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The Natrel Rink
Category: Active Life Skating Rinks Skating Rinks [Edit]
235 Queens Quay WHarbourfront Centre
Toronto, ON M5J 2G8
Neighbourhood: Harbourfront
(416) 973-4000
- Hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 10 am - 10 pm
Fri-Sat 10 am - 11 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
15 reviews for The Natrel Rink
15 reviews in English
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Review from Selene n.
Toronto, ON
12/28/2011
A skating rink overlooking the lake - lovely! Although will likely be incredibly cold and windy when the temperature drops more, so bundle up! Good size rink, with a little section off to the side for practicing fancier moves or trying to skate backward.
There's music, which definitely enhances the skating experience. Lockers that can be rented (1$ for small, 2$ for large), sharpening and rentals on site (5$ and 8$ respectively).
I went when it was raining so the ice quality wasn't super smooth. But it also meant it wasn't too busy, which was nice. I suspect it would get very busy normally, but that's unavoidable with a large public rink. Have heard that it's less frequented than city hall though.
There's a cafe right next to the rink for hot chocolate/snack breaks. There's also a second cup nearby, which looks out onto the lake.
Nice area and very accessible by transit - just go to union and then take the streetcar to harbourfront. Perfect place to go skating and then walk around the harbour. -
Review from Paul L.
3/10/2012
Nice skating rink right next to Lake Ontario and the CN tower. We came here New Year's Eve late afternoon and they were blasting the top 100 songs of the 90's. $7 for skate rentals (the blades are not that sharp) and you can skate for free if you have your own skates.
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Review from Ice I.
Toronto, ON
2/9/2012
Well, very often it gets crowded so much, that skating does not feel like fun anymore. Some stupid Brownian motion. Find less crowded spots in the city kids.
Perhaps, charging some fee would help upgrade change room and bathrooms 'cause they smell. Bringing decent vendors with coffee_tea_food would be nice too. -
Review from Avitania B.
Toronto, ON
1/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
Skating at the Natrel Rink is a pretty cheap Saturday night out. For the mere price of a $7-ish skate rental (free if you have your own skates), you too can wobble out onto the ice and skate/flounder around for a few rounds, all the while being lapped repeatedly by children 1/4 your age. (Gee, must be nice to still have flexible bones).
Saturday nights are DJ skate nights, where you have the added enjoyment of watching teenagers engage in courtship rituals. Be forewarned, however -- these nights appear to be quite popular, and after about 7pm or so the queues for getting and returning ice skates can be a bear. Furthermore, lockers tend to be in short supply. Also, when I went the ice was in bad need of Zamboni'ing, which made it a little difficult for a beginner like me to keep balance. I suspect they don't Zamboni as often as they should. Finally, CASH only and a government-issued ID are required for skate rental, and be sure to bring a loonie for the lockers (if you're lucky enough to snag one). Other than that, it's good times. Just be sure to make sure your ankles are straight while you skate, or they'll be quite sore afterward, like mine are. Owww. -
Review from Cameron O.
Toronto, ON
2/9/2011 2 Check-ins Here
It's a rink. It's outdoors. It's well maintained. Rentals are cheap and there is plenty of seating for changing footwear. Coin-op lockers are close at hand and so are a few places to get warm beverages.
Warning: It can be VERY windy here since it's outdoors and is in plain view of the lake.
Also it can get super busy during weekends.
Go on a weekday, mid-day! Then it's nearly empty and the ice is perfect. -
Review from Kat F.
12/21/2009
The idea of sharing the ice with a hundred people who are 1/3 my height and 1/10th my age, yet ten times better than me on the ice is a little terrifying, so I avoided the Nathan Phillips Square rink for my first few skating excursions of 2009. Natrel is considerably less busy during the week and there aren't as many school groups.
I did notice that the quality of the ice is kinda shitty for such a popular rink, but at least they renew it often. You can rent skates here and lock up your personal belongings indoors. There are no boards to grab onto in times of imbalance other than your boyfriend (or other nearest person)'s arm, so if you're a beginner maybe wear a helmet.
The music is excellent for skating (Backstreet Boys, TLC, Bel Biv Devoe), there is supervision, and not too many people skating ten abreast and generally fucking with your chi. They have DJ nights on Fridays & Saturdays, when the rink is open till 11pm, but so far I have only come here during the week, during the day.
Take the 510 streetcar from Spadina or Union and get out at the York Street stop and walk down to the rink, just west of the Enwave Theatre. -
Review from August L.
3/10/2010
Skating on Plastic? No way!
SKATING RINKS
There are two skating rinks.
1. With REAL ICE-
The rink is in a funny shape. Sort of like the outline of an eight. Since it's been so warm out these days, 75% of the rink was closed. And the portion that was open was still very slushy. Since the area was so concentrated, the ice was poor. People kept falling and their pants were soaked. I think the rink guards should be wiping away the excess water and slush every once in a while. They can use these outdoor deck squeegees.
2. With FAKE ICE -
This was the kiddie learning rink I think and it was literally skating on a cutting board. Initially it was a bit hard to get use to since there was a lot more friction compared to the ice (It could be b/c you can't zamboni the thing). But you get use to it. My friend said it was a great learning rink for kids. What was better was that everyone wanted to skate on the real ice that we had the fake ice practically to ourselves.
MUSIC
What is great about Harbourfront is that they play music while you skate. I'd imagine it being very romantic during night skates with your special someone. However you can't hear the music if you're in the "Fake Ice" rink.
COST
FREE!! which is super great! (that is if you have your own skates and don't rent a locker).
We also found parking on Harbour street (between York and Bay) for $5 all day.Listed in: Free Events, For Tourists
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Review from Kim B.
