All summer, Grand Crossing Park was where Monona went on a Thursday night for the Yahara River Night Market. Now that the market is done for the year, the city's own calendar keeps the weeknight out in the same park and moves to Tuesdays. The Lake Ridge Bank River Rink at Grand Crossing Park, 6320 Inland Way, opens Saturday, November 21. After that, the free Community on Ice skate nights fall on November 24, December 8 and December 15, and all three are Tuesdays. Most of Monona's other winter dates either line up with the rink's opening weekend or fill the days between those skate nights.
When NBC15 covered the rink as Monona's newest in January 2020, the station described a refrigerated 5,000-square-foot surface with room for up to 100 skaters. This season, the city announced the November 21 opening date in its October newsletter, more than a month ahead.
Prices and hours for the 2026–27 season haven't been published yet. Check the city's River Rink page before you load the car with skates and kids. The admission figures from that 2020 story are six seasons old, so don't plan around them.
The city has also published an FAQ for the heated Snowglobe on the rink's front patio. It describes a lounge for up to six guests, with rink views, a dedicated concierge, and two-hour rental blocks on Friday evenings, Saturdays, and Sunday late mornings and early afternoons. Reservations have to be made ahead of time. The FAQ isn't dated, so confirm this season's rate when you book.
The morning and afternoon of Saturday, November 21 belong to the Monona Community Center at 1011 Nichols Road. The 45th Annual Holiday House Bazaar runs there from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with more than 40 local and statewide artists, and its proceeds go to Monona and area charities. Discover Monona's events page lists the bazaar for both November 21 and 22. The city's listing shows the Saturday hours, so check the Sunday hours before you go.
The same Saturday, the rink hosts its Opening Day Extravaganza, which Discover Monona bills as skating, music and winter fun. The full program hasn't been posted. Still, the timing sets up an easy route for the day:
Opening weekend lasts two days, but the bazaar and the rink's first free night carry it through most of a week. That stretch ends the following Saturday, November 28, when the Light the Ice ceremony returns to the rink. The 2026 details aren't out yet. For a sense of scale, the city's listing for the November 30, 2024 ceremony described a 20-foot Wisconsin-grown spruce with 10,000 lights, along with light displays, hot chocolate, entertainment and a 6 p.m. lighting.
After Light the Ice, the rink sets the pace and other events fill the gaps. Here's how the dates fall through mid-December, according to the city newsletter, the library's calendar and Discover Monona:
The Evergreen Gift Market lands on the Sunday before the second free skate night, and Jingle Jangle on the Wednesday right after it. All three free nights, Nov. 24, Dec. 8 and Dec. 15, are Tuesdays, so the season has a set weeknight in the same park the summer market used, even on weeks with nothing else scheduled.
The rink doesn't open until the 21st, but the first half of November has its own lineup. This post goes live Thursday, November 5, which is also the date Discover Monona lists for two events, Decorate Your Own Advent Calendar and Stock Your Cellar. From there:
Most of these are on Nichols Road or nearby, and they wind down just as the rink takes over the weekend of the 21st.
Grand Crossing isn't the only spot in Monona the city wants to fill year-round. On the Broadway side, Topgolf Madison opened at 6600 Topgolf Way on August 14 as Topgolf's first Wisconsin location. Its 72 climate-controlled hitting bays across three levels mean a December evening there plays out much like a July one. At the opening, Mayor Nancy Moore told WMTV, in a story carried by WSAW:
"It is also an important anchor for the continued redevelopment of Broadway Drive and will serve as a powerful catalyst for future growth and investment throughout the community."
Down the road, Broadway is also getting a park built for the kind of programming Grand Crossing now hosts. NBC15 reported in September on The Greenline, under construction at 1709 W. Broadway. The Wisconsin State Journal describes its first phase as 357 apartments and about 16,000 square feet of commercial space, with completion expected in 2028. The full plan calls for a central public park meant for markets, food trucks, concerts and other gatherings. The two outlets size that park slightly differently, 1.44 acres in NBC15's report and about 1.5 acres in the State Journal's.
Smaller changes are already showing up along that stretch. According to the city's October 2026 newsletter, in September the Plan Commission approved exterior painting for the retail stores at 2311 through 2355 W. Broadway, the former South Towne Mall, which is rebranding as Marketplace at Monona. In October, the commission tabled a plan for two new pylon signs there pending revisions. It also held a prehearing for a proposed coffee shop and medspa at 2455 W. Broadway, which the newsletter lists as a prehearing rather than an approval.
That park won't be programmed for a few more winters. Grand Crossing already is, and starting November 21 its schedule comes from a refrigerated rink and three free Tuesday nights on the ice.
If you're thinking about where a weeknight skate, a Saturday bazaar and an easy walk to the park would fit into your routine, that's the kind of everyday detail we like to talk through. Madison Lifestyle knows Monona's calendar as well as its streets. Call or text, and let's talk neighborhoods.
Madison is more than just a zip code — it’s a lifestyle. Whether you want a loft in the city, a home in the ‘burbs, or a secluded cabin on wooded acreage, we’re here to help you find a place that feels like home.
MADISON LIFESTYLE
[email protected]
A: (608) 577-8318
W: (608) 212-2928
O: (608) 336-3311
ADDRESS 7633 Ganser Way Ste 101 Madison WI 53719