Export Ice Box: indoor skating rink in Rijeka that turns Exportdrvo into a center of Advent magic
From November 29, 2025, to January 11, 2026, the industrial hall Exportdrvo on Delta transforms into the largest and technologically most advanced skating rink in Rijeka, under the recognizable name Export Ice Box. On more than 500 square meters of real ice surface, in the indoor space of a former warehouse in the Port of Rijeka, visitors can enjoy winter joys regardless of rain, bura wind, or temperature. The skating rink is part of the concept Rijeka Advent 2025/2026, which under the slogan "Source of Good Feelings" unites seven city locations into a whole of holiday programs for children, adults, and visitors from all over Croatia and the neighborhood.
Export Ice Box is not imagined only as a place for recreational skating, but as a complete winter gathering place with music, animations, thematic programs, a skating school, and a rich catering offer. In the days around Christmas and New Year, the emphasis is on family content, children's New Year's Eve, mascot performances, and appropriate musical evenings, while part of the evening slots is reserved for Disco on Ice and DJ programs that particularly attract a younger audience. For those coming to Rijeka for a weekend or a longer stay, Exportdrvo becomes one of the main reasons to plan accommodation in Rijeka during Advent and combine a stay by the sea with an authentic winter atmosphere on the ice.
New heart of winter joys in the Exportdrvo hall
Exportdrvo, a former port warehouse on Delta converted into a multifunctional space for events, has received a completely new role this winter. The indoor character of the hall has enabled a large skating rink to be set up under a roof for the first time in Rijeka, which significantly extends the season of winter activities and reduces dependence on weather conditions. The ice surface larger than 500 m² was designed and executed according to the standards of modern city skating rinks, and a special visual attraction is the LED RGB digitally controllable handrail, an innovation of the Rijeka company Arctic, specialized for the development and installation of skating rink systems.
Light animations, dynamic colors, and effective projections on the handrail and surrounding scenography turn the skating rink into a sort of winter stage. In combination with the industrial ambiance of the hall, Export Ice Box gains a recognizable visual identity that differs from classic open skating rinks on squares or outdoor surfaces. Precisely because of this, Exportdrvo positions itself as a key place for winter socializing in Rijeka, both for local families and schoolchildren, as well as for visitors who want to experience a different Advent atmosphere in Kvarner.
City authorities and the Tourist Board of the City of Rijeka have included the new location of the skating rink among the most important contents of this year's Advent cycle. Along with Korzo, Rijeka Resolution Square, the Experience Pier, Trsat Castle, Art Quarter, and neighborhoods of light, precisely Exportdrvo with the Export Ice Box skating rink forms the backbone of the family and entertainment program, which is why increased interest is expected from visitors coming in organized groups, as well as those who independently plan a tour of the city and want to secure accommodation near Exportdrvo.
Detailed Advent program: from opening to closing
The Export Ice Box skating rink was officially opened on November 29, 2025, with a festive ice revue performed by the Skating Club Medveščak, the oldest and most famous Croatian skating and roller skating club. The opening gathered professional skaters, recreationists, and numerous families, with animations for children that were an introduction to a multi-day, branched program. Already in the following days, the skating rink became the scene of a series of events: performances of popular mascots Angel & Stitch, the arrival of St. Nicholas with gift distribution, thematic Disco on Ice evenings, Little School of Olympism, and skating school during the winter holidays.
The December schedule is divided so that almost every weekend and part of the week bring a new attraction. Weekends are reserved for a combination of morning children's programs and evening musical events, while certain weekdays are intended for special actions such as Student Days and Family Days, when the emphasis is on more favorable terms for groups and families with children. In the week before Christmas, the skating rink takes on an emphasized holiday character: the program "Greetings from the North Pole" is held with an igloo and thematic animations, mascots and animators prepare children for the arrival of Santa Claus, and Disco on Ice gets additional visual effects with light installations and a disco ball.
