At 5:30 p.m. on Monday, November 23, the trees at Government Plaza light up for the Tinsel Trail. The rink next to them opens the same day. Two weeks later, on another Monday at the same 5:30 start, a second tree lights up on the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse steps. An hour after that, the 50th Annual West Alabama Christmas Parade heads up Greensboro Avenue. On that second Monday, the rink at Government Plaza is closed.
Downtown Tuscaloosa's holidays run from November 23 to January 3, but the days aren't all the same. The rink's posted schedule sorts them into a few different kinds of days, and the trail events and the parade fit around it. Once you know the schedule, planning gets much easier.
The rink sets the schedule
Holidays on the Plaza runs from November 23, 2026, through January 3, 2027, at Government Plaza, 618 Almon Avenue. That's a slightly longer season than last year's. In 2025 the City opened the rink on November 24 and closed it on January 1. The rink has been at the plaza since 2021, when the City moved it from the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater and renamed the event from Holidays on the River. Some people still call it by the old name.
The 2026-27 seasonal calendar breaks the season into stretches with different hours:
| Stretch | Monday | Tue to Thu | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening week, Nov. 23 to 29 | 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., closed Thanksgiving | 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 1 to 8 p.m. |
| Nov. 30 to Dec. 17 | Closed | 5 to 9 p.m. | 5 to 10 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 1 to 8 p.m. |
| Dec. 18 to Jan. 3 | 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; closed Thu., Dec. 24; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thu., Dec. 31 | 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; closed Fri., Dec. 25 | 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 1 to 8 p.m. |
New Year's Day, a Friday, runs 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The middle stretch is the one to plan around. For almost three weeks in early December, the ice opens only after 5 p.m. on weeknights, and it's closed every Monday.
Early December is mostly an evening rink
From Tuesday, December 1, through Thursday, December 17, weeknight skating fits into a four-hour window after work or school. That makes Tuesdays a good deal. According to the City of Tuscaloosa Arts and Entertainment page, a regular skate pass is $15 per person, and every Tuesday is Family Skate Day with $12 passes. A few other pricing details matter here:
- Walking around Holidays on the Plaza is free. You only need a skate pass to rent skates and get on the rink.
- A pass covers the whole day's posted hours. You can leave and come back as long as you keep your wristband on.
- Active-duty or retired military with ID pay $12.
- A $75 season pass works through January 3, 2027. That's the price of five regular passes.
- You can bring your own skates, but you still need a pass. Payment is cashless only.
The wristband rule helps most on short evenings. A weeknight skate in early December can be a 5 p.m. session, dinner downtown, and a second skate before the 9 p.m. close, all on one pass.
The Monday closures include parade night
The rink is closed on November 30, December 7, and December 14. December 7 is the Monday the Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority holds its 50th Annual West Alabama Christmas Parade, so the ice is dark on the biggest downtown evening of the season.
Parade night has its own schedule, based on PARA's listing and the 2026 parade rules:
- 4:00 p.m.: Parade lineup begins. All participants have to be in place by 5:30.
- 5:30 p.m.: Tree lighting on the steps of the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse.
- 6:30 p.m.: The parade starts at 11th Street and Greensboro Avenue, heads north on Greensboro, turns east onto University Boulevard, and ends at 19th Avenue. PARA puts the route at about a mile.
The parade lineup includes floats, walking groups, marching bands, and decorated vehicles. This year's theme is "Christmas Through the Decades," a good fit for a 50th anniversary. Groups hoping to march have until 11:59 p.m. on November 16 to register, and the participant meeting is November 19 at 5:45 p.m. at the Belk Activity Center.
Since the rink is closed that Monday, the parade doesn't compete with skating. If you're planning both, the skate fits on the weekend before, December 5 or 6, or on Tuesday, December 8, which is a Family Skate night.
Most of the Tinsel Trail events fall on weekends
The rink shares Government Plaza with Tuscaloosa's One Place Tinsel Trail. As the Tuscaloosa Thread has reported, the trail started in 2013 and now has more than 200 live Christmas trees and displays. USA Today readers voted it 4th in the nation for Best Public Holiday Lights Display in 2025. The money it raises supports Tuscaloosa's One Place, A Family Resource Center. Kevin Besnoy, the center's executive director, told the Thread the trail "brings our community together to celebrate the holidays while supporting families across West Alabama."
Two trail events land on weekdays. The grand opening is on a Monday, and Family Night is on Friday, December 18, the first day of the rink's long weekday hours. The rest fall on weekends, when the rink opens early:
| Date | Event | Hours | Rink that day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., Nov. 23 | Grand opening and tree lighting, performances, free Santa photos | 5:30 p.m. | Opening day, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Sun., Dec. 6 | Pet Palooza, free Santa photos with pets | 3 to 5 p.m. | 1 to 8 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Holiday Market, more than a dozen local vendors | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Suit Up with Santa, free photos in holiday attire | Noon to 3 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | Family Night, Santa photos, crafts, games, prizes | 4 to 6 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. |
December 12 is the busiest day of the season. The Holiday Market, presented by Sign Pro, and Suit Up with Santa overlap from noon to 3 p.m., and the rink is open all day. The Thread calls this the second annual Holiday Market, so it's still new. Pet Palooza on December 6 asks owners to follow leash and vaccination rules and to clean up after their pets.
The rink also schedules its own Santa visits. The seasonal calendar lists 3 to 7 p.m. Santa appearances on Thanksgiving weekend, the weekend of December 12, and the weekend of December 19 and 20. Check the calendar for exact days before you promise a child a visit.
December 18 opens up the daytime
Family Night on Friday, December 18, falls on the first ordinary weekday since opening week when the rink opens at 10 a.m. Starting that day, weekdays run on long hours. Mondays December 21 and 28 are open, and the rink only closes on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. January 2 brings a $10 skate special, the same deal as Black Friday, and the season ends on Sunday, January 3.
Daytime hours also change where you can stop for something warm before or after skating. The downtown places that fit depend on the time of day:
- Morning skate: Turbo Coffee, 2010 8th Street, serves seasonal coffees, espresso, matcha, and pastries. Its 2026 profile lists daily hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., so it works best on daytime skate days.
- Afternoon coffee: Comfort Grounds, 2218 University Boulevard, opened in 2026. Owners Carl and Christi Bielstein set it up with two-top tables and couches. Carl Bielstein told the Thread that downtown's coffee shops were "all full," and he and Christi saw an opening.
- Dinner: Antioch Pizza Shop on Temerson Square, 409 23rd Avenue, serves tavern-style thin crust and Chicago-style deep dish. Central Mesa at 519 Greensboro Avenue serves tacos and tequila. Avenue Pub at 2230 University Boulevard has pub classics, craft beer, and cocktails.
- After the rink closes: The Parlor, 514 Greensboro Avenue, rotates 36 Ice Cream Club flavors and will blend any of them into a hand-mixed shake. The Thread's 2026 profile lists daily hours of noon to 10 p.m.
None of these hours have been confirmed for the holiday weeks. Visit Tuscaloosa advises checking with each business before you go, and that goes double for Christmas week.
The online listings don't all match yet. Visit Tuscaloosa's event page still shows last season's November 24 to January 1 dates. The Holidays on the Plaza site and the City's page carry the 2026-27 schedule.
Traci has spent her life in Tuscaloosa and Northport, and she knows downtown in December, from parade night on Greensboro Avenue to the rink at Government Plaza. If family is in town for the holidays and you're thinking about how your home fits the next few years, Traci Taft is happy to talk it over, whether that's before your Tuesday skate or after the parade. Schedule a Free Consultation whenever it suits your December.
