The main car park is open until half past midnight. You cannot drive into it after eight.
“The East Court car park is open seven days a week from 05.30-00.30hrs. Last entry is 20.00 each day, excluding event days when hours will vary.”
Four and a half hours between the last entry and the close. The long tail exists so that people at a gig in the Great Hall can get their cars out afterwards. It is not there so you can arrive at nine.
The second car park is tighter still. The Grove car park runs 6am to 7pm, seven days a week.
And the warning underneath both: “Our outdoor events typically require us to close our car parks.” Check before you drive, by emailing the team.
Thirty minutes free, then £2.20 an hour
The park is free and open at all hours. Parking is not.
Up to 30 minutes: free.
30 minutes to 1 hour: £2.20. Then £2.20 for every hour after, up to 48 hours.
Blue Badge holders are not charged, but must scan the barcode on the back of the badge at the pay machine to exempt the vehicle. Parking without scanning is parking unexempted.
The Paddocks car park, open on event days only, is priced differently: £5 an hour from 5.30pm to midnight and £2 an hour at all other times, which is more than double the standard rate in the evening.
You cannot pay with American Express, or by phone
Two restrictions worth having before you are standing at the machine.
“Please note that we do not accept American Express cards.”
“We cannot take payment for car parking over the phone.”
You pay on leaving at a machine in the car park, or within 24 hours afterwards, through the ECP parkbuddy app or online. If the app asks for it, the Location ID is 685981.
That 24 hour window is the useful part: if the machine queue is long, drive off and pay from home.
£2.50 to watch someone else skate
The ice rink is the reason most people come, and its ticketing has two conditions that catch families out.
“All customers who wish to accompany their group inside the rink but not skate must purchase a spectator ticket.” That is £2.50 off-peak and £3.00 peak.
“All customers having a private lesson must book a public skating ticket on top of their lesson fee.” The lesson is not the ticket.
The full price list, off-peak then peak:
Standard £11.75 / £12.75.
Under 12 £10.50 / £11.50.
Under 5 £7.75 / £8.75.
Over 65 £10.50 / £11.50.
Accessible £11.75 / £12.75, and Essential Companion the same.
Note that last line. An essential companion pays the full standard price, where most London venues admit a companion free or at a discount. Here the companion costs what the skater costs.
Your session is two hours or ninety minutes, depending on the day
Not the same length all week, and the difference is half an hour.
All term-time weekday sessions last 2 hours, except the final session of the day which lasts 1.5 hours.
All weekend and holiday sessions last 1.5 hours.
So a weekday session in term time is the longest skate available and costs the off-peak rate. That is the value pick by a distance.
There is also a current exception: every Monday 15:30 session runs for one hour, until Festive Skate, with prices adjusted.
Rink opening times: Monday 11am to 4.30pm. Tuesday 1.15pm to 5pm. Wednesday and Thursday 11am to 5pm. Friday 1.15pm to 5pm. Saturday and Sunday 11am to 4.30pm.
Tuesday and Friday do not open until 1.15pm, so there is no morning skate on either.
Arrive 15 minutes before your session. In-person sales are card only. Skate aids, from 30 March 2026, cannot be booked online and must be bought on the day.
One more rule, oddly specific: birthday parties are not permitted in the East Court, because they disrupt paying customers.
The rink was voted the UK’s number one ice rink in 2023.
Summit is the highest roof walk in the country
New, and it is the reason to come back if you have already done the rink.
Summit is a fully guided rooftop climb, which Alexandra Palace describes as the highest roof walk in the UK, at 130 metres above sea level.
Built with Wire & Sky, it crosses the roof to the Angel of Plenty statue, with 360-degree views stretching 25 miles across London.
There are daytime, sunset and London Lights climbs, plus private, group and educational options.
The current season: selected Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 13 November and 6 December, with 12 per cent off using code XMAS12, plus a free hot chocolate and mince pie.
Everything else on the hill
More than most people realise, and nearly all of it outdoors.
Go Ape. The boating lake. A skatepark. A children’s play area. Little Dinosaurs. FirstSteps Dance. Pétanque courts. A garden centre. Plus the Victorian theatre, which runs its own programme.
The playground and skatepark close at dusk, which in December is around four o’clock.
The hours for everything else
The Park is open throughout the day and night, all year round. It never closes.
East Court: 9am to 5pm daily, though closing can vary with events.
Visitor Services: 9am to 5pm.
Phoenix Bar & Pizzeria: Sunday to Thursday 11am to 9.30pm, Friday and Saturday 11am to 10pm. Food is served midday to 8.30pm daily, with last orders an hour before close.
So on a Friday the bar runs to 10pm but the kitchen stops at 8.30pm, and last drink orders are at 9pm.
Getting there without a car
Given the parking rules, this is often the better plan.
Alexandra Palace Station is the park’s own station, at the Wood Green entrance, with a regular Great Northern service direct from Moorgate via Highbury & Islington, and a service to and from King’s Cross.
Wood Green is the nearest Underground station, on the Piccadilly line, 20 minutes from Piccadilly Circus.
The W3 bus runs from Finsbury Park and Tottenham to the Ice Rink or Palm Court entrances.
There are uncovered bicycle racks in the East Court car park, and geo-fenced Lime bike areas marked in green in both the Grove and East Court car parks.
Checked on 6 October 2026, the site warns of Piccadilly line upgrade works affecting Wood Green and of W3 strike action, both on dates in September and October, so check before travelling.
