Winter Village Is Open Seven Days a Week This Year. The Ice Time Mostly Moved to Evenings.

Winter Village opens Sunday, November 29, at Jerry Willey Plaza in Orenco Station. The City of Hillsboro's schedule page leads with "New this year: Open 7 days a week!" The rink runs through January 10, 2027, and it is closed only on December 24, December 25, and January 1.

Put the new schedule next to last season's and the change looks different. The rink is open more days, but the number of sessions is almost the same. Most of the weekday daytime skating is gone, and the evenings picked it up. If you skate after work, this is the best schedule the rink has had. If you liked a quiet Thursday or Friday morning on the ice, that slot now exists only during winter break.

Count the Sessions, Not the Days

Last December, Your Oregon News reported that public skating ran Thursday through Sunday, with seven one-hour sessions each day at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 7 p.m. For the 2026–27 season, the City's Winter Events page lists Monday through Friday evening sessions at 4, 5:30, and 7 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays keep all seven sessions.

Here is a regular week outside winter break under each schedule:

So a regular week gains one session. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings are new. Thursday and Friday lose their four daytime sessions each. Each session holds about 45 skaters, both last season and this one. That works out to about 1,305 public skating spots in a full week this year, compared with about 1,260 last year. For the people who come, the bigger change is when those spots fall.

The rink's schedule has moved around before. In the 2024–25 season, Cedar Mill News reported that public skating ran Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Tuesdays were set aside for private rentals. This is the third season in a row with a different weekly pattern, and the first one with weekday sessions starting at 4 p.m.

Some Weekday Evenings Are Shorter Than They Look

Winter Hawks ICE Centers teaches skating lessons at the rink on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, and the rink is closed to public skating while a lesson is on. On lesson days, the last public session starts at 4 p.m. Those days are December 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, and 17, and January 6 and 7.

That takes some of the shine off the new evenings. During the first three full weeks of December, Wednesday and Thursday each have one public session instead of three. A regular December week works out like this:

• Monday, Tuesday, Friday: 4, 5:30, and 7 p.m.
• Wednesday, Thursday: 4 p.m. only
• Saturday, Sunday: seven sessions from 10 a.m. through 7 p.m.

That's 25 public sessions in each of those weeks, fewer than last season's 28. If you can only skate after dinner, your best December nights are Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. Tuesdays have one more wrinkle. On December 1 and 8, and again on January 5, the 7 p.m. session is sensory-friendly, with fewer skaters, lower lighting, and softer music. Last season, sensory-friendly skating was held in the morning, at the 10 and 11:30 a.m. sessions on December 19 and January 9. This year it's an evening slot, so families who need a calmer rink can come after school or work.

Lesson registration opened on ActiveNet on October 5. Lessons are an hour long: 30 minutes of teaching and 30 minutes of free skating. There are two groups, ages 3 to 5 and ages 6 through adult.

Winter Break Brings the Daytime Back

From December 19 through January 3, the rink runs all seven sessions every day, 10 a.m. through 7 p.m., except for the three holiday closures. The City also lists skating lessons on December 30 and 31, and lessons close the rink to the public while they run, so check with the City before planning a late-afternoon or evening skate on either of those days. This is the only stretch this year where you can skate on a weekday morning. It's also when kids are out of school, so plan on those sessions being in demand.

Break starts with Snow Much Fun on Saturday, December 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The City lists snow flurries on the plaza at the top of every hour, a visit from Santa, baby reindeer goats, and holiday music. More than 30 young vendors from the Children's Entrepreneur Market will set up a pop-up market around the rink. Regular skate times stay in place all day. You can come for the market without skating, but if you want ice time, expect plenty of other people with the same plan.

Why Arriving Early Still Matters

Ticketing works the same way it did last season. There are no advance ticket sales. You buy tickets in person on the day you skate, up to 15 minutes before your session, and sessions are first come, first served. The City asks skaters to arrive 15 minutes before their session. Each session holds about 45 people, so on Snow Much Fun day or a busy winter-break afternoon, showing up early is the only way to hold a spot.

Prices are the same as last season, and skate rental is included:

1. $19 general admission
2. $16 for ages 13 and under
3. Free for ages 3 and under
4. $5 to rent a Bobby the Seal skate aid
5. With proof of SNAP/EBT benefits, $10 general admission and $8 for ages 13 and under

A few more details from the City's page are good to know before you go. Children 13 and under must have a paying adult with them on the ice. A parent or guardian must sign a waiver for each youth skater, and you can fill it out online ahead of time to save a step at the window. Helmets aren't required, but the rink has them for free. Bringing your own skates doesn't lower the price. The rink is outdoors but fully covered, so a rainy evening won't cancel your plans.

Getting There, and Where to Eat After

The plaza is at 943 NE Orenco Station Loop, beside the Orenco Station stop on the MAX Blue and Red lines, and the City encourages taking TriMet. Street parking is limited. The Rowlock and Vector garages give you the first two hours free, as long as you display a ticket in your car window. A one-hour session plus the 15 minutes you arrive early leaves time for a bite before the two free hours are up.

The new evening sessions line up well with dinner, and several places are a short walk from the rink:

• La Provence at 937 NE Orenco Station Loop serves breakfast, lunch, and bakery items, which fits a weekend morning skate.
• Schmizza Public House at 998 NE Orenco Station Loop is on the same loop as the plaza.
• Yuki Sushi & Sake Bar at 1335 NE Orenco Station Pkwy lists takeout hours on its site, so check before planning a sit-down meal.

Downtown Lights Up First

Before the rink opens, downtown Hillsboro starts its own holiday season. On Friday, November 13, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., this year's holiday tree will travel down Main Street to Civic Plaza. The Hillsboro Downtown Partnership says sponsors including HWY Heavy Hauling will harvest the tree and truck it in. The City sponsors the decorating and the Partnership does it.

Holly Days follows on Saturday, November 21, from 2 to 7 p.m., with the tree lighting at 6 p.m. The Partnership lists an artisan market, carolers, live music, and downtown shops open with in-store activities. Santa will be at the North Pole at HART Theatre, at 2nd Avenue and Washington Street, for photos. The Partnership is also looking for Holly Days volunteers. Volunteers must be 16 or older unless a guardian comes along. The rink opens eight days later.

Winter Village has been coming back to Orenco for a while. The Hillsboro News-Times reported that the rink started in 2015, after residents asked for more family events in a 2013 City survey. The same paper reported in 2024 that the rink was back after a pandemic-era pause. This season, for the first time, most of its weekday hours are in the evening.

I grew up on the westside, and I love seeing Hillsboro's winter calendar fill up like this. If you're weighing a move closer to Orenco or downtown and want to talk through how a neighborhood fits your actual routine, Robyn Schamberger is happy to help. Let's Connect.