Nottingham’s first-ever ice bar will open this weekend as part of the Winter Wonderland Christmas market in Old Market Square.
The bar, made completely of ice and with a temperature of -14 degrees celsius, will open its doors on Saturday.
Thermal coats, hats and gloves will be provided to guests braving the chill and a selection of drinks including shots, prosecco and lager will be served from ice cups.
Several ice sculptures of famous Nottingham landmarks have been carved specially for the event and will be revealed at the official opening on Saturday.
Event manager Lee Clarke said: “It’s Nottingham’s first ice bar so we’ve looked a lot into Nottingham and its history and based the sculptures around that.
“You get ice bars in other countries but this will be the first one here so we want to make it unique and give people an experience they’ve not had before.”
The bar itself is made up of around 50 blocks of ice weighing around four tonnes.
The ice is made in the UK before being transported to Nottingham.
We’ve been making some sculptures to celebrate Nottingham’s history
Lee said: “Some of the sculptures are prepared beforehand, but due to size many are sculpted here on site using lots of tools and very skilled workers.
“The ice is kept cold using two very large chillers which pump through temperatures of around -10 degrees to ensure the ice stays cold and dry.
“We have to be very careful when letting people in and out of the bar, and make sure we don’t let too much hot air in.”
Working hard to get the bar ready for Saturday is artistic sculptor Jamie Wardley, who has been sculpting ice and sand for more than 13 years.
He said: “Some of the sculptures are wonderful.
“I’ve never been to Nottingham before but it’s a beautiful city with a lot of legacy and a lot of heroes.
“We’ve been making some sculptures to represent that and celebrate its history.”
This year’s Winter Wonderland will also feature a Victorian bar, Helter Skelter slide, bandstand and ice rink complete with a ‘ski lodge’ themed boot room.
Tickets for the Ice Bar will be available on the day costing £9.50 for adults, £7.50 for children and £30 for a family, and include a 25 minute visit and two drinks.