The day before Christmas, December 24, a special evening program is organized under the sign of disco rhythms on ice, with DJ Lucca, with which the organizers announce the peak of the Advent atmosphere. According to announcements, the skating rink will not work on Christmas Day itself, while already on St. Stephen's Day, December 26, the program will continue with a new edition of Disco on Ice with an emphasis on music from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. In the days that follow, December 27 and 28, educational-sports contents of the Little School of Olympism and the return of favorite mascots Angel & Stitch on ice continue, which rounds off December as a month in which Export Ice Box profiles itself as a central place for family outings.
The culmination of the children's program arrives on December 31, 2025, when a children's New Year's Eve is organized in the morning hours at noon, with surprise mascots and appropriate animations. Thus, the youngest visitors get their own, adapted experience of the New Year countdown, while parents can use the rest of the day for a walk through the city, visits to other Advent locations, or preparation for evening New Year programs on squares. The beginning of January 2026 marks the continuation of the Little School of Olympism and additional terms for recreational skating, all until the closing of the skating rink on January 11, 2026, when Exportdrvo returns to its usual function of a multipurpose space for events.
Program for children: skating school, Little School of Olympism, and mascots on ice
One of the key emphases of Export Ice Box is the orientation towards children and youth. During the winter school holidays, a skating school is organized in cooperation with the Zagreb school SuperKid, whose certified coaches work with children according to a verified program of learning basic techniques, balance, safety, and the basics of proper movement on ice. Parents can register their children via the form published on the official pages of the Tourist Board of the City of Rijeka, where the organizer emphasizes a limited number of places per group to ensure quality work with participants.
A special place in the program is occupied by the Little School of Olympism, realized in cooperation with the organization Magic Hat. Under the expert supervision of kinesiologists, children go through obstacle courses, participate in fun workshops, and get acquainted with the basic values of the Olympic movement – fair play, team spirit, and respect for opponents. Although it takes place on ice, the emphasis is equally on the sports and educational aspect, so the program is equally interesting to children who already love skating and those who are just getting to know winter sports. Such a combination of play, movement, and learning makes Export Ice Box one of the rare places where children can experience winter fun and educational content in the same space.
An additional dose of joy is brought by mascots Angel & Stitch, who regularly visit the skating rink in the afternoon slots. These are characters popular among children, brought to Exportdrvo by the Rijeka entertainment center Hip Hop. The mascots move on the ice, animate children, pose for photos, and participate in short games and dance numbers, while a DJ accompanies the program with music. For many children, meeting favorite characters on skates is one of the moments they will remember from the Rijeka Advent.
Disco on Ice and concerts: evening program for youth and adults
Although Export Ice Box is imagined as a family location, evening slots are specially adapted for young people, couples, and groups of friends. Disco on Ice brings a combination of music, light effects, LED RGB animations, and disco balls that create a club atmosphere on the ice. The repertoire includes hits from the 60s to the 90s, but also newer songs, so the program attracts a wider audience, from nostalgic lovers of classics to those who follow current music trends. Skating to the rhythm of disco music additionally emphasizes the uniqueness of the Rijeka skating rink compared to traditional open skating rinks.
The program is also complemented by live concerts, such as the performance of the popular Rijeka cover band Infinity Band, which performs a wide range of genres – from pop and rock to funk and reggae. In combination with DJ performances, Exportdrvo thus transforms into a sort of winter club under a roof, where visitors can first skate, and then linger in the catering part with music and socializing. Such a concept is particularly interesting to visitors who arrive in Rijeka on weekends, so along with a walk on Korzo, a visit to Trsat Castle or other Advent locations, they also want an evening out with good music, all at the same location where the skating rink is.
Catering offer and warm corner in Exportdrvo
To round off the winter story, the organizers have paid great attention to the catering offer. In the immediate vicinity of the ice surface, visitors can find houses and bars with hot drinks, winter cocktails, and food traditionally associated with the holidays. Particularly standing out are homemade fritters, hot chocolate, mulled wine, aromatic teas, and a series of warm cocktails. Among them, "Snow White" stands out, an original warm cocktail served in an apple, which was designed precisely for this location and has already attracted the attention of visitors as a visually and tastefully interesting novelty.
