Ice Arena has been reopened at Akropole Shopping and Entertainment Centre

At the end of May, the Ice Arena was reopened at the shopping and entertainment centre Akropole. While implementing all the necessary safety measures at sports venues during the state of emergency, hockey and figure skating trainings will take place on the ice rink on weekdays, while on weekends it will be available only for public ice-skating. You can find out more about the times of public ice-skating on the Akropole website, and for now, registration for visiting the Ice Arena must be done at the information centre, but soon it is will be possible to register on the Akropole website as well.

"We are truly glad to hear that our spacious ice rink is once again available to visitors, as it is one of the customers' favourite entertainment options at the shopping and entertainment centre. Taking all the necessary measures to guarantee a safe and exciting visit, customers can enjoy ice-skating even in the summer season, as here, at Akropole, it is possible to ice-skate and play hockey all year round," tells Akropole shopping and entertainment centre CEO Zane Kaktiņa.

Just as in the entire shopping and entertainment centre, a number of security measures are in place at Akropole Ice Arena too. In order to take care of the health and safety of visitors, ice-skating will be possible only by prior registration in Akropole information centre by calling +371 68304353 or applying in person, but soon it will also be possible to register on the Akropole website, where information on public ice-skating times is also available. Observing a distance of 2 m, no more than 24 persons can be on the ice at the same time, and the Ice Arena team will take care of their safety. Informative notices about keeping a distance and following hygiene requirements are installed around the Ice Arena, and the premises are regularly and thoroughly cleaned with disinfectants. Also, for the convenience of ice-skaters, only a part of the lockers will be available to guarantee a 2 m distance between the visitors, and in places where people may crowd, such as at the entrance to the ice-rink, the flow of visitors will be regulated. Akropole administration invites residents to be responsible, to keep their distance and to assess their health before visiting the ice arena.

Akropolis Group's shopping and entertainment centres in the Baltics are known for their ice arenas, and Riga is no exception. Akropole is the only shopping and entertainment centre in Latvia, which has an ice arena of the size recognized by the National Hockey League (NHL) and which is available to visitors all year round. Akropole ice rink hosts hockey training sessions and games, as well as ice shows, public ice-skating and private events regardless of the season. Charity hockey games and other special events have also taken place in the ice arena - for example, before the 2019 World Hockey Championship Akropole organized the last open training session of the Latvian hockey team.

While the state of emergency remains in force in Latvia until 9 June, Akropole shopping and entertainment centre provides all the necessary measures for safe and convenient shopping. As the number of visitors to the shopping and entertainment centre increases, the administration of Akropole closely monitors in online systems the number of visitors who are in the shopping centre at the same time. In case there are more visitors at the shopping and entertainment centre than necessary to ensure a safe distance, entrance into Akropole is regulated. At each entrance, hand disinfectants are placed, which are regularly refilled, once per hour every day, intense cleaning of contact surfaces with disinfectants is performed in addition to standard cleaning procedures, and Akropole ventilation systems are switched from circulation mode to fresh air mode, which together with air filters ensures that the air inside the shopping and entertainment centre is cleaner than the air outside. The wide corridors of Akropole allow you to make purchases safely without difficulty keeping your distance from other visitors, and posters and information notices encourage visitors not to crowd and to keep the distance. Besides, protective glass has been installed in Akropole info centre and Business Centre reception, shopping and entertainment centre recreation areas have been redesigned, ensuring a distance of 2 m between seats, as well as all employees closely monitor their health and are asked to use all the necessary protective equipment.

Akropole is not only the newest and most modern shopping and entertainment centre in Latvia, but also the first shopping and entertainment centre which, thanks to the highest energy efficiency and sustainability standards, has received the prestige BREEAM certificate at the designing and also at the construction stage. Akropole has also been recognized as the winner in the nomination category “The Best New Public Building” of the competition “Latvian Construction Annual Awards 2019” and has been acknowledged as the best BIM object in the show “The Best Building of the Year in Latvia 2019”. Akropole is home to the largest B+ class Business Centre in Latvia, which is connected to the shopping centre. Here, visitors will find the only Van Graaf multi-brand store in the Baltics, a Deichmann footwear store, as well as the region’s only USC and adidas Originals sporting and lifestyle goods stores. In addition, the shopping centre also contains the biggest Zara, Reserved, Oysho, Guess and KidzOne brand stores in Latvia, as well as the only River Island brand store to also offer a collection for men. The extensive range of shops is augmented by restaurants and cafés for various tastes, a spacious and elegant Maxima XXX supermarket, a modern Lemon Gym gym, an all-year ice rink and other shopping and entertainment options for the entire family.