The ultimate guide to New Year's Eve & New Year's Day in Dublin

Get your party shoes on, because Dublin’s New Year’s Festival is the biggest one yet, with various locations across the city centre and a mixture of free and ticketed events. 

December 30

A mood-setting procession of lights and music through the city centre between 4 and 4.30pm will kick off the festivities. Meanwhile, Dublin Castle joins in the celebrations from 3.30pm with Echoes of Ireland, five family-friendly concerts featuring renowned artist Cormac Begley, The West Kerry Dancers & Stephanie Keane, Róisín O, Ispiní na hÉireann, Niamh Regan and the Stomptown Brass Band. Tickets are free and the concerts run until 9pm.

Media captionHead to Dublin Castle for live music and DJs.

December 31

If you have kids (or you can’t stay awake past 10pm) then the family-friendly celebration on December 31 at Dublin Castle is just the ticket – it has all the fun of the New Year's Eve midnight countdown, but with an earlier finishing time. Midnight Moment – Matinee kicks off at 4pm with music from Aby Coulibaly, Kabin Crew and Lisdoonvarna Crew, and Saibh Skelly, before a spectacular visual and musical display leads into the countdown to “midnight.” It’s the ideal compromise – you get to ring in the New Year but leave soon after the event wraps up at 7pm, ready for an early bedtime. Tickets start at €12.90 (€7.90 for kids).

Media captionBring the kids to the Midnight Moment Matinee.

When it’s time to see in the New Year for real, your masters of ceremony will be Cork-born singer-songwriter Cian Ducrot, who'll be making the crowd feel good from 8pm alongside afternoon performers Aby Coulibaly, Kabin Crew and Lisdoonvarna Crew, and Saibh Skelly. As midnight strikes, the skies above will light up with a pyrotechnics show. Tickets for the gig are €49.90, but early birds can get them for €39.90.

Media captionSee the city shine at the pyrotechnics show.

Meanwhile, the coast north and south of the city will be lit up with two spectacular firework displays. The pier in Howth will be prime viewing location for one, while the harbour in Dún Laoghaire is the place to be for the other; the free festivities kick off in both places at 8pm.

Media captionCountdown to midnight at Dublin's New Year's Festival.

January 1

All won't be quiet on New Year's Day. The Hothouse Flowers, The Bonnymen, Attention Bébé and Emma Langford take to the stage at Dublin Castle for a free concert between 1-5pm. Meanwhile, over in Temple Bar, Meeting House Square will host a celebration of traditional and folk music with a free afternoon gig between 2-6pm starring John Francis Flynn, Saileog Ní Cheannabháin, Kevin Fowley and Paahto and The Bull. Both are unticketed events; all you need to do is show up. 

An exciting new addition to the NYF lineup in 2024 is a dedicated music trail. Showcasing some of Ireland's up and coming musicians and DJs, the free event runs from December 30 to January 1 and will hit up some of the city's most known musical hubs like Whelan's, O'Donoghue's and The Grand Social.

As you might expect, there’s plenty else going on in Dublin this New Year's Eve, with many venues putting on a shindig to usher in the new year. There’s a party in Fitzsimons in Temple Bar, and a night of Afrobeats from DJ Ahmed just over the River Liffey in The Grand Social. Over at Rascals Brewery in Inchicore, there will be DJs on the decks for the New Year's Eve Party, alongside a menu of woodfired pizzas and, of course, their very own beer. Just outside the city, Wrights Findlater Howth are hosting a dinner with complimentary bubbly and DJ sets to enjoy the firework displays on the harbour.

Annie Mac's Before Midnight club is going to get the dancefloor going at Silo at the RDS Arena. DJ Kelly-Anne Byrne will get the party started from 6.30pm, and Pantibliss will MC the night, which ends at 12.30am. 

If you prefer to dance to live music, Republic of Loose's Mik Pyro takes to the Whelan's stage for one night only on December 31, with his band in tow. 

The Talbot Hotel in Stillorgan is putting on their own Blizzard Ball, complete with a four-course meal, prosecco and live entertainment courtesy of the Bentley Boys. If you prefer a more Irish twist to your new year's celebrations, the Celtic Nights New Year's Eve Gala at the Arlington Hotel also comes with a meal and prosecco to accompany the festive traditional tunes. 

Media captionHave a dance and a bite to eat at Rascals Brewing on New Year's Eve.

Swing into the new year with jazz trumpeter Guy Barker and his Big Band alongside the RTÉ Concert Orchestra at the National Concert Hall. They'll bring the swing era back to Dublin with songs by iconic jazz artists like Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. 

There will also be an afternoon concert the following day, when soprano Jennifer Davis joins the National Symphony Orchestra for the NSO New Year's Day Celebration, featuring a menu of Viennese waltzes penned by Johann Strauss II in honour of the composer's 200th birthday.

Media captionVisit the National Concert Hall this New Year's Eve.

If you’re dealing with a slightly fuzzy head or simply want to kick off 2025 with virtue, a big long walk is always a good idea on New Year’s Day. You’ll see loads of Dubliners out for a bracing stroll along the cliffs at Howth Head, following the narrow path along the headland as the waves crash below. The trails at Ticknock are a popular choice too, the tracks weaving through the trees leading to epic views of the city and coastline.

Media captionHead out on a walk to clear your head on New Year's Day.

If you really want to blow off the cobwebs, join the people who mark the start of the year with a swim (or a lightning fast dip) at the Forty Foot. There's also the option of a swim at the Dún Laoghaire Baths; while the pool itself is yet to be complete, you can swim from the jetty that juts into the sea towards Sandycove.

Though New Year’s Day is a bank holiday, the National Gallery of Ireland is open for all to explore. Free of charge, Mildred Anne Butler's series of plein-air paintings will grace the walls, showcasing her incredible skill of capturing elements of nature like birds and flora. Another of the gallery's events that are worth adding to your calendar is their exhibition of J.M.W. Turner's watercolours. In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the artist's birth, the National Gallery of Ireland and the National Galleries of Scotland have organised an exchange of pieces, bringing 38 of Turner's watercolours to Dublin for the first time. They'll only be in the city for the month of January so don't miss out.  

For a quirky look back at the capital over the past century, the Little Museum of Dublin will be welcoming visitors on New Year's Day in their pop-up venue on Pembroke Street while their main location undergoes renovations. Tours are also running at Kilmainham Gaol, and you can wander around IMMA afterwards to catch the free David Kronn Photography Collection. EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum is open and running a special temporary exhibition dedicated to the revolutionary women who blazed the trail for women in Ireland. Or pay a visit to the Jeanie Johnston just a few minutes’ walk away.

Media captionVisit the Little Museum of Dublin on New Year's Day.

If you’re looking for a laidback bar to celebrate the New Year or a peaceful pint on January 1, check out our guide to Dublin’s cosiest pubs.