Bumper cars on ice, trolley-style sightseeing rides, outdoor “glice” skating (you read that right) and other free or low-cost activities will activate Rice Park and the streets around downtown St. Paul’s Grand Casino Arena next month to celebrate the arrival of some 250,000 international hockey fans, athletes, media and other entourage.

Also plan for horse and carriage rides, a street hockey skills rink, a “mini-mites” kids zone, 40 indoor vendors and a fireworks display on New Year’s Eve.

The 10-day Bold North Breakaway fan festival will run from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, running parallel to the International Ice Hockey Federation’s World Junior Hockey Championship, the premier hockey tournament for players ages 17 to 19 from around the world. With the notable exception of the $5 bumper cars, most Bold North activities will be free.

Even before the World Juniors bring the most promising young hockey players from 10 countries to downtown St. Paul and the University of Minnesota, fans can buy tournament tickets and apparel at a new “headquarters” store in the third floor of the Mall of America in Bloomington.

The “World Juniors HQ” opens at 9:30 a.m. Monday, almost a month to the day before games begin at Grand Casino Arena and the University of Minnesota’s 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis. The shop, which features a bubble hockey table, digital displays and a locker room experience, will host giveaways and tournament ticket promotions throughout its opening week.

Among them is a buy-one, get-one-free offer for anyone who buys a ticket to a preliminary or quarter final game between Nov. 24 and Dec. 1. On Nov. 28, which is Black Friday, the first 50 shoppers to spend $125 will receive two complimentary tickets to the opening ceremony game — USA vs. Germany — on Dec. 26 at Grand Casino Arena.

On Wednesday, the St. Paul City Council passed a series of temporary ordinance amendments allowing bars and restaurants holding liquor licenses to apply for a permit to serve until 2 a.m. during the tournament, on top of noise variances and other allowances primarily targeted to the downtown entertainment district.

From Dec. 26 through Jan. 5, the round robin-style tournament will feature 29 games, showcasing the best players ages under age 20 from the United States, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Latvia and Slovakia. Practices will not be open to the public.

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A World Juniors pre-tournament series presented by Delta Dental of Minnesota will take place Dec. 16 to Dec. 23 in Bemidji, Duluth, Mankato and Rochester. Visit WorldJuniorsMN26.com for more information.

The games open with team USA playing Germany, among other match-ups featuring Sweden, Slovakia, and Switzerland at Grand Casino Arena. The other teams will begin play at Mariucci. More information is online at iihf.com.