Two art installations are going up at the new entry to Dobson Arena, across West Meadow Drive from the Vail Public Library. Inside, according to the Town of Vail's Oct. 19 construction update, crews were scheduled to start the multi-day process of pouring the ice the following week. The $55 million renovation began in April 2025. A week earlier the Town reported that the project had reached substantial completion and that the Vail Recreation District was getting ready to move back in.
The date most people know is Saturday, Nov. 28, when Trampled By Turtles and Old Crow Medicine Show play the Town's reopening concert. By then, the arena will have been back in use for three weeks. The groups that lost Dobson for a season return in roughly the order they were pushed out. Youth hockey comes back first, then figure skaters and adult leagues, then the Yeti. The drop-in public skater, the most casual user of the building, comes last and so far has no posted schedule.
The Order the Ice Comes Back
Here is the November and December calendar the Vail Recreation District has posted for Dobson. The Skating Club of Vail and the adult league pages add their own start dates.
| Date | What's on the ice |
|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 7 to Mon., Nov. 9 | Vail Sportsmanship Tournament |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Yeti vs. Yeti fundraiser game for Vail Mountain Hockey Club |
| Mon., Nov. 9 | Skating Club of Vail classes resume in Vail; fall adult leagues begin |
| Wed., Nov. 11 | Colorado Avalanche Mile High Mites sessions begin |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Grand Reopening Concert |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Vail Yeti vs. Jackson Hole, featuring Vail Town Council |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Vail Yeti vs. Jackson Hole, featuring Dobson construction teams |
| Fri., Dec. 11 | ILLENIUM |
The Sportsmanship Tournament and the Yeti vs. Yeti game land the weekend before Vail Mountain's scheduled, weather-dependent opening on Friday, Nov. 13. The Mile High Mites program runs Wednesdays from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m. for six weeks, Nov. 11 through Dec. 16. The fall adult league season runs Nov. 9 through Dec. 15. The Town's Aug. 7 countdown notice gave the tournament as Nov. 6–8, a day off from the VRD calendar, so check the Vail Mountaineers tournament page before you plan a weekend around a particular game.
Why Hockey Gets the First Weekend
Dobson's closure hit families first, so the order makes sense. In April 2025, the Vail Daily reported that closing the arena through November 2026 left at least 200 youth-skating families looking for somewhere else to skate, along with recreational skaters, adult-league players and other ice users.
The answer was the Rodeo Rink, a temporary sheet of ice at the Eagle County Fairgrounds. Families helped pay for it. The Vail Daily described kids selling lemonade and golf balls for the campaign, and a Vail Mountaineers board member said he'd come across about a dozen Vail Valley skaters who had been driving to Summit County for ice time. The Vail Mountaineers Hockey Club says the Rodeo Rink gave more than 1,500 local skaters ice for the 2025–26 season, including youth hockey players, figure skaters, adult league players and public skating families. It came down in June 2026.
That means a lot of local skaters have spent this fall without a rink in Vail. The Skating Club of Vail started its fall classes on Sept. 16 at Eagle only, and its Vail classes begin Nov. 9, when Dobson reopens to them. For a skater who lives in East Vail or Lionshead, that's the day the drive down valley ends.
What the Yeti Lost, and What They Get Back
The Vail Yeti had a short season. According to the Vail Daily, the team played its 2025–26 home games at Eagle Pool and Ice Rink, and the move cut the schedule to eight games over four weekends. Capacity limits at the smaller rink also meant only children under 3 got in free, instead of the free admission for kids that was customary at Dobson.
This winter the team is back to 21 home games at Dobson. The Vail Daily's Oct. 16 preview puts the first puck drops on Dec. 4 and 5, both at 8 p.m., with advance tickets at $15. The VRD has given each opening night a theme. Friday features the Vail Town Council and Saturday features the Dobson construction teams. The people who built the new building get their own night in it a week after the public celebration.
The same Vail Daily piece describes how fans will move through the building. They'll come in on the west side into a mezzanine, where concessions have moved upstairs. There are more ordering systems to speed up food and drink lines and more restrooms. The paper calls the result a "mini Ball Arena" hockey atmosphere.
The Changes Behind the Concert Calendar
Those upgrades are why the arena can host concerts again. The Town lists new south and west entries, new south seating stands, a wraparound concourse and mezzanine, more concessions, more restrooms and locker rooms, and concert rigging. Maximum capacity is now 1,500 spectators for hockey and 3,500 for concerts and shows.
The three ticketed shows announced so far:
- Sat., Nov. 28: Trampled By Turtles and Old Crow Medicine Show, with Lindsay Lou Trio. All ages, general admission, $20 plus fees. Doors at 5:30 p.m.
- Fri., Dec. 11: ILLENIUM, with special guests St Mary and Paws. Doors at 6 p.m.
- Sat., Jan. 16: Ian Asher. Discover Vail lists the start at 7:30 p.m.
The VRD calendar also has a New Year's Eve event on Dec. 31, with no artist or time announced yet. Every big room in town needs a weekend when the doors open on time and the bathroom lines move. Dobson gets that test with a $20 bluegrass and folk show on Thanksgiving weekend, before it hosts the bigger electronic shows in December and January.
The Drop-In Skater Waits Longest
Public skating has the least information so far. The VRD's Dobson page said public skating and Stick & Puck schedules would come out in October 2026, and that Toddler Time would start in November. As of this week, the public skating page still says 2026/27 information is coming soon.
The rates on that page are $6 for ages 4 and under, $8 for ages 5 to 12, $10 for 13 and up, and $5 for skate rental. Toddler Time, for ages 3 to 5, is $10 per child with skates and instruction included. Public Stick & Puck is $10 per skater. These are the prices listed now, without a stated effective date, so they could change when the new schedule goes up. The VRD's Learn to Skate program doesn't start until January 2027.
If you want an open session in November, the facility ice schedule linked from the VRD's Dobson page is where public sessions should show up once they're posted. If you're heading to the arena in the next couple of weeks, the Town's update lists geothermal test drilling in the Lot 10 parking lot at 281 W. Meadow Drive through Nov. 12, Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to dusk. ADA-accessible parking is available in front of the library at 292 W. Meadow Drive while the drilling runs.
Dobson's ice is back for hockey and figure skating on Nov. 9, nearly three weeks before the doors open for the concert. If you live here, play here or are thinking about a home within walking distance of the rink, Palazola Group knows how these winter routines work on the ground. Let's Connect.
