The arena at Centennial Community Centre, 8600 McCowan Road, is on the same road as Hampton Green, and its drop-in skate calendar is running again. That rink was closed for maintenance from April 13 to October 12, 2026. So it has had public ice again for only about a month, and Markham's outdoor rinks haven't opened yet.
How easily you get onto that ice in December depends less on the weather than on a step at the front desk. The City of Markham is checking the address on every recreation account and is asking residents to verify theirs by November 30. That step decides whether you can book a drop-in skate 21 hours before it starts, or only 3.
Centennial's arena isn't a small neighborhood rink. The City describes it as an NHL-sized rink with seating for 1,800 and seven dressing rooms. The building also has a pool with a diving tank, a fitness center, a gym, indoor bocce courts and an outdoor skate park.
Most Markham arenas had a summer maintenance break this year, but Centennial's was one of the longest. Clatworthy reopened September 21, Markham Village September 14 and Crosby September 7. Centennial's ice stayed out until October 12. For anyone at Hampton Green who skated at another arena through September, the rink on McCowan only rejoined the drop-in calendar a few weeks ago.
There is more work coming at the building. The City's 2026 capital budget sets aside $480,000 to replace Centennial's wooden front-entry canopy, with completion scheduled by December 2026. The same budget plans new flooring in the bocce room, main lobby and program room, plus a new low-emissivity arena ceiling, both due by December 2027.
Centennial's public ice is mostly a weekday, daytime schedule. Here are the Centennial sessions on the City's drop-in skating calendar for the first week of November:
| Session | Time | Days listed at Centennial | Price shown on the calendar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drop-In Parent & Tot Skate | 9:00 to 9:45 a.m. | Friday, Nov. 6, plus another weekday that week | $0.00 to $5.17 |
| Drop-In Shinny: Adults | 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. | Wednesday, Nov. 4, and Friday, Nov. 6, plus another weekday that week | $0.00 to $5.17, goalies free |
| Drop-In Recreational Skate 55+ | 1:30 to 2:15 p.m. | Wednesday, Nov. 4, plus another weekday that week | $0.00 to $13.45 |
| Drop-In Recreational Skate | 1:30 to 3:20 p.m. | Friday, Nov. 6 | $0.00 to $13.45 |
That same week, the weekend recreational skates were at other arenas. On Saturday, November 7, there was a 2:00 to 3:50 p.m. skate at Markham Village Community Centre and a 12:15 to 2:05 p.m. skate at Angus Glen. Angus Glen and Milliken Mills also had midday skates on Sunday, November 8. The calendar changes week to week. Even so, the pattern is clear: the rink on McCowan is set up for weekday mornings and early afternoons.
The City describes each session type on its public skating page. Parent & Tot is a slower-paced skate for children 7 and younger, who must have an adult 16 or older with them on the ice. The 55+ session is a leisure skate for older adults who want a slower pace. Recreational skates are open to all ages and abilities, and wheelchairs are welcome. For all three, the City recommends a CSA-approved hockey helmet.
The price ranges on the calendar come from Markham's admission table, which took effect September 1, 2026. Each price is plus HST:
Public skating and shinny are also included in the City's Recreation Activity Pass, which is sold at community centers. A retired couple taking two 55+ skates a week would pay well under $10 a visit at the single-admission rates. For someone who also swims or takes drop-in fitness classes at Centennial, buying the pass in person at the front desk can make more sense.
This is where the address check comes in. Drop-in skates are booked through the City's registration system. On the registration and general information page, verified residents can book a drop-in activity 21 hours before it starts. Non-residents can book only 3 hours before.
Take Centennial's Wednesday 55+ skate at 1:30 p.m. A verified account can reserve a spot the afternoon before. A non-resident account has to wait until 10:30 that morning.
The City says it is checking every account in its registration system so that Markham residents keep their resident fees and registration benefits. The schedule is:
The City also says non-residents pay an extra 15% on applicable program fees. An account that hasn't been verified can still be used for programs and activities, but it's treated as non-resident. If you verify after registering for 2027 winter programs, you may be eligible for a fee adjustment on active programs, paid as a credit to the family account. No adjustment can be made after a program ends.
Centennial Community Centre is one of the places where you can verify in person. So are Markham Public Libraries, the Varley Art Gallery, Markham Museum, the Markham Pan Am Centre and other City community centers. For Hampton Green, that means you can go to a weekday skate on McCowan and verify at the same building.
The City accepts any of these as proof of residency:
An adult can verify other people on the family account by bringing their proof of residency. Children can be verified with their Ontario health card. If you can't get to a City facility, the City will verify by email at [email protected]. Send your Registration Account Client Number, a phone number and photos of your government-issued ID. The Contact Centre monitors that inbox Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to midnight, except statutory holidays.
This is general information drawn from the City's published rules, not legal or financial advice. The City's own page and its Contact Centre have the final word on your account.
Outdoor skating comes after all this. The City says the free Markham Civic Centre rink at 101 Town Centre Boulevard will return in December 2026. Its last season ran from December 1, 2025, to March 9, 2026, and the City closed it early because of high temperatures in March. The rink is open to the weather, so the City asks skaters to check the posted rink status before heading over.
The five park rinks are currently closed: Victoria Square Park, Markham Museum, Milne Dam, Milliken Mills Park and Huntington Park. When they're running, the City splits each day into blocks that alternate between pickup hockey and recreational skating. The Milne Dam and Markham Museum rinks close at dusk. The City also reminds skaters that moving water makes the ice on Markham's ponds, stormwater ponds and waterways thin, and asks people to stay off it. That applies to the ponds along the four-park walk behind Hampton Green too.
Until the outdoor rinks open, the indoor rink on McCowan Road is skating on a weekday schedule. Verifying your address by November 30 keeps your 21-hour booking window.
Our team at Walker Parker Real Estate is based in Unionville and works with Markham condo owners, and we keep track of details like a rink reopening or a City deadline because they're part of daily life at Hampton Green. If you're thinking about your next move, whether that's staying close to Centennial or finding a home that suits a new stage of life, we'd be glad to talk it through. Book a Consultation with us.
Walker Parker Real Estate sweats the big stuff, the small stuff, and everything in between, and believes your Buying or Selling experience should be as seamless as possible from start to finish. We ensure your best interests are being served at all times, and are deeply invested in every step of your real estate journey, because you deserve it. Get in touch - we would love to chat!