Lace Up and Let's Go

Ice skating + giveaways glide into Rice Village this holiday season

Hit the ice at Rice Village this season.

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On November 28, Rice Village is transforming into Ice Village, turning the beloved shopping district into a skate-friendly holiday playground complete with themed nights, sweet treats, hands-on workshops, and a full lineup of events stretching through January 4.

Presented by Advantage BMW Midtown, the district’s first-ever ice rink sits right across from Starbucks and Birkenstock, placing it squarely in the middle of the Village’s eateries, storefronts, and holiday bustle.

Theme nights to match every mood
Who doesn't love a theme? Music Mondays kick off each week with a soundtrack curated for gliding, circling, or cautiously shuffling across the ice. Tuesdays turn into Student, Teacher & School Spirit Day, and Wednesdays invite skaters to embrace the cozy absurdity of Pajama Skate Night.

Date Night Thursdays offer a built-in plan with plenty of nearby restaurants for a cozy dinner before or after, while Family Fridays pack the rink with multigenerational chaos in the best way. Sundays round out the lineup with Ugly Sweater Sundays, a chance to proudly display the knitwear that’s too loud for any other month.

Seasonal events throughout Rice Village
Holiday programming expands outward across the district, too. Santa makes appearances on select Saturdays and Sundays from November 30 to December 21, posing for photos from 1-4 pm. Families can craft something personal at Fabric Forge’s DIY Christmas Stocking Workshops on November 29 and December 6. Tiny’s Milk & Cookies pops up Thursdays through Sundays for warm cookie breaks, and Ron’s Pub brings Holiday Sips to Ice Village from opening day straight through January 3.

On Fridays and Saturdays, make tangible memories you can hang on the tree with Collectible Ornament Nights presented by Wilson Franco. Mark December 17 for Merry Mahjong, a one-night event for fans of tiles, strategy, and friendly competition.

Even Chick-fil-A is joining the fun with mascot meet-and-greets on select days. Santa is Coming to Black Walnut Cafe on December 16 — another chance for your kids to share wish lists or attempt last-minute negotiations with the Big Guy in Red.

12 Days of giveaways
This district-wide tradition is returning December 1-12, with each giveaway including a Family Four-Pack of Ice Village tickets. The daily prize ranges from a Studs piercing duo to a Drybar blowout, a Solidcore five-class pass to a SmartGLO facial from Glo30, plus plenty of restaurant and retail gift cards.

Rink hours + tickets
The rink itself is open seven days a week with hours designed for every kind of holiday schedule: after-school escapes, late-night spins, family weekends, and even Christmas Day and New Year’s Day skating. Tickets are $20, and skate rental is included so all you need to bring is enthusiasm — and maybe an extra layer.

Parking + getting around
Enjoy two hours of free parking in the main garage or rooftop lot, or use the Parkmobile app for longer visits. And you'll want to hang around — Rice Village features more than 60 merchants so you can shop, dine, and explore to your heart's content.

Waddle We Have Here

3 endangered penguin chicks just hatched at Galveston's Moody Gardens

A Humboldt penguin chick in an Easter Basket at Moody Gardens

Photo courtesy of Moody Gardens

Look what showed up in an Easter Basket!

Galveston's Moody Gardens announced this week that it has successfully hatched three Humboldt penguin chicks in the Aquarium Pyramid, the first time the facility has done so.

“This is our first ever time having Humboldt penguin chicks, so we’re very excited,” said Amy Jones, a biologist who works with the penguins and seals at Moody Gardens.

Two chicks were born to penguins Yolanda and Cusco, and another to Marcona and Ballesta, all between March 15 and 18. Aquarium staff has been monitoring the chicks and their parents, and all seem to be thriving.

Humboldt penguins are warm weather penguins that naturally inhabit the coasts of Peru and Chile. Moody Gardens introduced Humboldt penguins to its aquarium in 2017. A burrowing species, mating pairs lay and protect eggs in protected nests.

The new chicks will remain secluded in their nesting box for the time being until they develop their waterproof feathers. The parents are keeping them warm and fed. Sex will be determined via DNA testing at a later date, after which the chicks will be named and formally introduced to the public.

Achieving viable Humboldt penguins hatchings is a significant feat for a program that is less than 10 years old, according to Moody Gardens. The birds require strict diets and climate controlled habitats to thrive, and successfully housing a colony of 12 in an environment that makes them comfortable enough to breed is quite an achievement. Engagement and stimulation is key, and visitors to the aquarium can often see the penguins playing with bubbles and toys that simulate activity in the natural environment.

Successful hatchings are also a win in the fight against extinction. Humboldt penguins are classified as a vulnerable species, with only about 23,000 left worldwide. The birds are heavily impacted by El Niño events that disrupt the nutrient-rich Humboldt current that forms the base of the penguins' food pyramid. Driven by man-made climate change, these events are increasing in number and severity. Overfishing, pollution, habitat loss, and being caught in fishing nets also accounts for a decline in the population, according to press materials. Programs like the one at Moody Gardens help educate the public on the dangers the penguins face in the wild.

The real question is: when will visitors be allowed to see the babies? Staff continues to monitor the chicks with regular weigh-ins. The chicks will remain in the nesting boxes for at least several weeks until they are mature enough to start entering safe areas and, eventually, the main habitat. In the meantime, people can see videos on the Moody Gardens Instagram page.

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