CNN

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (CNN) - The presidential candidates will literally be on thin ice during this weekend’s presidential debates.

The CNN WMUR-TV and The New Hampshire Union Leader sponsored debates are being held inside the hockey arena at Saint Anselm College just outside of Manchester. The stage is built on top of the rink and right over the ice. In fact, the Zamboni machine is just yards away from the candidates’ podiums, right behind the seating for the audience. Zamboni machines, for those not in the know, are used to smooth out the surface at ice rinks.

Production crews are putting the finishing touches on the stage, just two days before debates kick off. The Democrats lead off Sunday at 7 p.m. ET and the Republicans face off at the same time Tuesday.

The events will be watch around the world, and the world’s media will be here. More than 600 journalists from the U.S. and across the globe are gearing up to cover the debates.

– CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser