Transportation and Parking
Our facilities are located in the heart of the most exciting destination in San Francisco . Parking is difficult at best; the 5th & Mission Yerba Buena Garage is the closest to us, between 4th and 5th Streets and between Howard and Mission Streets. For further information on their parking, please call 415/982-8522 or check out www.fifthandmission.com . Please help us support the neighborhood's Transit First policy and use public transportation whenever possible (check out www.sfmuni.com ) .
Food and Beverages
The Snack Bar, located in the Ice Center , is managed by Mo's Grill. They operate their full service restaurant directly above the Bowling Center . If you are bringing a group of any size, or are looking for that something special, we highly recommend that you contact Tammy, their manager, directly at 415/957-3779 as far in advance as possible. NO food or beverages may be bought into the facilities from ANY OTHER SOURCE.
Party Room, Party Area East and Hosted Parties
Inside the ice center, we have a small glass-enclosed party room, available weekdays and some weeknights. The room is rated to hold a maximum of 25 persons so please be sensitive as to the number of attendees in your group. The room may be rented for $40 per hour, and includes two 6' tables and 25 chairs. The room is rink side, and has a terrific view of the action. Mo's Grill can set up and service your special order while you are skating! Our Party Area East can hold up to 45, but is NOT a private room, but an area out of the way of the General Public. It can be rented for $50 per hour.
If you are interested in a hosted party package (weekends) or room rental (weekdays or evenings) for small groups (up to 40), please contact our Hosted Party Coordinator at 415/820-3526 or by e-mail at . Our hosted parties@skatebowl.com parties are available only on Saturdays and Sundays; these work best for children, ages 6-12, but can also work for any type of celebration that does not exceed 25 in number (as that is the maximum allowed in our Party Room). Some weekday parties might be available; please have your calendar available when you call!
Day of Event
Reminders - please dress appropriately! Skaters should wear long pants and long sleeved shirts or sweaters, and if possible, bring gloves or mittens to protect their hands. ALL participants should wear athletic socks, since they would be wearing rental skates. Since the excitement is catching - don't forget to bring your camera (and extra film) - everyone loves to see themselves in pictures after the fun. You should plan on arriving at our center 10-15 minutes prior to your starting time, to get into your ice skates. Single use lockers are available for $.50.
Private events at Yerba Buena Gardens
As any event contained within the perimeters of our Center may have a direct impact on the exterior of the Rooftop complex (traffic, parking, movement of groups from one location to another, load-in/load-out of supplies and equipment, etc.), a specific procedure must be followed no less than 45 days in advance to obtain all of the necessary permits needed to confirm to the requirements of both the complex and the City of San Francisco. These permits must be approved prior to the contractual agreement for any private event, preferably a minimum of 30 days before the event. The areas outside of our facility are NOT included as a part of the facility space for any private function. They can be made available, however, at an additional cost, and only within the guidelines set forth by the Yerba Buena Gardens Management. Please contact us immediately if you are interested in any of the outdoor spaces. Check out www.yerbabuenagardens.com!
Ice Skating
As San Francisco 's only year-round ice skating center, we are open for various programs on an average of 18 hours a days, 7 days a week. We offer a wide variety of regular programs in our schedule - fun and exciting opportunities include: Public Skating, Freestyle sessions for competitive skaters, Skating School for both figure skating and hockey skating at all levels of ability and ages, Special Skaters Learn-to-Skate program, Private Instruction, Youth Hockey League, Adult Hockey League, Adult pick-up hockey, Skating sessions especially for adults and seniors, Synchronized Team skating for youth and adults and Brian Boitano's Youth Skate Program. The building capacity is 1,100 persons; we have over 800 pair of rental skates, both figure and hockey, in sizes ranging from a toddler's size 6 through adults' size 1 4 . With 500-600 skaters, the regulation hockey size surface is fairly well filled! We have permanent seating for approximately 300 spectators.
As our daily schedule is tightly programmed, we do not have many time slots available for private use. Hourly ice rentals can range anywhere from $500 per hour to $5,000 per hour, depending on time of day, day of week, time of year, etc. Please keep in mind that weekends and Holidays are considered to be prime times. Skate rentals are an additional $3.00 per person as required by your guests.
Waiver
All group coordinators must understand that they must sign the Release included in the group agreement as soon as the reservation is made. Since ice skating can be a potentially risky activity, all participants acknowledge that they participate at their own risk. After your reservation is made, and you have received your group agreement, signature and return of that agreement signifies your acceptance of these responsibilities.
Skating Instruction
Private instructors can be made available to your group. We recommend a ratio of 1 instructor to 10 students, so that all individual skaters benefit. This must be arranged for in advance.
Costs
Regular admissions are $6.25 for ages 12 and under, $8.00 for over the age of 12 and skate rental is $3.00 per person, regardless of age . When reservations are made in advance, group discounts are $.50 off each skater's admission, when you have 10-20 skaters; $1.00 off when you have 21-50 skaters; $1.50 off when you have 51-99 skaters; $2.00 off when you have 100-150 skaters; $2.50 off when you have 151-200 skaters. If you are planning on more than 200 skaters, you really should be looking into a "private ice rental". These are arranged on an individual basis, and ice rental costs vary per hour, depending on time of day, day of week, time of year and what regular programming would be cancelled. Call immediately for more specifics!
Your Next Step
As we allow advance reservations for groups, we DO take into account the number of expected guests, as well as their ages, so that we do not run out of rental skates in the appropriate sizes!
If you expect a group of 10-20, you must call at least 3-7 days in advance. You may call our Front Desk at 415/820-3521 to make this Small Group Reservation.
For groups expected to be larger than 20 in size, please contact the undersigned a minimum of 7 days in advance, as we may not be able to accommodate your first choice of session during busy times. If your group is larger than 100, you should plan 4-6 weeks in advance.
Groups larger than 200 in size may require cancellation of regular on-going programming, so must be planned at least 4 months in advance. The permitting process may require 45 days or more.
For whatever size group you anticipate, it's never too early to plan and when you call, please have your first and second choice of day, date and time available.
See you here soon!
Bonnie Legg
Director of Group Sales & Special Events
415/820-3525 direct dial - 415/820-3520 Fax
groupevents@skatebowl.com
Schedule is subject to change. Please note posted signs in ice center regarding cancellations for special events or here on the website. Portions of the ice may be coned-off during public sessions for private or group skating lessons.
