SF will open winter-themed park, ice rink at Civic Center in November

The Winter Park at Civic Center, a new ice skating rink, will make its first appearance in front of City Hall on Nov.30. The Winter Park at Civic Center, a new ice skating rink, will make its first appearance in front of City Hall on Nov.30. Photo: Courtesy Of Willy Bietak Productions / Photo: Courtesy Of Willy Bietak Productions / Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close SF will open winter-themed park, ice rink at Civic Center in November 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The fog won’t be the only thing chilling San Francisco come November: A new winter-themed park near City Hall is the latest addition in cooling the city down.

The Winter Park at Civic Center is scheduled to open Nov. 30, bringing a 6,000-square-foot ice rink, skating track and lighted tree forest to the heart of the city.

Every day from noon to 10 p.m., through Jan. 6, visitors can skate and buy food and drink from vendors.

Owner Willy Bietak said Thursday that the beautiful architectural space offers a perfect backdrop for a skating extravaganza.

“We thought, ‘My God, this could be the ideal place,’” Bietak said. “It’s something that’s endearing and enduring over many, many years.”

The park is modeled after Wiener Eistraum in Vienna’s city square. Wiener Eistraum draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, and Bietak said that while the Winter Park at Civic Center won’t yet draw such a crowd, it could eventually be very successful.

Bietak and San Francisco Recreation and Park Department officials called the park one of the efforts to improve Civic Center and make it family-friendly.

The Winter Park at Civic Center joins other new features in the area, including a playground, an Off the Grid food truck location and the Bi-Rite-operated Civic Center Street Cafe.

The group will offer events and programs to benefit Tenderloin residents, most notably a family-friendly drag show, free admission for students of Tenderloin schools, and programs for low-income and homeless residents.

The Winter Park at Civic Center will be around for years to come, Bietak said, and “new interactive elements” will be added to the area every year.

Tickets start at $15 and will be available for purchase starting Oct. 15 at www.winterparkicerinksf.com.

Gwendolyn Wu is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: gwendolyn.wu@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @gwendolynawu