BEIRUT: Beirut Souks opened the city’s first outdoor ice skating rink Thursday with a performance by local figure skaters who twirled and jumped for spectators on the newly laid ice under spotlights and igloo decorations.

Set up at the foot of the recently developed section of the Beirut Central District, the rink is the first skating arena in the Greater Beirut area for nearly a decade.

Skaters said they were hoping to take advantage of the opportunity to renew interest in the sport.

“Because its located in the heart of the city there will be much more awareness of the sport,” said Sarah Kourkejian, who performed at the rink opening.

“Now we have an area for all skater to come back together,” said Kourkejian, who learned to skate in Lebanon and has competed professionally.

Beginning Friday, a fee of LL20,000 will let people rent hockey or figure skates and glide around the arena for a few hours. The rink is scheduled to be open daily from noon to midnight and organizers said skates were available in sizes for people age 7 and above.

The rink itself is a 400-square-meter box erected on a raised platform. Setting up an ice rink in a country with a moderate climate and a crippled electricity sector is a difficult proposition. Dozens of pipes spread out under the ice move 10-degree water under the rink to freeze the surface above. The $180,000 project will also be set up in different locations, organizers said.

Setting the rink up outside was another gamble, since it will have to temporarily close when it rains.

“It is a risk – it is one of the main risks we are taking, but I guess it’s livable,” said Ahmad Sbeiti, the general manager of the project.

Sbeiti said the project was aimed at stirring interest in ice skating and letting people have fun during the winter, adding that there were no concrete plans to set up a permanent skating arena.

The project is a collaboration between Beirut Souks, Solidere and BREMCO, a real estate company.

Angela Dabbak, a 19-year-old skater, said she was impressed with the quality of the ice.