The Belfast ice rink (SSE Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in the Odyssey Complex, a large sports and entertainment centre. This relatively new, very comfortable arena is the largest in the UK.
The rink is in Belfast city centre and is home to the EIHL Belfast Giants ice hockey team. It is just one of 41 ice rinks in the UK that are home to competitive ice hockey teams.
Information For SSE Arena
Belfast Ice Rink Parking
The SSE arena has its own on-site 1,500-space car park. It operates on a first come-first-served basis and will cost you around £5.00 to park for a game.
The city centre location means that there are numerous car parks in the area. If you can’t get a space in the arena car park, an alternative is the NCP Belfast City Quays. This is marginally more expensive than the SSE Arena car park and is around a 10-minute walk from the entrance.
Belfast Giants Ice Hockey Team
The Belfast Giants is an ice hockey team playing in the UK’s Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL).
The EIHL is the highest-level professional league in the UK, with 10 teams from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) Teams
| Belfast Giants | Glasgow Clan |
| Cardiff Devils | Guildford Flames |
| Coventry Blaze | Manchester Storm |
| Dundee Stars | Nottingham Panthers |
| Fife Flyers | Sheffield Steelers |
The season runs from September to March/April, and the teams will play two (sometimes three) games a week, one home and one away. The most common days for games are Saturday and Sunday, but the team will play some on Fridays or mid-week.
These games include those played in the league and for the Challenge Cup. Most of the cup games are played early in the season.
Belfast Giants Ice Hockey Team Contacts
| Belfast Giants | Contacts & Social Media |
|---|---|
| Website | http://www.belfastgiants.com/ |
| office@belfastgiants.com | |
| Phone | — |
| @BelfastGiants | |
| @BelfastGiants | |
| @belfastgiants | |
| You Tube | BelfastGiantsTV |
| HOME GAME TICKETS | Buy Tickets |
How Cold Is Belfast Ice Rink?
If you haven’t been to a hockey game before, you need to know that ice rinks are cold places (not a surprise!). And the closer you are to the ice, the colder you will be. Also, hockey rinks in the UK aren’t heated, so temperatures in the arena drop in line with outside temperatures.
For those with some experience of UK rinks, we would rank the Belfast ice rink as warmer than average.
Belfast Ice Rink Seating & Away Fan Blocks
Belfast Giants tickets give you assigned seating, and the away fans are seated in blocks EL8 and EM8.
SSE Arena is one of the newer arenas in the UK; it is comfortable, relatively warm, and a great place to watch a game. Views are good from all the seats we have tried, and there is always a great atmosphere.
