Festive Polar Ice Bar with ice tables and chairs, -8°C, Viking 'Halls of Valhalla' theme and 30-minute visit slots.
Edinburgh's Christmas: Polar Ice Bar opens in Edinburgh New Town on Thursday 19 November, and it stays open through to Saturday 2 January. It's the coldest bar in the city, and for good reason: the tables, chairs and glasses are all sculpted from ice by Hamilton Ice Sculptors, and the room is kept at -8°C. Because of that, you're handed a jacket and gloves on arrival before you settle in with a festive cocktail or mocktail served in an ice glass. Visits run in 30-minute slots, so it's a quick, focused trip rather than a long session.
This year it returns with a brand-new theme that takes you into a mythic world of axe-wielding Vikings. The 'Halls of Valhalla' are filled with hand-carved ice sculptures that recount ancient legends, and there are fire-and-ice elements throughout, with the whole thing sponsored by Icelandair.
Right next door is the Coorie Inn, which is free to enter and inspired by luxury Highland lodges. It's the warm counterpoint to the ice bar, serving piping hot drinks and festive warmers, and it hosts live music, quizzes and craft workshops. If you're planning to do the ice bar, it's an easy thing to pair it with—you can head in for the cold and then drift next door to warm back up.
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Tickets start from £16.50, with your first drink included. The bar runs from 19 November to 2 January in Edinburgh New Town.
