Skating on the canals? Amsterdam take steps to accelerate ice formation

With a week of icy days ahead, the city of Amsterdam is taking steps to promote ice formation on the canals in the hope that they'll freeze enough for Amsterdam residents to skate on them. On Saturday, the city closed a number of canals and locks, to prevent forming ice from being damaged.

Waternet closed the Eenhoorn lock and a number of smaller locks in the city. And a sailing ban applies on a number of canals. If the icy weather lasts longer, more canals will be closed.

"There are few things more fun than skating on natural ice. Ice skating on the Amsterdam canals is nothing short of special," traffic and transport alderman Egbert de Vries said in a press release. "We cannot influence the temperature, but now that frost has been forecast for several days, we can do what we can to promote the growth of good ice. Shutting down shipping on a number of canals is of great importance in that context."

Should the ice grow thick enough to skate on in the coming days, the city warns residents to always be careful and use common sense when going out onto the ice. And also make sure you adhere to the coronavirus measures.