CANCUN, Mexico – The main square of this Caribbean resort city will have an artificial ice rink this winter, Mayor Gregorio Sanchez Martinez said.

In an interview with Efe, Sanchez Martinez said that the rink will use synthetic ice, a special material that requires much less care than natural ice but provides an identical skating surface.

“We’re going to have two instructors and 200 pairs of ice skates for people who want to come. It’s all going to be completely free because we want people who have never skated before to be able to use it,” he said.

“Most Cancun natives have never seen ice skates but no doubt there are some who have pair at home and want to come have fun,” he said.

The installation of the ice skating rink began Thursday in the Plaza de la Reforma, located in front of the Palacio Musical, where laborers are creating the 400-square-meter (4,300-square-foot) structure in average temperatures of 25 C (77 F).

The inauguration of the ice skating rink is scheduled for Dec. 1 and it will be open until Jan. 6. EFE