Skate City Springs Has a Weeknight Price This Year. Here's How Sandy Springs Can Use It

Last winter, an hour on the ice at City Green cost an adult $18 whether it was a quiet Tuesday or a packed Saturday. This season, which opens Friday, November 13, the same hour costs $15 Monday through Thursday. Kids ages 2 to 9 pay $12 on those nights. The weekend price stayed at $18 for adults and $15 for kids, so the change is only a weeknight discount. City Springs lists it as "new this season."

For anyone who lives within a short drive of Galambos Way, that changes how the next ten weeks work. The rink now has two schedules. Weekends carry the costumes, the DJ and the big Sunday in December. Weeknights cost less and still come with the lights.

What Changed From Last Season

The rink season is about the same length as before. The pricing and the extras are what changed.

For a household of two adults and two young kids, a Monday-through-Thursday session comes to $54, compared with $66 on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Every price includes skate rental. Sessions are one-hour timed slots, and the rink asks skaters to arrive 10 to 15 minutes early to pick up skates.

The Saturday theme nights also start an hour earlier than last year, which helps families whose kids couldn't stay up for a 9 p.m. start.

The Weeknight Rink

Every night at 6 p.m. is Glow Night, according to the Skate City Springs page, so a Tuesday or Wednesday session at 6 gets the glow at the lower price. Free Skate Helpers are on the ice for anyone who is still finding their balance.

The weeknight calendar at City Springs has a few things worth pairing with a session:

• Monday, November 16: Whose Live Anyway? plays the Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m., with tickets listed at $60 to $69.
• Wednesday, December 2: Heritage Sandy Springs hosts a Snow Day Movie Matinee featuring Frozen.
• Thursday, December 31: New Year's Eve with the Atlanta Symphony, followed by a separate 21-and-over Ring in the New Year party in the Studio Theatre.

New Year's Eve falls on a Thursday this year, so it gets the weeknight rate. That should hold as long as the rink is open that day.

City Springs recommends booking online because capacity is limited. Walk-ups are welcome, but the rink suggests calling (404) 890-6690 first to check availability. Daily session times and holiday hours are posted on the Skate City Springs page and the city's social channels. Check them before planning around Thanksgiving or Christmas week.

The Weekend Rink

The $3 premium on weekends pays for programming. Fridays are Disco Slide Nights starting at 6 p.m., with neon, sequins and fun socks encouraged, and a DJ calling couples' skates, fast laps and sometimes the limbo. Saturdays run a themed skate from 8 to 10 p.m., and anyone who dresses for the theme gets a free hot cocoa.

The themed-night lineup through the end of the year, as listed on the City Springs events calendar:

1. Friday, November 13: Fright Night, which doubles as opening night. The Atlanta Figure Skating Club performs an exhibition at 7 p.m.
2. Saturday, November 21: '80s Night
3. Saturday, December 5: K-Pop Vibe
4. Saturday, December 12: Superheroes/Villains Night
5. Saturday, December 19: Ugly Sweater Night
6. Saturday, December 26: Pajama Party

Saturday mornings on City Green have their own draw for two more weeks. The Sandy Springs Farmers Market runs 8:30 a.m. to noon, rain or shine, at 1 Galambos Way, with remaining dates on November 14 and November 21. That means November 21 holds the last market of the season in the morning, A Magical Cirque Christmas at the Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m., with tickets listed at $62.50 to $84, and '80s Night on the ice at the same hour. The next afternoon, Sunday, November 22, brings Broadway's Rock of Ages Band to City Springs.

The rink's other new offering is aimed at weekend gatherings. Group packages pair skating with food and a gathering space, with options such as a Classic Pizza Package or an All-American Grill package that includes unlimited hot cocoa. Birthday parties and group outings book through the rink page. Corporate outings go through [email protected].

The Nutcracker Runs Across Both Rates

Roswell Dance Theatre's The Nutcracker runs ten performances from November 27 to December 6 at City Springs. The run includes four character meet-and-greets and a Nutcracker gift boutique, with tickets listed at $30 to $55. The run starts on the Friday after Thanksgiving and ends on Sparkle Sunday, so families can plan a ballet-and-skate evening on whichever rate suits them. A weekday performance followed by a 6 p.m. Glow Night session costs the least.

The following Sunday, December 13, Joe Alterman's Toast & Jam Holiday Jazz Brunch starts at 11 a.m. with guest Joe Gransden. Tickets are listed at $30 to $80.

Sparkle Sunday Takes Over the Whole Block

Sunday, December 6, is the one day the rink shares City Green with the city's biggest holiday event. Sparkle Sandy Springs began in 2017 and moved to City Green in 2019, the same year the parade was added. Admission is free. Food, market goods and refreshments are sold separately.

The schedule from the city's Sparkle page:

• 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Skate City Springs open, with first-come, first-served time slots
• 4 p.m.: Festivities begin
• 4:30 p.m.: Live holiday music with the Ansley Stewart Band
• 6 p.m.: Parade steps off
• About 6:50 p.m.: Tree and Menorah lighting
• 7:30 p.m.: Food trucks close
• 8 p.m.: Gift market closes

The day also includes Sparkle Wonderland with falling snow, characters, train rides and inflatables, plus Hillcrest Sparkle Village and a food-and-gift market. The parade starts at Mount Vernon Highway and Lake Forest Drive, follows Mount Vernon Highway onto Galambos Way, and ends at Sandy Springs Circle.

The closures start earlier than the event itself. According to the city's road and parking closure notice, street parking along the parade route, Galambos Way and Blue Stone Road starts closing on Thursday, December 3, three days ahead. On Sunday, these roads close at 3 p.m.:

• Blue Stone Road, from Galambos Way to Hilderbrand Drive
• Galambos Way, between the parking deck's east and west entrances, with all of Galambos Way closed during the parade
• Mount Vernon Highway, from Hammond Drive to Galambos Way
• Lake Forest Drive, from Mount Vernon Highway to Hammond Drive
• Sandy Springs Circle, from Galambos Way to Hilderbrand Drive

All roads reopen by 9 p.m. During the parade, the City Springs garage closes its east entrance from about 5:45 to 7 p.m. and its west entrance from about 6:15 to 7 p.m. Aston residents are directed to the Purple Section of the City Springs Underground Garage. If you drive in for a midday skate and plan to stay for the lighting, your car will be stuck in the garage until the parade passes. The city's interactive "Getting Here" map on the same page shows current parking options and connecting MARTA bus stops.

Where to Eat Before or After

Two spots sit right next to City Green at 6405 Blue Stone Road. In June, Rough Draft Atlanta reported that Taste Wine Bar & Market was bringing a second location to City Springs. Visit Sandy Springs lists it at Suite 220, with events like Date Night at Taste and Live Music Friday. At Suite 200, The Select Restaurant + Bar runs evening events on several weeknights, according to its listing with Visit Sandy Springs. Both are on Blue Stone Road, which closes at 3 p.m. on Sparkle Sunday. On that day, plan to walk in rather than drive up.

Farther up the corridor, Arabian Cafe & Cocktails at 8347 Roswell Road was in Rough Draft Atlanta's roundup of July openings. Closer to the city center, Rough Draft Atlanta reported in May that Under Pressure Wine Bar was headed to 4920 Roswell Road in Fountain Oaks, with a late-2026 target.

Scott Thomas tracks how weekend and weeknight demand shape prices on the ice and on the market. If the City Green holiday season has you thinking about what your place near City Springs is worth, Scott Thomas can put together a current valuation with the local detail behind it. Get Your Home Valuation.