Lisbon welcomed the start of the festive season with a ceremony lighting up the city's Christmas tree and decorations displayed across downtown on Saturday night.

This year Portugal's capital will showcase a total of 1,050 lights with over 5,000 decorations, according to city authorities.

The ceremony at Praça do Comércio saw the crowd count down to the illumination of the centerpiece 30-meter-tall tree complete with fireworks.

AP video shot by Helena Alves