The CPKC Holiday Train's official route skips Indiana. Its schedule lists a stop in Windsor, Ontario, on the night of Sunday, Nov. 22. The next listed stop is Franklin Park, Illinois, on the evening of Monday, Nov. 23. Between those two stops the train crosses Northwest Indiana in the dark, with no music and no crowd waiting on a platform.
Portage is turning that gap into an event. The city's Fire & Ice Skating Rink opens for the season on Nov. 22 and will stay open overnight, Mayor Austin Bonta wrote in a social media post, "for families who want to skate while waiting for the Holiday Train." The Times of Northwest Indiana reported that Bonta expects the train to pass through Portage sometime between 2:45 and 4:45 a.m. Nov. 23, and that fire pits and hot chocolate will be on hand.
The plan only works because of where the rink is.
A Pavilion on the Train's Side of Town
Fire & Ice sits in the Portage Parks Open-Air Pavilion at 6090 U.S. Hwy. 12, off Dunes Highway. According to The Times, the pavilion sits right beside the tracks the Holiday Train will use on its way west.
The rink is still new. In November 2025, PanoramaNOW reported that Portage Parks would open it that winter, describing Fire & Ice as created "for community engagement through affordable recreation and family connection." That makes Nov. 22 the start of its second season, and the first time it has had a reason to stay open all night.
Most of Portage's holiday events happen a few miles south, around Founders Square and Central Avenue. Putting the rink up on U.S. 12 gave the city a second winter gathering spot, and the Holiday Train is the first event that only the U.S. 12 spot can host.
How the Night Lines Up
The schedule is tight, and the train sets the pace. Here is the sequence as The Times and CPKC's published route describe it:
| When | Where | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Nov. 22 | Fire & Ice, 6090 U.S. 12, Portage | Rink opens for the season and stays open overnight |
| Night of Nov. 22 | Windsor, Ontario | Last official Holiday Train stop before Indiana |
| Monday, Nov. 23, about 2:45 to 4:45 a.m. | Portage | Train expected to pass through, no stop |
| Evening of Nov. 23 | Franklin Park, Illinois | Next official stop, with a full show |
The two-hour window is an estimate. The train is running a cross-country route, so a family planning to watch it should expect to be up for most of that window. The trade is a warm rink, a fire pit and hot chocolate instead of a cold car parked somewhere along the tracks.
A full stop looks different. Cities on the official schedule get an hour or more of live music, and those stops often team up with local food banks. The Holiday Train is in its 28th year, and CPKC describes it as an effort to "bring communities together and fight food insecurity." The route starts in Montreal on Nov. 19, runs through 12 states and Ontario, and ends in Saskatchewan on Dec. 20. CPKC's published route map shows the full U.S. schedule.
In recent years the train has often crossed Northwest Indiana in the middle of the night or early morning. This year Portage has a lit rink with fire pits where people can wait.
The Rink's First-Season Schedule
The overnight skate is a one-night exception. For regular nights, PanoramaNOW published these hours for the 2025 season:
- Monday: closed
- Tuesday through Thursday: 4 to 8 p.m.
- Friday: 4 to 9 p.m.
- Saturday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Sunday: 1 to 8 p.m.
Holiday hours could vary. For that season, Portage Parks offered $25 punch tickets, good for either entry or skate rental, at the parks office at 2100 Willowcreek Rd. Those were 2025 terms, so check this winter's schedule and pricing with Portage Parks before you go.
Indiana Dunes Tourism's rink listing says the season runs through mid-January, with public skating, themed nights and special events. It also says weather closures and event news go out on the Fire & Ice Facebook page. The rink is outdoors, so check that page before you drive over on a warm or stormy day.
Two Weeks Later, the Season Moves Back Inland
After the train passes, Portage's holiday calendar shifts back to the parks and downtown. The weekend of Dec. 5 and 6 brings the two biggest December events:
- Saturday, Dec. 5: The Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting on Central Avenue, put on by PEP Events, according to the Portage Parks event listing.
- Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 5 and 6: The Annual Christmas Craft Show at Woodland Park, 2100 Willowcreek Rd., from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free, and the weekend includes local crafters and vendors, carriage rides, kids' craft areas, live music and food trucks.
- Sunday, Dec. 6: Santa visits the craft show.
Woodland Park is also where the parks office sells rink punch tickets, so a craft show visit can double as a stop for skating passes. Details for both events are on the Indiana Dunes Tourism listing.
So the season has two halves. The rink on U.S. 12 opens it on Nov. 22, and Central Avenue and Woodland Park take over on Dec. 5. Several new places have opened along the roads that connect the two.
New Places to Warm Up Between Skates
Beyond Borders Cafe, 6280 W. Main St., Ste. A, Founders Square. Christopher and Jennifer Zarozny opened this 2,000-square-foot cafe in downtown Portage this fall. It's their second location, after the first opened in downtown Flossmoor. The Times described a coffee bar with beans from Crystal Lake Coffee Roasters, sourced from Ethiopia, Papua New Guinea and Colombia. The seating is arranged so people face each other, and there are no televisions. A wine bar section is coming, with beers and wines from countries including Poland, Spain, France, Germany and Chile. "It's the type of coffee place that will soon be a wine-sipping place that people have been asking for downtown," Bonta told The Times. Since the parade and tree lighting are on Central Avenue on Dec. 5, the cafe is an easy stop that day.
JT's Route 6 Eatery, 5455 U.S. 6. Chef John Piontek and his wife, Tara, run the Fat Guys Fries food truck. They opened this sit-down restaurant in the former Deep Blue Seafood space, according to The Times. The name combines their initials. Piontek calls it a bakery, deli and gastropub with freshly baked bread and big portions, and said: "It's real food made from scratch." The menu carries over truck favorites like fresh-cut fries, Philly cheesesteaks and pulled pork sandwiches. The couple plans to keep running the truck, which turns up at Founders Square and local markets.
Azteca Fresh Market, 5714 Central Ave. Javier Carrillo's 8,600-square-foot grocery stocks up to 5,000 items, mostly Mexican and South American. It has fresh produce and a butcher, plus carryout tacos, burritos and tortas on weekdays. On weekends there's hot food, including menudo, tamales, carnitas, birria and barbacoa, The Times reported. Carrillo told the paper he wants the store to be "a community hub with different flavors and tastes." It's on Central Avenue, close to the parade route, which makes it a good place to pick up tamales for a December weekend.
For one night in late November, though, the best seat in Portage is out on U.S. 12. Bonta expects the train between 2:45 and 4:45 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 23, and the rink is the place to wait for it.
If you're planning your winter around Portage, or thinking about a move between Chicago and Northwest Indiana, I'm always happy to talk through the details with you. I'm a longtime Gold Coast resident with deep ties to this side of the state line, and you can find more about the area on my Portage neighborhood page. When you're ready, Lizanne Pilot is here to help. Let's Connect.
