An ice show is an

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have deve ...

production which is primarily performed by ice skaters. The major ice shows were founded between 1936 and 1943, when professional figure skaters began to appear in shows, in hotels, at fairs, and "at any place a sheet of ice could be set up" since the beginning of the 20th century in North America and Europe. They were produced and toured North America, Europe, and throughout the world for many years in the years following World War II. According to figure skating historian James R. Hines, ice shows "took spectacular skating to large audiences, contributing to the development of the sport's first major fan base". Such shows may primarily be skating

exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibiti ...

s, or may be

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

al and/or

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

tic in nature, using skating as a

medium Medium may refer to: Aircraft *Medium bomber, a class of warplane * Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''The Medium'' (1921 film), a German silent film * ''The Medium'' (1951 film), a film vers ...

in order to accompany a musical work or to present a story. The term generally excludes skating competitions in (professional) sports. Many companies produce fixed or touring ice shows, which are then performed for the general public in facilities such as multipurpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

s or skating rinks which can accommodate spectators, or in

theatres Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communica ...

with a temporary ice surface installed on the stage. Ice shows are also featured as entertainment in

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

s and on some large

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...

Notable major ice shows

* Four shows began in the years prior to World War II in the U.S.: the Ice Follies (1936), the Hollywood Ice Review (1937), the

Ice Capades The Ice Capades were traveling entertainment shows featuring theatrical ice skating performances. Shows often featured former Winter Olympic Games, Olympic and United States Figure Skating Championships, US National Champion figure skating, figur ...

(1941), and Holiday on Ice (1943). * Broadway on Ice is an ice-based

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

of Broadway show tunes. * Disney on Ice produces ice shows, primarily geared towards children, based on

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

films and characters. * Holiday on Ice is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

ice show which primarily performs in Europe and South America. * Champions on Ice, Stars on Ice,

Fantasy on Ice is an annual touring ice show in Japan produced by CIC Co., Ltd. The show emerged from the "Philippe Candeloro Japan Tour 2001", named after retired French figure skater Philippe Candeloro, and was held under the name "Fantasy on Ice" the followi ...

, Art on Ice, Prince Ice World, The Ice, and Ice Explosion are touring ice shows which focus on skating exhibitions, featuring elite competitive skaters. * Dreams on Ice is an annual ice show in

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, featuring national senior and junior skaters as well as international guests. * All That Skate is a show in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, produced by All That Sports (AT Sports), a sports agency founded by 2010 Olympic champion Yuna Kim and her mother Park Mi-hee. * With ''

Prologue A prologue or prolog (from Ancient Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier st ...

'' (2022) and ''

Gift A gift or present is an item given to someone (who is not already the owner) without the expectation of payment or anything in return. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation of reciprocity, a gift is intended to be free. In many cou ...

'' (2023), two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu from Japan challenged the concept of a solo ice show format for the first time, with him as the only scheduled skater. ''Prologue'' was awarded the Grand Prize in the category "relay broadcast" at the 13th JSBA Original Programs Awards. ''Gift'' was the first skating event ever held at the

Tokyo Dome is an indoor stadium in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. It was designed as a baseball stadium following its predecessor, Korakuen Stadium (whose former site is now occupied by the Tokyo Dome Hotel and a plaza for this stadium). In Japan, it is often us ...

, in the presence of 35,000 spectators and streamed worldwide. Hanyu's Repray Tour (2023–24) was the first solo ice show tour in figure skating. * Friends on Ice is an annual ice show in Japan produced by 2006 Olympic champion Shizuka Arakawa. * Revolution On Ice is a show in Spain produced by two-time world champion Javier Fernández of Spain. * Bol On Ice is an annual ice show that takes place in early January in Unipol Arena in

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, Italy. * One Piece on Ice is a Japanese ice show inspired by Eichiro Oda's manga series ''

One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as he explores the Grand Line in search of the myt ...

.''

Other notable ice shows

* Ice Chips is Skating Club of Boston's annual show held in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. Originating in 1912, it is the longest running club-produced show in the world. * Sun Valley on Ice is an annual Saturday night ice show created in 1937 that takes place every summer under the stars at the outdoor rink at Sun Valley Resort in

Sun Valley, Idaho Sun Valley is a resort city in the western United States, in Blaine County, Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum in the Wood River valley. The population was 1,783 at the 2020 census. The elevation of Sun Valley (at the Lodge) is above se ...

. * An Evening with Champions is an annual benefit ice show organized by students of

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. * Scott Hamilton and Friends is an annual charity show that takes place in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, benefiting Scott Hamiton's CARES Foundation to fund cancer research. The event showcases country music stars performing live alongside figure skating stars. * Legacy on Ice was a one-off benefit show in honor of the victims of the 2025 Potomac River mid-air collision and crash in which 28 members of the figure skating community lost their lives.

References

External links

{{commonscat inline, Ice shows