Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Lisbon: Lights, Party and Transport

Lisbon’s official Christmas season starts when the city switches on its street lights and the giant tree in Praça do Comércio (Terreiro do Paço), which happened on 22 November in 2025, and ends with a free New Year’s Eve concert and fireworks on the same square. As of 5 November 2026, Lisbon City Council had not yet published the dates and program for the 2026 season.

Christmas Day (25 December, a Friday in 2026) and New Year’s Day (1 January, a Friday in 2027) are national public holidays; Christmas Eve is not. The details below use the 2025 season as a guide until the council and the transport operators announce this year’s arrangements.

When do Lisbon’s Christmas lights go on?

The lights are usually switched on in the second half of November in a public ceremony at Terreiro do Paço. In 2025 the switch-on took place on 22 November, with a light show, an orchestra and fireworks, the lighting of a 30-meter Christmas tree and a fado concert.

In the 2025 season the lights were on from 17:30 to 23:00 from Sunday to Thursday and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, with an extra hour on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. The lights are paid for by the city under an agreement with the Lisbon traders’ association UACS, and the program lists the streets and squares where they are installed.

Where can I find this year’s official program?

The council (Câmara Municipal de Lisboa) publishes the Christmas and New Year program on lisboa.pt, and the city’s tourism board lists events on visitlisboa.com. For the 2025 season, the switch-on date was announced on 3 November.

• Look for the date of the light switch-on and the name of the opening concert.
• Check the list of Christmas markets and fairs, and whether they are run by the city or privately.
• Check the New Year’s Eve page for the concert line-up, entry points and road closures.

Parish councils (Juntas de Freguesia) also run their own markets, concerts and children’s events, which they announce on their own sites and social media.

What happens on New Year’s Eve in Praça do Comércio?

Lisbon’s main New Year’s Eve party is a free concert in Praça do Comércio, followed by fireworks over the Tagus at midnight. For 31 December 2025, the arrangements were:

Expect similar rules for 31 December 2026, a Thursday, but check the final plan published by the council and the police in the last days of December.

How do I get home after the New Year’s countdown?

Plan the trip home before you go, because the transport arrangements change from year to year. The Metro ran until 3:00 on New Year’s Eve 2024, but kept its normal 1:00 closing for 2025.

1. Check metrolisboa.pt and carris.pt in the last week of December for the 31 December timetable and the stations that will close.
2. If Terreiro do Paço station is closed again, use another station such as Baixa-Chiado, Rossio or Cais do Sodré, and expect crowds at all of them after midnight.
3. Carris night routes (rede da madrugada) run through the night but may be diverted around the closed streets.
4. Taxis and ride-hailing cars cannot reach the closed area; walk to a pickup point well outside it.
5. For the south bank, check ferry and train timetables; in 2025 the Metro Transportes do Sul light rail stopped serving the Cacilhas terminal from 21:00.

A monthly pass covers every operator in its area; see our guide to the Navegante pass.

What is closed on 24 and 25 December and 1 January?

The 25 December and 1 January are public holidays, and many shops, restaurants, museums and public offices close or shorten their hours. Christmas Eve, 24 December, is a normal working day by law, but the main family meal (Consoada) is that evening, and many businesses close early.

• Public services, including AIMA, Finanças and the Loja do Cidadão, are closed on the holidays.
• Supermarkets and shopping centers usually open with shorter hours or close on 25 December and 1 January; check the store’s own hours.
• An on-duty pharmacy stays open in each area, and hospital emergency departments work as usual.
• Metro, Carris, CP and the ferries run holiday timetables.

Our guide to public holidays in Portugal lists all the dates and the bridge days around 1 and 8 December.

Are there free things to do at Christmas in Lisbon?

The lights, the tree, most of the city’s concerts and the New Year’s Eve party are free. Many churches hold Christmas concerts and midnight Mass (Missa do Galo) on 24 December.

For museums, residents can enter many national museums and monuments free on a set number of days a year; see our guide to free museum entry for residents.

Bottom line

Mark the switch-on night (a Saturday in late November in 2025) and the 31 December evening as the two times when the Baixa is closed to traffic and the Metro is under pressure. For New Year’s Eve, decide in advance which station or night bus you will use, because the closures around Praça do Comércio start in the afternoon.

FAQ

Is the New Year’s Eve party in Lisbon free?

Yes. The concert and fireworks in Praça do Comércio are free and open to the public, subject to security checks at the entrances.

Does the Metro run all night on New Year’s Eve?

Not necessarily. It ran until 3:00 for 2024 but closed at 1:00 for 2025. The operator announces the year’s hours in late December.

Is Christmas Eve a holiday in Portugal?

No. 24 December is not a public holiday, although the government has in some years given civil servants the day off.

When are the lights switched off?

The council gives the end date in its program on lisboa.pt. Check it before planning a late visit in January.