About
The ALEX AND ANI City Center is located in the heart of downtown at Kennedy Plaza. The facility is managed by the Providence Parks and Recreation Department. The rink surface boasts a total surface of 14,000 square feet – twice the size of at the rink at Rockefeller Center in New York City. Over 750,000 skaters have glided over the ice since it's opening day.
The ALEX AND ANI City Center operates all year-round. Ice-skating begins in late November and runs through mid-March. During the winter season, the ice skating facility is a draw for birthday parties, schools groups, business and social group events, and even wedding proposals.
From April to October the ALEX AND ANI City Center opens as a premier event and programming center, hosting local events such as the the RISD Artists Ball, and international events such as the Bolivian and Day of Portugal festival. Weekly programming for the upcoming season has yet to be determined.
History
The facility was built in 1998. The Superintendent of Parks at the time, Nancy L. Derrig, had initiated the proposal because the ponds at Roger Williams Park were not freezing sufficiently to allow for ice-skating as it had in past years.
In it's inception, the ALEX AND ANI City Center's naming rights were purchased by to the Fleet Bank and it became known as the Fleet Bank Skating Center. When the Bank of America purchased Fleet Bank, the naming rights transferred to the Bank of America and the name of the rink changed to the Bank of America City Center. When the naming rights contract with the Bank of America ended, the facility was renamed The Providence Rink. In November 2014 Alex and Ani secured the naming rights and the facility is currently named the ALEX AND ANI City Center.
