Why are so many Pavilion programs already closed to newcomers in early November? The ice sheet opened for the 2026–27 season on Oct. 22. By then, Bend Park & Recreation District was already saying that many programs from opening week through December were full, with only limited spots left in some. Bend Curling Club posted its fall update on Oct. 19, three days before the ice opened. All three of its leagues were at capacity.
That tells you how winter works at the rink on SW Bradbury Way. Plenty of people want to skate. The scarce thing is scheduled ice time on a single sheet that hockey, figure skating, curling and public skate all share. If you know which doors stay open, you can still get on the ice all season. And the crowding explains why one of those user groups is now raising money to build its own rink.
The Rink Was Full Before Most People Laced Up
The season's structured programs sold out early. Youth and adult hockey, curling, and skate lessons all began opening week, and BPRD described most of those programs as full through December. BPRD also runs adult league hockey on weekday evenings, along with adult and youth pickup hockey and stick-time sessions. The Pavilion's calendar shows Bend Rapids Youth Hockey, a USA Hockey-sanctioned program with teams from 8U to 18U, along with the Bend Ice Figure Skating Club and Bend Curling Club.
This didn't start this fall. OPB reported in February 2026 that the curling club's learn-to-curl classes fill up fast. The same story described a long waitlist of curlers of all ages hoping to get onto the ice that skaters and hockey players also use. Club president Michael Coe told OPB that people who fall in love with curling often can't find a team, or ice, to keep playing.
The next mark on the calendar is Dec. 8. That's when registration opens for the second session of skating and ice sports programs, which runs from January to early June. If a program in the first session filled before you got to it, Dec. 8 is your next chance.
Public Skate Is the Door That Stays Open
Every public skate session is drop-in. You don't need a reservation, and rental skates are on hand. When leagues and lessons are full, public skate is how most people will get on the ice, and the price depends on which session you pick.
| Session | Who it's for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Open Skate | All ages and abilities | $10 adult, $9 older adult 65–79, $8 youth 3–18 and honored citizen 80+, plus $4 rental |
| Cheap Skates | All ages, Tuesday nights and Wednesday afternoons | $8 per person, rental included |
| Family Skate | Families, children with a parent or guardian | $8 per person, rental included |
| With A Child Skate | Adults skating with kids up to 18, including homeschool and play groups | $8 per person, rental included |
| Holiday Skate | Thanksgiving week and the New Year | Regular fees |
At regular price, an adult who needs rental skates pays $14. At a Cheap Skate session, the same adult pays $8. If Tuesday nights or Wednesday afternoons fit your week, that's the easiest saving the rink offers. For ages 5 and under, With A Child Skate sessions include skate-instructor support.
The schedule changes from week to week, so check the calendar instead of assuming a fixed timetable. In the week of Oct. 25–31, public sessions were scheduled Monday from 8:30 to 11:15 a.m. and 1 to 3:30 p.m., and Saturday from 12:30 to 3:15 p.m. and 6:30 to 8 p.m. When attendance is lower, BPRD may set aside the outer perimeter for laps and the middle for basic figure skating and ice dancing. Children under 10 need someone 16 or older with them unless they're in an instructor-led program. Sticks aren't allowed during open skate.
Helmets are encouraged, and you can borrow one at the rink. If you skate often, BPRD's Fitness, Swim & Skate Pass covers Pavilion public skate at no extra charge. It also includes Juniper Swim & Fitness Center and Larkspur Community Center. Skate sharpening costs $10, or $15 for new skates. Drop-off runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, and turnaround is slower early in the season because of the volume.
Hockey Players Got Their Own Bookable Space
This season's one new amenity is a pair of reservable shooting lanes next to the sheet, available since Nov. 1 in 30-minute blocks for a fee. BPRD calls them Pavilion Hockey Practice Lane 1 and Lane 2 and takes bookings through a practice-lane rental calendar on The Pavilion's facility page.
This fits the bigger picture. Players who can't get extra stick time on a busy sheet now have a place to work on their shot. Check the current rate on the booking calendar before you reserve.
Curling Has a Side Door, Too
Curling's leagues may be full, but there's still a way in. Bend Curling Club runs 1.5-hour Learn to Curl sessions and supplies the equipment. Two sessions are left this fall, and the Saturday Night Open League, which is meant for newer curlers, has space in its second session. BPRD's own Learn to Curl requires registration and doesn't accept drop-ins.
Here are the dates through New Year's Day:
- Saturday, Nov. 7: Bend Curling Club Learn to Curl.
- Saturday, Nov. 21: the last Learn to Curl date the club has listed for fall.
- Nov. 23–25 and Nov. 27: Holiday Skate sessions, with afternoon and evening options each day and morning options on some days. The Pavilion is closed on Thanksgiving, Nov. 26.
- Nov. 28–Dec. 19: Saturday Night Open League, Session 2. As of the club's Oct. 19 update, it had 14 openings, and players without a team get placed on one.
- Dec. 8: registration opens for BPRD's January to early June session.
- Dec. 31: Holiday Skate from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m.
- Jan. 1: Holiday Skate from noon to 2 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.
Taking a Learn to Curl in November leads straight into the open-league spots that begin Nov. 28. The club says that league is perfect for people who have completed a lesson.
The Ice Depends on Cold Nights
The Pavilion has a roof, but the ice is open to the air. That's why BPRD says the season is expected to run through early April "weather permitting." Last December showed what that means. Your Oregon News reported on Dec. 10, 2025 that overnight temperatures hadn't dropped below 50 degrees for several days. Pavilion manager Clare Gordon told the outlet that the concrete slab under the ice works best between 18 and 21 degrees, and it had reached 26. Humidity and high winds made the melt worse. The rink closed for most of that Monday and Tuesday after hosting morning games. "To cancel an entire evening programming is very unique for us," Gordon told Your Oregon News.
That was one warm spell last season, and it doesn't predict this winter. Still, a lost day hits harder when every hour of ice is already booked. If the week turns mild, check BPRD's delays and cancellations page before you drive over.
Why the Curlers Are Building Their Own Rink
So much demand on one shared sheet has led to Bend's most ambitious ice project. Bend Curling Club is now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and it is managing a move to a dedicated curling facility in Central Oregon. The club's campaign page, dated Sept. 8, 2026, puts the cost of leasing and renovating a building at $1.2 to $1.5 million. It describes at least four sheets of curling ice, a warm room and bar for spectators, and locker rooms.
Measured against that goal, the club is about halfway to the low end. It reported $510,000 in donations and another $225,000 pledged, and said it was actively looking for a building to lease in the Bend/Redmond area. OPB's February story covered a $500,000 pledge from a Prineville couple that helped move the campaign forward. The club hasn't named a site or an opening date.
The club lists what a curling-only rink would make possible. It names more leagues on weekdays, weeknights and weekends, doubles and women's events, wheelchair and adaptive curling, youth and college curling, and regional bonspiels. According to OPB, Oregon's only dedicated curling facility today is in Beaverton. Vice-chair Tom Pietrowski, who helped start the club a decade ago, told OPB what's at stake:
"I am excited about the thought of, if we do this, people will be curling 50 years from now in Bend because we stuck our necks out now."
If curlers move into their own building, their hours on The Pavilion's sheet would open up for other users. Until then, the open doors are the ones above: drop-in public skate, a November Learn to Curl, a lane booking, or a reminder set for Dec. 8.
If you're thinking about a move and want to know how a home's location fits around The Pavilion, the trails and the rest of your winter, Julie Reber would be glad to talk it through. Schedule a free consultation.