ON
1/6/2009 33 photos
Winter sports are always so much more WORK than summer ones. Perhaps it's all the layers and runny noses and freezing cold wind.
Either way, you gotta get outside sometime, otherwise YOU. WILL. GO. CRAZY.
The skating rink down at the Harbourfront is a great place to visit on a sunny day, but don't forget to dress WARM. There is a crazy cold coming off the lake.
It's not a huge rink, a kind of figure-8 shape but the top loop of the eight is a lot smaller so people get kinda bunched and start falling into giant piles. But hey, that's part of the fun (if you don't think it is, then don't go skating).
My only other piece of advice is BRING YOUR OWN SKATES. It takes FOREVER to rent, especially on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Also, GET YOUR SKATES SHARPENED BEFORE you go! They charge $5 (a little steep) and you have to wait quite a while.Listed in: CHEAP Toronto
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Review from Joyees Y.
Scarborough, ON
2/11/2010
It's actually a 3.5.
A lot better than Nathan Phillips Square, much bigger and less people which means the area is generally much cleaner too. The skates were okay and $7 is not too expensive I guess, they don charge by the hour so try to skate as long as you can!
The ice is kinda shitty though, 1.5 stars worth of shittiness and I've been there for 90 minutes and they did taketje zamboni out once!!Listed in: When You're Bored Out Of Your…
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Review from Connie T.
Toronto, ON
1/26/2009
With that larger-than-life milk carton propped up in the middle of this space, I have a hard time taking this seriously, especially in the summer when nature-starved families are clanging their kayaki paddles against the cement bottom of the pool.
But some great winter skating events happen here, including a lot of DJ skate sets, which this year featured everyone from CBC Radio 3 to a DJ set with Caitlin and Spike from old-school Degrassi. NO JOKE. If you forgot you were in Toronto, that should wake you up.
Anyway, from what I've seen, it doesn't get the skating traffic that Nathan Phillips Square attracts, but considering it's right beside the lake, a winter outing here is not something to take lightly.
Fun. -
Review from Emily T.
Toronto, ON
1/13/2009
The Harbourfront has always been a fun place to go in the summer, to roam the board walk and people watch, ice cream in hand, and now, it's even the place to be for outdoor fun in the winter. The skating rink at the Harbourfront Centre has a LOT to offer for both young and old!
I enjoy going skating in the winter and have written about Christie Pitts rink being my favourite in the city, but I think Harbourfront comes in at a close second. I like it for its funky shape (not an oval or square rink), music played on a daily basis, and DJ funk nights!
Every few weeks, Harbourfront rink hosts DJ funk night. You can skate, dance, and groove to some spins and Natrel is there to provide free cups of hot chocolate! It's a very fun place to go on a date or a big group of friends, although it does get very crowded. Don't make the mistake I did of stopping suddenly or trying to turn around. You'll get pummeled!
The ice isn't too choppy, although due to the number of people who go, you don't really have the ability to skate around in anything other than the one direction. At other rinks, you can go opposite to the crowd or diagonally, etc. This is hard to do at Harbourfront without getting angry looks or a broken ankle.
The DJ funk nights are definitely my favourite time to go to this rink. There are people of all ages enjoying the space, music and warm drinks! I even forgot how cold it was when I went! (The rink is very close to the open water so you do feel cold water winds fly up your back every so often). This is a great place to go get some fresh air, exercise and have some fun during our long winter season! -
Review from Cheri D.
2/3/2011
Skating at Harbourfront is my favorite get-out-and-enjoy-the-winter activity!! If you own your own skates, it's totally free!
Super easy to get to if you take transit (i hate trying to find parking here). The streetcar will let you off at Lower Simcoe and Queens Quay. There is a heated indoor change room area so you can lace up your skates without freezing your hands and butt off. You can rent skates there too for $7. Sharpening is $5. If you wanna put your shoes and stuff in a locker, remember to bring a loonie.
If you go skating during the week it's not that busy and they still play fun music while you glide around anti-clockwise.
Another great thing is that the rink is that it's like a circle with a smaller bubble off the side. It makes for slightly less bordom than the usual rectangular rinks. The view of the water is fabulous, and i LOVE the fire pits they have at the side. Good for warming up your mittens and i love the smell.
You can find me here at least twice a week all winter :)Listed in: Get Outside!
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Review from Bijan V.
1/6/2009
Compared to all the other outdoor rinks I know of in downtown Toronto (okay fine so I only know of this one and Nathan Phillips) the rink at the Harbourfront Centre is about 10,000 times better. The large size and the non oval shape of the rink allows for a much better time skating.
The other big plus is the music they play and the live DJ's they have that spin at the rink on certain nights! I spent an hour and a half skating here which is something I haven't done since I used to play hockey!
The have pretty crappy skates for rent unfortunately so it's better you bring your own but otherwise this is a great place to go skating. -
Review from Andrew Y.
1/3/2010
Went here tonight for somelate night skating and it was pretty fun. I'd have to say if we came a bit earlier when the ce was cleaner, then it would have been even more fun, but as it was we still all had a great time. Because of the lake, the rink was not too bad in terms of being cold. It would have been worse if you were walking along any other Toronto street tonight.
There is a skate rental for $7 and your ID. The parking is not too expensive at $3 per half hour. There are pay per use lockers and an indoor area where you can tie up your laces.
Saturday night is also dj dance party night so there were disco lights and the frequent voice interruption from the dj. And since natrel is the sponsor, naturally milk gets put into hot chocolate. There was free hot chocolate being given away if you'd like.
The ice condition itself was pretty good. Since it was so cold, the ice was doing some additional freezing and made the ice feel more bumpy. -
Review from Peter R.
Richmond Hill, ON
11/11/2010 1 Check-in Here
Does get much better, skating in your shorts
