SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- It's beginning to look like Christmas in downtown San Francisco. The Union Square Ice Rink is making its annual return this week. For the 17th year, the Union Square Ice Rink will be set up in front of the Macy's on Geary Street. The ice rink is open to the public from Wednesday, Nov. 6 until Jan. 20, 2025. An opening celebration will be held on Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The first 100 guests can skate for free during the 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. sessions, event organizers said. Tickets for a 1-hour session on the ice are available for purchase now. Hours for the ice rink are daily from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. Skates are included with the admission ticket. 15 unconventional Christmas albums from the past 50 years Genesis Mendez, 10, glides around the ice on the opening day of the annual holiday skating rink at Union Square in San Francisco on Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018. (Photo By Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images) Union Square Ice Rink is offering free lessons from professional skate instructors every weekend. According to the organizers, lessons are limited to 50 participants per day, and skate rentals are included. To join, skaters must enter their names in a lottery. A list of special events Union Square Ice Rink is hosting can be viewed here. Last December, Union Square Ice Rink was named the sixth-best in the United States by USA Today.