Celebration – Holiday on Ice

60 years

How it all began…

Holiday on Ice was conceived on 25 December 1943, in Ohio, USA. The show ran between Christmas and New Year and, although the name was chosen with that in mind, it stuck because it became synonymous with the most successful ice show to date. In 1945, advances in ice-floor technology, allowed Holiday on Ice to take to the road for the first time. It has since appeared in 620 cities in 80 countries.

Pivotal moments

1959 – Holiday on Ice became the first American show in history to visit the Soviet Union. It went on to tour numerous African countries, including a village called Enugu, in Nigeria, where the locals had never even seen ice before, let alone a live ice show.
2003 – Holiday on Ice welcomed its 300 millionth visitor making it the most-seen live entertainment show in the history of the world.

The organisation today

With offices in the Netherlands, Germany and the UK, Holiday on Ice has a minimum of three shows touring simultaneously around the world. It creates ice shows containing elements of theatre, dance, opera, pop, magic, musicals, acrobatics, aerial ice-skating, live music and special effects, which are combined in innovative and original ways.

A big thank you to…

• Skee Goodhart who joined Holiday on Ice as a skater in 1951. He moved into management and, in 1973, took over as president of Holiday on Ice International; a position he held until his death in 1994.
• Robin Cousins, MBE, the creative director and choreographer for the new shows.

Celebration events planned

It’s party time at Holiday On Ice as it returns to the UK in 2004 to celebrate 60 years of partying with its sensational new show CELEBRATION which is now touring.