Skate Leicester Square and Christmas Market 2026

Leicester Square Underground station, on the Northern and Piccadilly lines, is the one to use: the organiser puts it a one-minute walk from the rink and stalls. Piccadilly Circus (Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines) is about four minutes away on the organiser's figures, and Charing Cross (Bakerloo and Northern lines) is the third station it lists. For main line trains, London Charing Cross is about a third of a mile away in a straight line (worked out from the coordinates, not a walking distance).

The organiser's travel advice is all Tube and bus, and it names no car park. Its access page says only that some car parks near the square have Blue Badge bays and that these fill quickly at busy times. If you do drive into the West End, check the postcode on TfL's page first: the Congestion Charge is £18 a day if paid on the day or in advance (October 2026), charged 7am to 6pm on weekdays and noon to 6pm at weekends and bank holidays, and the ULEZ charge is a further £12.50 a day (October 2026) for vehicles that do not meet the standard.

The organiser says every entrance is step-free and the site is ramped throughout with no stairs. It suggests the south-east entrance if you need help, as that is nearest the accessible toilet, the box office and the rink entrance; ask staff at the gate to open the toilet. Wheelchair users can go on the ice, with powered chairs switched off. Assistance dogs are welcome in the outdoor areas, and one companion can have a free personal assistant ticket, arranged at the box office, by email or by phone. It is a temporary site, so surfaces differ from a permanent venue.

Covent Garden, a few minutes' walk east, switches its Christmas lights on on Thursday 12 November 2026. Skate at Somerset House, on the Strand, runs from 11 November 2026 to 10 January 2027. Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, which needs a pre-booked entry ticket, is open from 19 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 except Christmas Day.

Leicester Square sits in the middle of the West End, so Soho, Chinatown, Covent Garden and the streets around Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus are all a short walk from the stalls. Staying anywhere on the Northern or Piccadilly lines gives a direct Tube to Leicester Square station.