How to plan it
Driving: be in before 8pm. The East Court barrier stops admitting at eight even though it opens out until 12.30am.
Under 30 minutes: parking is free.
Bring a card that is not an Amex. No Amex, no phone payments, and 24 hours to pay online if you prefer.
Blue Badge: scan the barcode on the back at the machine.
Cheapest, longest skate: a term-time weekday, two hours at the off-peak rate.
Not skating but going in: buy a £2.50 spectator ticket.
Having a lesson: buy a public skating ticket too.
No morning skate on Tuesday or Friday, when the rink opens at 1.15pm.
The park itself never closes and costs nothing.
Alexandra Palace
- Address
- Alexandra Palace Way, London N22, on the hill above Wood Green
- Nearest
- Alexandra Palace Station, the park’s own, direct from Moorgate and King’s Cross on Great Northern. Wood Green on the Piccadilly line, 20 minutes from Piccadilly Circus. The W3 bus from Finsbury Park and Tottenham
- Hours
- The Park is open day and night all year round. East Court 9am to 5pm. Visitor Services 9am to 5pm. Playground and skatepark close at dusk. Ice rink Monday 11am to 4.30pm, Tuesday 1.15pm to 5pm, Wednesday and Thursday 11am to 5pm, Friday 1.15pm to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am to 4.30pm. Phoenix Bar and Pizzeria Sunday to Thursday 11am to 9.30pm and Friday and Saturday to 10pm, food midday to 8.30pm
- Booking
- Online for the rink and for Summit, the rooftop climb. In-person rink sales are card only. Skate aids cannot be booked online from 30 March 2026
- Price
- The park is free. Ice rink standard 11.75 pounds off-peak and 12.75 peak, under 12s 10.50 and 11.50, under 5s 7.75 and 8.75, over 65s 10.50 and 11.50, spectators 2.50 and 3.00. Parking free for 30 minutes then 2.20 per hour
- Standing
- A Victorian palace on a hill in north London with an ice rink voted the UK’s best in 2023, a theatre, Go Ape, a boating lake, a skatepark and the Summit rooftop walk, inside a park that never closes
How to get in
The East Court car park opens out until 12.30am but stops admitting cars at 8pm, and the Grove car park closes at 7pm. Parking is free for 30 minutes, then 2.20 pounds an hour, with no American Express accepted and no payment by phone, though you have 24 hours to pay online afterwards. Blue Badge holders must scan the barcode on the back of the badge to be exempted. At the rink, anyone going inside without skating needs a 2.50 pound spectator ticket, an essential companion pays the full standard price, and anyone having a private lesson must buy a public skating ticket on top. Term-time weekday sessions run two hours against 90 minutes at weekends.
Where to go next
Ice skating in London compares the rinks, and the best views cover the other high places.
London’s parks covers the rest of the green space, and a weekend in London covers fitting it into a day.
Questions we get asked
How much is parking at Alexandra Palace?
Free for up to 30 minutes, then £2.20 for the first hour and £2.20 for every hour after, up to 48 hours. Blue Badge holders are not charged but must scan the barcode on the back of the badge at the pay machine. The Paddocks car park, used on event days only, charges £5 an hour from 5.30pm to midnight and £2 an hour otherwise.
What time does the Alexandra Palace car park close?
The East Court car park is open 5.30am to 12.30am seven days a week, but last entry is 8pm, so you cannot drive in after eight even though it stays open to let cars out. The Grove car park runs 6am to 7pm. Hours vary on event days, and outdoor events typically close the car parks altogether.
How much is Alexandra Palace ice rink?
Off-peak then peak: standard £11.75 and £12.75, under 12s £10.50 and £11.50, under 5s £7.75 and £8.75, over 65s £10.50 and £11.50, and spectators £2.50 and £3.00. Anyone going inside the rink without skating needs a spectator ticket, and an essential companion ticket costs the full standard price.
How long is a session at Alexandra Palace ice rink?
Term-time weekday sessions last two hours, except the last session of the day which is 90 minutes. All weekend and holiday sessions are 90 minutes. A term-time weekday is therefore the longest skate and the cheapest, at the off-peak rate. Arrive 15 minutes before your session.
What time does Alexandra Palace ice rink open?
Monday 11am to 4.30pm, Tuesday 1.15pm to 5pm, Wednesday and Thursday 11am to 5pm, Friday 1.15pm to 5pm, and Saturday and Sunday 11am to 4.30pm. There is no morning session on Tuesday or Friday, when the rink does not open until 1.15pm.
What is Summit at Alexandra Palace?
A fully guided rooftop climb that Alexandra Palace describes as the highest roof walk in the UK, 130 metres above sea level, created with Wire & Sky. It crosses the roof to the Angel of Plenty statue with 360-degree views stretching 25 miles. Daytime, sunset and London Lights climbs are offered, currently on selected Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 13 November and 6 December.
Is Alexandra Palace park free?
Yes, and it is open throughout the day and night, all year round. Only parking, the ice rink, Summit, Go Ape and the boating lake are charged. The playground and skatepark are free but close at dusk.
How do you get to Alexandra Palace?
It has its own station, Alexandra Palace, at the Wood Green entrance, served by Great Northern direct from Moorgate via Highbury & Islington and from King's Cross. Wood Green on the Piccadilly line is 20 minutes from Piccadilly Circus, and the W3 bus runs from Finsbury Park and Tottenham to the Ice Rink and Palm Court entrances.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 341 in the guide.
Last checked 6 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
