Lisbon's 'Floating Nightclubs': Residents Demand Action Against Noisy Party Boats on the Tagus River

Lisbon Residents Complain About Noise from Boats Operating as 'Floating Nightclubs'

Residents along Lisbon's waterfront, including near Doca da Marinha, are denouncing the noisy activity of recreational boats navigating the Tagus River in what they describe as 'floating nightclub mode', citing a lack of enforcement by responsible authorities.

The complaint comes from the Association of Residents and Friends of Santa Maria Maior, which has forwarded the grievance to various entities, including the Lisbon City Council (CML), the Maritime Police, and the Lisbon Port Administration, urging the implementation of noise mitigation measures to ensure the right to rest.

In response to Lusa news agency, the CML acknowledges receiving "complaints from residents related to noisy activity on the waterfront" but notes that "the circulation of these boats on the Tagus with sound equipment in operation does not depend on municipal licensing and is subject to the supervision of the Maritime Authority."

Contrary to this view, the Lisbon Maritime Police, under the Maritime Authority, clarifies that noise enforcement is not within its jurisdiction but rather falls to municipal councils "under the General Noise Regulation."

"The Local Command of the Lisbon Maritime Police carries out various inspection actions focused on different matters. Regarding noise, the Maritime Police does not perform measurement techniques to detect offenses as it is not within its competence," it stated to Lusa, revealing that since 2023, 62 inspections of maritime-tourist vessels have been conducted, with 20 infractions detected, none related to noise.

From 2023 to the present, across the 11 municipalities under the Lisbon Maritime Police's jurisdiction—Oeiras, Lisbon, Loures, Vila Franca de Xira, Benavente, Alcochete, Montijo, Moita, Barreiro, Seixal, and Almada—"seven complaints related to noise from recreational boats have been received."

On the other hand, the CML mentions that in March, it promoted a meeting with the Lisbon Port Administration (APL) to address this residents' association complaint, aiming to "strengthen control and mitigation mechanisms for noise from port and maritime activities."

Responsible for licensing maritime-tourist operators, the APL reveals that the regulation in this area is "under revision, to include the Code of Conduct for Maritime-Tourist Operators on the Tagus River," developed by a "multidisciplinary working group" created in 2024 to "study ways to mitigate the impacts of the growing maritime-tourist activity on the Tagus and ensure good coexistence among the various river uses."

"The regulation expressly contemplates the need to prevent and reduce the impact of noise associated with vessel operations," adds the APL, stipulating that "noise produced by music or other sounds must be reduced upon entry, stay, and exit from docks."

To Lusa, the APL also highlights "close collaboration" with other competent authorities, "namely with the Maritime Police and Municipal Police, within their respective attributions and competencies to inspect temporary noisy activities."

With about 300 members, the Association of Residents and Friends of Santa Maria Maior has been denouncing the noisy activity caused by recreational boats "that navigate up and down the Tagus River in floating nightclub mode," with operating hours both day and night, including between 1:00 AM and 4:00 AM, carrying hundreds of people on board and disturbing those living near the waterfront areas.

To ensure the right to rest, residents urge that boats turn off music when approaching docks and while docked waiting for passenger entry or exit, and that they observe the sound limits established in the General Noise Law, especially during the night period.

Another concern relates to "noisy events" licensed outdoors in public spaces, with the residents' association criticizing "a culture of noise due to lack of action and enforcement by the CML," with restaurants and bars playing music with open doors and speakers outside to attract customers: "There is a climate of impunity. Since no one is penalized, no one is inspected, the problem keeps growing."

In this sense, residents are preparing a new complaint to the Attorney General's Office regarding non-compliance with the General Noise Law in terms of hours and sound limits. The first complaint was filed in 2024 but could not proceed with a case against the CML due to lack of evidence. Now, the association has raised funds among residents to hire a certified company to conduct acoustic measurements.

In response to Lusa, the CML emphasizes the analysis of licensing requests, "imposing technical requirements that ensure compliance with current environmental noise legislation."

The municipality adds that the number of events licensed with sound amplification in the Doca da Marinha area has been decreasing, and this year only one event was licensed by the CML—the Santos Populares, between June 5 and 21—and it is unknown if the Santa Maria Maior Parish Council licensed others.