At-Bristol, the Harbourside science centre, will host an ice rink on Millennium Square for the very first time this winter.

Launching from Saturday 9 November and running through until Sunday 5 January, the ice rink will be open from 10am - 8pm each day for public sessions. With sessions running on the hour, every hour, the At-Bristol ice rink could potentially welcome almost 80,000 skaters over the 8 week period.

Located in the heart of the Harbourside, the 450m² ice rink will run underneath At-Bristol's iconic chrome-plated Planetarium building, with a maximum capacity of 150 skaters per session. The ice rink will be available for schools visiting At-Bristol with a group booking, as well as for private hire in the evenings, and is also set to host several special events.

Donna Speed, At-Bristol's Commercial and Operations Director said: "We're delighted to have an ice rink in the Harbourside this winter, it'll be a really important part of the winter activity in the city, and we hope that it'll really add some sparkle to Christmas in Bristol. It will also be a unique opportunity to sample some of the excitement of At-Bristol, so you can expect a bit of At-Bristol magic on the ice too!"

John Hirst, Chief Executive for Destination Bristol added: ''Christmas in Bristol would not be complete without an outdoor ice rink. The location for the At- Bristol ice rink this year is ideal and I am sure it will not only be a great addition to Bristol's overall Christmas offer, it will be a huge success for At -Bristol and for our continually improving Harbourside area.''

Tickets will cost £7.50 for adults, £6.50 for concessions and £5.50 for children, with reduced entry rates for schools bookings. Sponsorship packages for the ice rink are also available - for more information, please contact Sarah.Gwynne@at-bristol.org.uk / 0117 9157 197.

For more information on the At-Bristol ice rink, please visit www.at-bristol.org.uk/icerink or call our Bookings team on 0845 345 1235 (Monday to Friday 9-5). Tickets will be available from the At-Bristol café during the skate sessions that At-Bristol is closed.

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors:

1. Press Trips: If you are interested in writing a review of At-Bristol and require press tickets, please e-mail press@at-bristol.org.uk, providing media details and proposed dates of visit
   1. At-Bristol is a leading science centre in the UK and a major player in the worldwide science centre movement with over 200,000 visitors a year, including 50,000 school visits.
   2. At-Bristol makes and develops new exhibitions for Science centres and schools worldwide to purchase and hire, and won the tender to design, develop and build the London2012-inspired touring exhibition, In the Zone, on behalf of the Wellcome Trust ahead of many major exhibit developers in the UK.
   3. At-Bristol aims to be a world-class science centre that makes a distinctive, valued and recognised contribution to science learning and public engagement with science across Europe.
   4. A registered charity, At-Bristol has hosted over four million visits since its opening in June 2000 and continually strives towards making science accessible to all.
   5. At-Bristol receives no central government funding and support from visitors, members, corporate partners and donors means it can continue to make science relevant and fun for future generations.
   6. 7. At-Bristol has achieved a 20% reduction in energy over 24 months, which won us a West of England Carbon Challenge Carbon Champions award in 2011 and 2012, and we continue to work towards further goals across all areas of sustainability. At-Bristol is currently one of the most sustainable buildings in the country and we were recently awarded Silver in the South West Tourism Excellence Awards due to our sustainable practices, as well as having a Gold Green Tourism Award.