The catering program in Exportdrvo is led by the company Barconcept, which, in addition to the standard holiday offer, also organizes thematic evenings, special gastro programs, and collaborations with local producers and chefs. The goal is for Export Ice Box to be more than a skating rink – a place where families and friends can spend the entire afternoon or evening, combining skating, a warm meal, and a musical program. In breaks between sessions, visitors can take shelter from the cold, warm up indoors, eat something or drink a hot beverage, and then return to the ice.
For guests coming to Rijeka from other parts of Croatia or abroad, precisely such a format of "everything in one place" makes Exportdrvo a practical starting point for exploring the city. In the immediate vicinity are the city center, the port, and the seaside promenade, and visitors who want to extend their stay can easily find accommodation for a visit to Rijeka during Advent and plan multiple days of skating, walking through the city, and touring other Advent locations.
Export Ice Box in the context of Rijeka Advent 2025/2026
Rijeka Advent 2025/2026 is conceptually divided into seven stories and locations, from the representative Korzo and Rijeka Resolution Square, through the Art Quarter and Rijeka neighborhoods of light, to Trsat Castle and the Experience Pier. In this mosaic, Export Ice Box has the role of a winter sports and entertainment center, where local residents, school groups, sports clubs, and visitors meet. The program is designed to connect with the rest of the Advent offer: the day can start with a walk through the city center and a visit to fairs, continue with skating and a children's program in Exportdrvo, and end with a concert or New Year's Eve celebration outdoors.
The City of Rijeka and the Tourist Board of the City of Rijeka have repeatedly emphasized that the goal of this year's Advent is to enrich the offer, encourage visitor stays in the city, and create a recognizable winter identity that will combine the sea, industrial heritage, and holiday lighting. Investment in the new skating rink location is part of a wider strategy of revitalizing former port and industrial zones, which are increasingly becoming scenes for cultural, sports, and entertainment programs. With this trend, Exportdrvo clearly profiles itself as a space that can host different types of events throughout the year, and Export Ice Box is one of its most attractive winter episodes.
Practical information for visitors
The Export Ice Box skating rink is open from November 29, 2025, to January 11, 2026, in the Exportdrvo hall on Delta in Rijeka. Due to the indoor space, the program takes place independently of weather conditions, so visitors can plan skating even in case of rain, wind, or lower temperatures. During the season, special terms are organized for the skating school, Little School of Olympism, animations for children, concerts, and Disco on Ice, while part of the terms is intended exclusively for recreational skating. Detailed information about the schedule, possible program changes, ticket prices, and special actions is recommended to be followed on the official pages of the Tourist Board of the City of Rijeka and platforms dedicated to Rijeka events.
Due to expected greater interest, especially on weekends, holidays, and during the children's New Year's Eve, visitors are advised to plan their arrival in advance, and those coming from distant places can consider accommodation in Rijeka near the event venue to enjoy skating and the rest of the Advent offer without haste. Export Ice Box thus becomes one more reason to come to Rijeka during winter: it combines sports experience, family fun, music, light attractions, and gastronomy, creating a winter scene that turns the industrial hall on Delta into one of the liveliest places in the city during the holiday period.
Sources:
- Tourist Board of the City of Rijeka – official program of the Export Ice Box skating rink and Advent events ( link )
- City of Rijeka – press release on the new location of the Export Ice Box skating rink in the Exportdrvo hall ( link )
- Moja Rijeka – overview of the Rijeka Advent 2025/2026 program and the role of the skating rink in Export ( link )
- Rijeka Danas – report from the opening of the Export Ice Box skating rink and program announcement ( link )
- Torpedo.media / Hedonism-tourism – texts on the technological features of the skating rink and LED RGB animations and on the context of Rijeka Advent 2025/2026 ( link )
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Creation time: 25 December, 2025