Why did The Lakes ever have an ice rink? The holiday rink that floated over the pond next to City Hall for most of two decades was never only a seasonal amenity. The city wrote it into a contract.
That rink set its return for Nov. 6, and nothing requires it to be there. A second outdoor rink, about three miles west and run by a different operator, set the same opening night. For the first time, skating in Thousand Oaks is something two businesses are offering by choice. Knowing why tells you a lot about what each rink is trying to be.
A rink that came with the rent
When Rick Caruso took over the city-owned site beside the Civic Arts Plaza in 2004, he signed a 95-year lease. According to the Thousand Oaks Acorn, the deal let him lease the 7.5-acre site for free in any year it didn't earn at least $2.1 million, or 12% of the $17.6 million he originally spent to develop it. The Acorn reports that the property never reached that threshold.
The rink was part of what the city got back. The Acorn describes it as "originally conceived as a public benefit" under that agreement, and it first opened in 2005 on one of the ponds that gave the center its name. By November 2008 the Acorn was covering its fourth season.
What changed in 2021, and why the ice disappeared
In 2021 the city and Caruso signed a new agreement that let Caruso buy the land and build apartments behind the shopping center. That new deal dropped the obligation to host the rink. The pandemic had already shut it down, and in November 2022 the Acorn reported that it would not return. In a statement to the paper, Caruso pointed to a different tradition: "In lieu of the ice-skating rink this year, we focused our efforts on the return of our beloved tree lighting ceremony at The Promenade at Westlake."
That same story noted that, without The Lakes, the nearest rink was in Simi Valley. A resident quoted by the Acorn said an evening on the ice usually turned into a few hours at the center's restaurants and shops. The rink was once a cost written into a lease. Now it works as a reason to spend an evening at a shopping center.
Back by choice, with company down the boulevard
The Holiday Ice Rink at The Lakes is scheduled to run from Nov. 6 through Jan. 11, 2027. The Acorn's October 30 story places its return inside a busy year for the center. Erewhon has opened, and the center has announced Sora Hand Roll Bar, Satva, solidcore, PopUp Bagels and Bread Head. Bread Head, a Santa Monica sandwich shop founded by two Michelin-star chefs, is due next spring in the former Umami Burger space next to Erewhon, Conejo Valley Guide reports.
The new rink is Ice at The Oaks, at 147 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd. next to the east parking lot of The Oaks mall. It's built and managed by Special Ice in partnership with Eventful LA and is scheduled to run every day from Nov. 6 through Sunday, Jan. 10, 2027. Conejo Valley Guide reports that the site also has a 40-foot Ferris wheel and a 100-foot "Super Slide."
Here is how the two rinks compare, based on the details each one published this fall:
| Holiday Ice Rink at The Lakes | Ice at The Oaks | |
|---|---|---|
| Address | The Lakes at Thousand Oaks, next to the Civic Arts Plaza | 147 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., by The Oaks east lot |
| Last day | Jan. 11, 2027 | Jan. 10, 2027 |
| Admission | $20, or $25 with skate rental, plus tax and fees | $22, rental skates included |
| Monday to Thursday, regular weeks | 3 to 9:30 p.m. | 3 to 9:30 p.m. |
| Friday, regular weeks | 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 3 to 10:30 p.m. |
| Saturday and Sunday, regular weeks | 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday |
| Booking | Advance booking recommended, cashless | Online tickets by date and session |
| Setting | Open-air ice above the center's pond | Open-air ice under string lights, with fire pits |
Ice at The Oaks says its rink has about twice as much ice as the one at The Lakes, and that it resurfaces with a full-size Zamboni before every session. Every public session there is 90 minutes on the ice, followed by a 30-minute resurface.
Two pitches for the same skater
The two rinks are making different offers.
The Lakes uses the rink as an anchor for an evening at the center. Its own seasonal calendar includes live entertainment on Friday and Saturday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m., an Apple TV+ Kids Club on Monday and Wednesday mornings at 10, and a Tuesday morning Mahjong Social that requires registration. Caruso Signature members get free skate rentals with paid admission on select days. It's the same idea the Acorn's 2022 story described, with skating as the start of a few hours among the shops and restaurants.
Ice at The Oaks builds everything around the ice itself. Its published deals include:
- Cheap Skate Mondays: $16 during regular weeks
- Family Night Wednesdays: four skaters for $60
- Littles Skate: $44 for one grown-up and one child age 8 or under, with a third child free
- Snowflake Season Pass: $199
- Military and first responders: $2 off with ID
- Spectators: always free
It also runs a skating school, which a holiday rink seldom does. Sunday Learn to Skate classes meet at 9 a.m. for ages 10 and under, with 4 as the youngest age, and at 10 a.m. for ages 11 and up, grown-ups included. Each class is a 30-minute lesson plus 15 minutes of free skate. Session 1 runs four Sundays from Nov. 22 to Dec. 13, and Session 2 runs Dec. 20 to Jan. 10. Each four-class course costs $185 with rental skates. Party packages start at $299 for up to 10 skaters, and school field trips cost $18 per student with a 25-student minimum.
So the choice depends on what you want from the night. For dinner plans with a skate first, The Lakes is built for that. For a child who wants real lessons, or a household that plans to skate weekly, the season pass and Sunday courses at The Oaks are designed for that.
Where the two calendars split
Both rinks add hours for school breaks, but on slightly different dates. The Lakes opens 1 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday through Sunday from Nov. 21 to 30, and again from Dec. 21 into the new year. Ice at The Oaks starts its all-day schedule on Nov. 21 and Dec. 19, two days earlier in December. During those weeks it's open Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Ice at The Oaks has also posted its holiday hours, so families can plan around them:
- Thanksgiving, Nov. 26: 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
- Christmas Eve: 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- Christmas Day: 1 to 8:30 p.m.
- Closing Day, Jan. 10: 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
On Tuesdays starting Nov. 24, Ice at The Oaks gives the last two sessions of the night a theme. The lineup is Friendsgiving Skate on Nov. 24, Ugly Sweater Skate on Dec. 1, Glow Skate on Dec. 8, Holiday PJ Skate on Dec. 15, Reindeer Games Night on Dec. 22, '80s & '90s Night on Dec. 29 and a Snowflake Send-Off on Jan. 5. On Fridays and Saturdays the 9 p.m. session is billed as a Late Skate, and it moves to 9:30 p.m. during holiday weeks.
The holiday events around the ice
The rinks share the season with two larger events, one hosted by each property owner's side of town.
On Nov. 20, The Promenade at Westlake holds its tree lighting with a holiday market, live performances, Santa and fireworks. That's the ceremony Caruso pointed to in 2022 when the rink went dark. Now the two happen in the same season.
On Dec. 5 and 6, Holidays in the Village comes to The Oaks with about 60 artisan vendors, seasonal entertainment and European foods. The Rotary Club of Westlake Village organizes it, and The Oaks is a presenting partner. That weekend is a natural time to pair a market visit with a session next door, since Ice at The Oaks says free parking is nearby.
Before you go, The Lakes recommends booking a time slot and runs cashless. Ice at The Oaks says weekends and holiday weeks sell out first. Gloves, warm layers and tall socks are essential at either rink, and Ice at The Oaks recommends helmets for young skaters.
Our team has followed the Thousand Oaks Boulevard corridor since The Lakes rink was a line in a city lease, and we watch how places like these change everyday life nearby. If this season has you wondering what your home is worth now that you're a short drive from two rinks, the Shari Schiff Team would be glad to talk it through over hot cocoa. Request your complimentary home valuation.
