Ice for New Year's Eve in Lisbon: cold bubbly at midnight

Published 27 September 2026

On New Year's Eve in Lisbon the problem isn't heat — it's demand. House parties, restaurant dinners and hotel events all need ice at the same time, and by the afternoon of the 31st bags are hard to find anywhere.

The key job: chilling bottles

At New Year most ice goes into sparkling-wine and champagne buckets. A room-temperature bottle needs 20–30 minutes in a bucket of ice and water — water touches the glass all round and chills far faster than ice alone. Fill about half the bucket with ice, the rest with cold water, and add a little salt if you need it faster.

How much ice to order

• House party for 20: 2–3 bags of 5 kg for drinks, plus 1–2 bags for every bubbly bucket you want to keep topped up.
• Company dinner or party: send us guest numbers and duration via our event ice page and we'll add the ice for the buckets.

A festive touch

An ice piece lit from inside with LEDs — like an ice Christmas tree — or a block with the new year carved in it makes midnight look different. These need at least 10 days' notice; see our ice sculptures.

Timeline

• By mid-December: order sculptures.
• Christmas week: book ice for the 31st and choose a delivery time.
• On the 31st: take delivery in the morning or early afternoon and keep the ice in cool boxes until the evening.