The return of the three-week Winter Festival in the City will include an outdoor ice rink in Garema Place.

Children will also be able to shred down a toboggan ride with real snow and feel the rush of a 10-metre-tall inflatable giant slide.

Event organiser Andrew Lemon said Canberrans could expect the event to be bigger and better than previous years.

"It's the ice skating as per most years but we've extended on the ice skating with a downhill toboggan ride, which allows the snowfields to come to Canberra," he said on Wednesday.

"It's the experience of feeling the snow in the hands that we're trying to bring to everybody around Australia."

This year's event is the first to involve a partnership between In The City Canberra and Winter Festival Australia.

In The City chief executive Jane Easthope said the festival would be a boost for local businesses.

"It's become a real attraction, so it's not only for Canberra visitors, it's actually for people from the region that are attracted to come into Canberra," Ms Easthope said.

"So it's good for us from an economic point of view, from a cultural point of view.

"It's a really nice addition to the city. It actually puts Canberra on the map as part of that network of winter festivals."

The organisers expect the festival to be popular: some ice-skating sessions are already close to being sold out.

Festival-goers are advised to book in advance for skating and rides to avoid disappointment.

Winter Festival in the City will be open from June 23 to July 17. Tickets: winterfestival.com.au