The Three Weeks Crown Center's Tree Stands Dark
October 29, 2026
October 29, 2026
At 9 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5, the Mayor's Christmas Tree pulls up to Crown Center on a trailer. Crown Center's own listing calls it a 100-foot tree whose trip starts in Oregon. The lighting ceremony is 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27.
That leaves 21 days when the tallest thing on Crown Center Square is up but dark. The Ice Terrace keeps its posted season hours, with a shorter schedule on Thanksgiving Day. None of the Hallmark weekend programming has started yet. The Square is simply an open rink beside a tree that's still being finished. On the calendar, those three weeks are the plainest part of Crown Center's season. In practice they're the most flexible.
The Ice Terrace opens for its 54th season on Friday, Nov. 6. Opening morning starts with a free skate from 6 to 9 a.m., with free coffee and hot chocolate. Crown Center's tree listing says the tree goes into its stand at about 10 a.m. that same Friday.
That means one Friday morning holds both events:
If you skate at dawn and stay for a coffee, you'll still be there when the crane work starts. The free skate ends about an hour before the tree goes up, so the two fit into one morning with an hour to spare.
Prices hold all season, from Nov. 6 to March 14. What changes after the lighting is everything else on the Square.
| Item | 2026–27 season |
|---|---|
| Admission, ages 4 and up | $10 |
| Skate rental | $6 |
| Children under 4 | Free with a paid admission |
| Season pass | $140 |
| Nov.–Jan. hours, Sunday–Thursday | 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. |
| Nov.–Jan. hours, Friday–Saturday | 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. |
| Thanksgiving Day | 3 to 10 p.m. |
Four skaters who all need rentals pay $64 for a visit. The $140 season pass covers the cost of 14 admissions, so it pays off on the 14th visit for someone who brings their own skates. Spread across a season that runs into mid-March, that's roughly one visit a week. Crown Center suggests planning on one to two hours a visit.
A few rules matter for families and groups. Children 12 and under need a paying adult with them, and groups of 20 or more must reserve ahead. Skaters leave the ice during resurfacing, and no food or drinks go on the rink surface. Crown Center also says hours can change with the weather, so check the day's schedule before a cold-snap outing.
The tree that goes into its stand on Nov. 6 isn't the one people photograph on Nov. 27. The weeks in between are why the lighting comes so late.
In past years, the limbs came off for the trip and went back on once the trunk was standing. In 2024, Ink KC described crews reattaching them with brackets and screws in the trunk before adding lights and ornaments. In 2025, KCTV5 reported that the tree came from Oregon, stood over 100 feet, and that attaching the branches would take crews several weeks. Back in 2017, FOX4 identified that year's tree as a 100-foot Douglas fir from Oregon.
Crown Center hasn't published this year's work schedule. If the pattern holds, though, a skater who comes back each week through November sees the tree slowly fill in. That gives three Saturdays and Sundays to catch it, on Nov. 7–8, 14–15 and 21–22. Each of those weekends has the full Friday and Saturday rink hours to 11 p.m. and nothing else scheduled on the Square.
The lighting is the moment the Square takes on a set schedule. The ceremony on Crown Center Square is free and runs about 30 minutes. It includes a performance by the youth Chorus KC, remarks from Crown Center President Stacey Paine and Mayor Lucas, and a fireworks finale.
The Hallmark Christmas Experience starts the same night. It runs weekends from Nov. 27 through Dec. 20, from noon to 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and noon to 7 p.m. on Sundays. The Square adds a free Christmas Market, holiday food, photo spots and the Hallmark Holiday Light Show. The Light Walk needs a ticket. The light shows and tree lightings run at 6, 7 and 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 6 p.m. on Sundays. Ticketed programs at the Westin feature Hallmark stars, artists and writers. Hallmark's event site also promotes Stars on Stage shows and Create & Learn workshops.
That gives you a way to plan December too. The Hallmark program runs only on weekends, so Monday through Thursday after Nov. 27 the Square looks a lot like it did all November: the rink open until 9 p.m. on most weeknights, except now the tree is lit. Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are the exceptions, when the rink closes at 6 p.m. Weekend evenings are organized around the light shows on the hour. If you want the rink without the schedule, go before Nov. 27 or on a weeknight after it.
The tree doesn't end when it comes down. Crown Center turns its wood into commemorative ornaments sold the next year for the Mayor's Christmas Tree Fund. The 2026 ornament is called "Merry Skaters." It's made from the 2025 tree's wood, designed by Hallmark artist Sheyda Best, and costs $19.95 plus tax. Sales start Friday, Nov. 27, at Crown Center Customer Service on Level 2.
The ornament goes on sale the night of the lighting, not when the tree arrives. So it fits into the same sequence: the tree you skate beside this November becomes next year's ornament. The city's Mayor's Christmas Tree Fund page says the fund supports senior citizens, people with disabilities and children with gift cards, Christmas gifts and holiday parties.
The closest warm-up after an early skate is new this fall. Donutology moved from Westport into Crown Center Shops and is now on Level 1. KSHB reported that the shop took a former Einstein Bros. space at 2450 Grand Blvd., Suite 121. Crown Center lists opening times starting at 7 a.m., with closing at 5 or 7 p.m. depending on the day. That makes it a good match for a weekday-morning skate and a bad one for a 10 p.m. Saturday session.
For a second stop late in the month, Union Station's Holiday Reflections opens Nov. 20, a week before the tree lighting, and runs through Jan. 4. Timed admission is $10 Monday through Thursday and $12 Friday through Sunday, rising to $12 every day from Dec. 21 to Jan. 4. Members pay $9. New this year, Union Station describes a Kansas City holiday streetscape with 3-D storefronts, a 1,300-square-foot frozen-themed area, and nearly 2,000 square feet of animated lighting. On Nov. 20 through 26, you can see Union Station's display and skate at Crown Center on the same weeknight, before either place's busiest weekend schedule begins.
If you're weighing which corner of Kansas City fits the way you like to spend a winter evening, the principals at Paulson / Dow are glad to talk it through. Request a Principal Consultation.
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