a longer season, suggests the developer now treats the rink under Broadway as a permanent part of its holidays.
What Real Ice Costs, Set Against Last Year
The price shows the change most clearly.
| 2025 season | 2026 season | |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | Synthetic "glice" | Real ice |
| Adult ticket | $10 weekdays, $15 weekends | $20 standard admission |
| Children under 5 | Same as adults | $15 |
| Season end | Through December 30 | Through January 3 |
| Location | Ascension Saint Thomas Landing | Ascension Saint Thomas Landing |
The 2026 standard ticket is double last year's weekday price, and taxes and fees are added on top. Each pass is good for a one-hour session and includes rental skates. You can bring your own skates. Nashville Yards asks skaters to arrive at least 15 minutes early to check in and get fitted.
Booking ahead matters more than it might seem. Nashville Yards says walk-up space is limited and not guaranteed, and it recommends buying in advance. Daily hours and ticket sales are scheduled to go live in early November, and the email list at the Rink Under Broad page is how they announce it. Refund requests must be submitted at least 24 hours before your session through Simple Tix. No refunds are given for late requests, no-shows or unused sessions.
The minimum skating age is 3. Children under 14 must be with an adult on the ice at all times. No food, drinks or gum are allowed on the ice. Snacks and drinks are fine in the designated areas off the rink.
Because the bridge deck covers the rink, rain doesn't close it. That helps a lot in a Nashville December.
The Season the Rink Now Anchors
The longer season is what gives the rink's upgrade weight. Nashville Yards' Holiday Central runs from November 21 through January 3 and places a set of dated events around the ice. Two holiday pop-up bars nearby open a day before the rink. Here is the season in order:
- Friday, November 20. "Grand & Gilded" opens at lou/na and runs through Wednesday, December 30. Nashville Guru describes holiday cocktails, comfort food and eye-catching decor. It is 21 and over, with no reservations.
- Friday, November 20. "Life at the Lodge," an alpine-lodge pop-up, opens at Alligator Bar. It is open to all ages, with no reservations.
- Saturday, November 21. Rink Under Broad opens on real ice, seven days a week.
- Saturday, November 28, 5 p.m. The Nashville Yards Tree Lighting Ceremony takes place at Ascension Saint Thomas Landing. RSVPs are taken through the Holiday Central page.
- Saturday, November 28, and Sunday, November 29. The Merry Market sets up under Broad, featuring small vendors.
- November 21 through January 3. Santa photos are free, courtesy of Ascension Saint Thomas, and holiday movie nights are free with Xfinity. Seasonal food and drink runs all season.
The two pop-up bars are new names in the same pattern. The 2025 holiday lineup at Nashville Yards included "Lost in lou/na" at Grand Hyatt Nashville and "Naughty and Nice" at Union Station Nashville Yards. This year, Nashville Guru's holiday pop-up guide lists Grand & Gilded at lou/na and Life at the Lodge at Alligator Bar instead, and both open the night before the rink.
The tree lighting and the Merry Market fall on the weekend after Thanksgiving, which lands on Thursday, November 26, this year. Families with relatives in town will have an easy plan for that Saturday afternoon.
Getting Onto the Landing
Ascension Saint Thomas Landing sits beneath the Broadway Bridge, and Nashville Yards lists four ways onto the platform:
- The walkway off 10th Avenue, the most direct path from the West Parking Garage
- The stairway behind the Pinnacle Tower
- The outdoor spiral staircase at Grand Hyatt Nashville
- The outdoor staircase at The Union Station Nashville Yards
Discounted parking for drivers is in the Nashville Yards West Garage at 131 10th Ave N. You can enter from 10th Avenue at Commerce Street or at Charlotte Pike. Nashville Yards describes the rink as cashless.
The Pinnacle Tower stairway is a handy marker. The Pinnacle, the 4,500-capacity music venue at 910 Exchange Lane, is in the same cluster. It opened in February 2025. Its calendar includes Red Bull Jukebox Nashville on Saturday, November 7, and Daily Bread on Saturday, December 19, both at 8 p.m. Pairing a December 19 show with a skating session earlier that evening makes a full night out.
What Changes on Exchange Lane Before Year's End
The holiday programming isn't the only thing coming to this block. Luna Record Shop is opening a second store at 930 Exchange Lane, near The Pinnacle box office. As reported by the Nashville Business Journal and shared on Nashville Yards' news page, the 2,300-square-foot shop aims to open by the end of 2026. It plans more events and in-store experiences than its Franklin location.
If the shop opens on time, a record store could join the rink, the tree and the market right as holiday shopping peaks. It would be a year-round reason to keep visiting this stretch after the ice comes out in January.
The Gulch's Own December, South of the Bridge
None of this takes the place of the programming on the Gulch's side of Broadway. MarketStreet owns and operates three public spaces there: Noble Park, Grace's Alley and the Gulch Dog Park. It produces a signature holiday pop-up market "each December." The 2026 date hasn't been posted yet on the Gulch's signature events page. For its quarterly Gulch Night Market, MarketStreet points people to the downtown email list for the next date.
That gives the neighborhood two holiday markets on either side of the same bridge. The Merry Market under Broad comes first, on November 28 and 29. MarketStreet's Gulch market follows sometime in December. Someone shopping for gifts locally could visit both without leaving the immediate area. Rain or not, the rink between them stays open every day from the weekend before Thanksgiving until the first Sunday of the new year.
This year the season by the Broadway Bridge starts November 20, when the pop-up bars open, and the rink is ready the next morning.
Life near the bridge is part of what a Gulch address is worth, and that value is easy to underestimate when you live there. If you're curious what your Gulch residence would bring this season, Corcoran Reverie can show you where it stands. Get an Instant Valuation.
