Dublin on New Year's Eve 2026: NYF Dublin, the Countdown Concert at Dublin Castle, the harbour fireworks, the free events and getting home

💡 The Short Version: NYF Dublin runs from 30 December 2026 to 1 January 2027. The Countdown Concert at Dublin Castle is on Thursday 31 December, from 20:00 to 00:30, with Aaron Rowe headlining. It is over-18s only and sold through Ticketmaster, with no re-entry. The fireworks at Howth Harbour and Dún Laoghaire Harbour on 31 December are free, and so are the Music Trail (30 December) and the procession (1 January, 16:30). There is no parking at any venue. Or book a morning: the Dublin: Highlights and Hidden Gems Walking Tourad is from €24 for 2 hours.

⚠️ Dublin Castle’s campus is closed to the public until January 2027, and the festival’s concerts there are the exception. The Office of Public Works said in November 2025 that the New Year’s Eve festival would go ahead at the castle on 30 and 31 December and 1 January.

The programme

NYF Dublin is part of Fáilte Ireland’s Winter in Dublin programme. The ticket prices are on the Ticketmaster page for each event.

O’Connell Bridge and the Liffey at dusk. Photo: Hans-Peter Bock, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5.

The Countdown Concert

Aaron Rowe headlines the Countdown Concert at Dublin Castle, with The Academic, THEATRE, KK Lewis and DJ Shelly Gray. It runs from 20:00 to 00:30, is strictly over-18s, and is subject to licence. Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster. If any are left, Ticketmaster runs a box office at Dublin Castle on the day, and the festival lists a box office from 15:00 to 22:00 on show days at 3Olympia on Dame Street.

The Countdown Concert Matinee runs from 16:00 to 18:30 at the castle with The Academic, THEATRE, KK Lewis and DJ Shelly Gray, and an earlier midnight moment for all ages. It is a separate ticket, and the two events are separate: leave after the matinee and you need a second ticket for the evening. There is no re-entry at either.

The free events

• The Music Trail, 30 December. Live sets by up-and-coming Irish musicians in pubs and venues across the centre, from traditional to rock, indie and punk, starting at 17:00. See traditional music pubs in Dublin and Temple Bar.
• Echoes of Ireland, 30 December. Irish musicians at Dublin Castle, from 15:30 to 20:00, with no ticket.
• The fireworks, 31 December. Howth Harbour and Dún Laoghaire Harbour, free and unticketed, and the festival prints no time. The DART takes about 30 minutes to Howth from Connolly, Pearse or Tara Street and about 20 minutes to Dún Laoghaire. See Howth and Malahide.
• The procession, 1 January. The “Ignite and Excite” procession weaves through the city at 16:30 with music, marching bands and street performers.
• New Year’s Day concerts. Free concerts and street performers at Dublin Castle and traditional musicians at Meeting House Square. The times are still to be confirmed.

Getting home

There is no parking at any venue. The festival says the DART stops at Connolly, Pearse and Tara Street, all within walking distance of Dublin Castle, and that both Luas lines serve the centre. It also says Nitelink buses run after the countdown and that late-night services may operate. Dublin Bus’s own page lists Nitelink on Fridays and Saturdays only, and 31 December 2026 is a Thursday, so check the Transport for Ireland timetable. The Leap card and the fares are in Dublin public transport.

A higher national maximum taxi fare applies from 20:00 on New Year’s Eve to 08:00 on New Year’s Day.

What is shut

From the operators’ pages:

• Croke Park: closed from 30 December to 1 January, reopening on Saturday 2 January 2027: see the Croke Park stadium tour.
• MoLI: closed on 1 January.
• The National Gallery: opens from 11:00 on 1 January.
• Marsh’s Library: closed from 13:00 on 23 December to 5 January.
• Pearse Lyons Distillery: closed on 1 January.
• Dublin Castle and the Chester Beatty: closed to the public: see Dublin Castle and the Chester Beatty.

The sun sets at about 16:14 on 31 December. December’s mean daily high at Dublin Airport is 8.3°C, and the festival says to dress for a winter evening, with layers and something waterproof.

Where to stay

The links go to the hotel on Hotels.com. Where to stay in Dublin compares the areas, and hotels near Temple Bar lists the hotels beside the castle.

Harding Hotel

Copper Alley, Fishamble Street · about 480 m from Temple Bar Square · Hotels.comad

Two to three minutes’ walk from Dublin Castle, Christ Church Cathedral and Temple Bar, according to the hotel.

The College Green Hotel, Autograph Collection

35-39 Westmoreland Street · 163 rooms · Michelin Selected · Hotels.comad

Opposite Trinity College. The Mint Bar in the old bank vaults has live music on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Leonardo Hotel Dublin Christchurch

8 Christchurch Place · 182 rooms · Hotels.comad

Opposite Christ Church Cathedral.

Next

For the days before, see Dublin Christmas markets 2026. The next date to book is St Patrick’s Festival 2027, and TradFest runs from 20 to 24 January, with free performances in Temple Bar’s pubs. The best time to visit Dublin gives the weather by month, 3 days in Dublin fits the sights round the closures, and what to book before you go to Dublin lists the tickets that sell out. For another city that night, see Hogmanay in Edinburgh and Berlin on New Year’s Eve 2026.