Image by Nick Dagger Photography

While the ice rink opened on Lancaster’s Dalton Square with a VIP launch party on 23rd November, a major addition this year was the arrival of Europe’s biggest portable big wheel on 12th December, remaining open until 5th January, alongside further festive activities including Christmas market food stalls and a tipi bar.

Organised and run by the owners of Dalton Square pub The Borough, the ice rink featured the square’s iconic statue of Queen Victoria as its centrepiece. Named after its city law firm sponsor, the 35-metre-high Simpson Millar Lancaster Eye big wheel towered above the Town Hall at the far end of the ice rink and provided spectacular views across the historic city, including Lancaster Castle and the Ashton Memorial, and over to Morecambe Bay, the Lake District mountains and wider Lancashire.

As well as pulling in 20,000 more visitors than the previous year, the attraction also achieved international acclaim this year, appearing on a list of top Christmas Ice rinks in the Guardian (London) newspaper alongside similar venues in the likes of London and Moscow.

Lancaster on Ice organiser Martin Horner said: “The success of Lancaster on Ice this year defied even our wildest expectations. The square looked absolutely magical, especially at night, just like the Christmas wonderland we dreamed of. Without doubt though, the addition of the Simpson Millar wheel was the absolute showstopper. Anyone visiting Lancaster over the Christmas period couldn’t fail to notice it, and it provided the rink and city centre with a stunning iconography that undoubtedly helped draw in visitors from far and wide.”

For more information about Lancaster on Ice go to www.lancasteronice.co.uk.