After-dark skate parties kick off in a former Toronto industrial site this week

Epic nighttime ice skating parties are making a comeback for the 2025 season as of this weekend, bringing a little bit of cheer to an otherwise gloomy time of year.

While plenty of people in Toronto see the wintertime as an opportunity to hunker down and live their best hermit life, the city’s event calendar never goes into hibernation, and with Evergreen Brick Work’s DJ Skate Nights set to return this weekend, you might want to postpone your plans to be a couch potato.

While the public skating rink at Evergreen Brick Works, one of the city’s most breathtaking urban greenspaces, has been open since late December, they’re ramping things up this weekend with weekly parties meant to chase the winter blues away.

From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., every Saturday starting Jan. 11 until Feb. 22, the already astonishing rink is opening up after dark, coming to life with colourful lights and beats from a selection of local DJs, bringing the party to an otherwise wholesome wintertime activity.

Each week, the DJ du jour will play tunes from a specific era or style, including 2000s night on Jan. 11, 90s on Jan. 18, and, of course, love songs in honour of Valentine’s Day on Feb. 15.

This year, things are heating up (so to speak) even further, with the inclusion of indoor curling, campfires with DIY s’mores kits, lawn games and board games in case skating isn’t your vibe.

DJ Skate Nights will also be accompanied by a local makers market offering a curated collection of sustainable, eco-friendly and natural products so you can get a little shopping done apres skate.

Eats from Salvadorian Grill, We Burger and Hey!Mom Onigiri will be on deck to warm your belly, putting a tasty cap on an epic night out, even if it’s in the dead of winter.