Tasmania’s ice sports community has another winter on real ice to look forward to, with the SHIVER pop-up rink returning to Hobart bigger than before and on a full-size NHL surface for the first time.
The rink will run at MyStateBank Arena from June 5 to June 30, giving skaters, families and athletes a rare chance to glide on professional-grade ice in a state that has been without a permanent facility for nearly four years.
The same ice will host an Ice Hockey Classic match between Canada and the United States.
SHIVER first ran in 2025 using a smaller rink previously installed at a Cairns shopping centre, shipped to Tasmania in two 40-foot containers.
The pop-up fills a gap left when the Glenorchy Ice Skating Rink closed in 2022, ending 42 years of operation.
It was Tasmania’s only ice venue and home to Ice Hockey Tasmania and the Figure Skating Association of Tasmania.
Ice Sports Tasmania has campaigned for a permanent replacement ever since.
A state government feasibility study released in late 2024 suggested a permanent rink could draw around 75,000 visitors a year.
More recently, Ice Sports Tasmania signed a memorandum of understanding with a local developer to explore a permanent ice rink in Hobart’s north, with an interstate investor reportedly involved.
The project is in early stages.
Daily sessions will run across six time slots, with sensory-friendly sessions on June 10 and June 24.
