Franciscan Polar Plaza: Ice Skating to live music Saturdays in Tacoma

The Weekly Volcano Electric Salchow Stage is back baby!

By Volcano Staff on November 13, 2013

Why should outdoor holiday ice-skating be reserved for Rockefeller Center and backwoods ponds in the Midwest? The Franciscan Health Systems with a major contribution from the Tacoma Art Museum and many others sponsors, including the Weekly Volcano, have joined forces again to bring skating to the most unlikeliest of places: Downtown Tacoma.

Friday, Nov. 22 to Sunday, Jan. 12, Tollefson Plaza becomes Franciscan Polar Plaza - a Hans Brinker's dream. This is outdoor skating ... in a giant tent, oh but the side facing Pacific Avenue is wide open for spectators to cheer and semis to blow their horns after show-off dad falls flat on his ass. The south side of the rink includes a bunkhouse for lacing up and tossing back hot chocolate and cookies.

Since the Weekly Volcano is involved, we couldn't let the rink just a rink. Nope. Similar to last year, we're hosting live bands at Polar Plaza 7-9 p.m. every Saturday. Bands will perform in a space we dub the Electric Salchow Stage. Yes, it's named after a figure skating jump Brian Boitano might perform to the music of Five for Fighting on the Today show. We can name it whatever we want. Anyhoo, bands will provide an awesome soundtrack for butterfly jumps, cherry-flips, layback spins - but mostly moves such as the unstable skate, the fall, the skid and the mixed-gender collision. Ha, ha, ha, hoooo we saw some crazy-ass falls last year.

So bundle up, drop your packages in the trunk, pinch your cheeks until they glow and strap on a pair of silver skates, Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev, for a glide across the frozen expanse at Tollefson Plaza.

Electric Salchow Stage

Nov. 23: Kareem Kandi Band

Nov. 30: SweetKiss Momma

Dec. 7: Rebekah Ann Curtis and Guests

Dec. 14: Strangely Alright 

Dec. 21: Kurt Lindsay Band

Dec. 28: Kim Archer

Jan. 4: Leah Tussing and Rafael Tranquilino

The bands perform two sets from 7-9 p.m. with a couple of breaks during surface repair sessions.

FRANCISCAN POLAR PLAZA ELECTRIC SALCHOW STAGE, 7-9 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 23-Jan. 4, Tollefson Plaza, Pacific Avenue and South 17th Street, Tacoma, $4-$8, polarplaza.com