Beveren (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The 20,000th visitor, Zoulikha Chaual, was honoured at Beveren’s covered ice rink. Alderman Kris Smet expects over 23,000 visitors. Rinks in Deinze and Aalst stay open until January 4, 2026.
As VRT News reported, the 20,000th visitor to Beveren’s ice rink, in the province of East Flanders, Belgium, was honoured this morning, Jan 2, 2025, at the rink in the town centre. Zoulikha Chaual, who came with her husband and children, received special recognition for reaching the milestone.
“I didn’t expect this kindness. We’ve been skating several times already. This is really becoming a tradition, especially now that the rink is in such good condition. The children are already good at it, so it’s really nice for them too,”
Zoulikha Chaual said.
What drew 20,000 visitors to Beveren’s covered ice rink this season?
The ice rink has been covered since last year and continues to attract large numbers of visitors.
“We don’t mind it no longer being outdoors; this is the best ice rink we’ve ever had,”
says Zoulikha.
“There used to be a lot of puddles on the ice. If you fell, you’d be soaking wet. And then the fun quickly went away.”
The 20,000th visitor to Beveren’s ice rink was reached at the same time last year.
“That means we’re well on our way to matching last year’s number of skaters,”
says Alderman for Events Kris Smet (We, Samen Sterk).
“We’ll probably reach over 23,000 visitors, which demonstrates that this is a proven concept with significant added value.”
Visitors in the province are being advised not to wait too long if they want to enjoy the remaining skating season. In Ghent, the ice rink has already been cleared, ending the season there. In Deinze and Aalst, ice rinks will remain open until Sunday, January 4th, 2025.
The Grote Markt ice rink in Beveren has attracted many visitors in the past few years. The outdoor surface was installed again for December 2024; however, the rink was covered for the 2025-2026 skating season, allowing it to be used for ice skating in any weather. The skating season ran from December 11th to January 4th of that year.
