Fáilte Ireland’s New Year’s Festival set to welcome 40,000 visitors to Dublin this year
Fáilte Ireland’s New Year’s Festival, which ran across New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, was expected to draw 40,000 visitors to the capital city, generating over €7million from tourism for the local economy.
Part of Fáilte Ireland’s ‘Winter in Dublin’ programme, the New Year’s Festival aims to establish Dublin as a must-visit destination to celebrate New Year’s Eve and is an important driver for tourism businesses during the shoulder season.
The 2-day festival, which took place along the North Wall Quay on New Year’s Eve and Meeting House Square, Temple Bar on New Year’s Day, encourages domestic and international visitors to explore Dublin City.
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin TD said, “Festivals and events are important drivers for tourism throughout the year, but particularly during the winter months. The return of Fáilte Ireland’s New Year’s Festival this year encourages thousands of domestic and international visitors to come and explore the capital city over the festive season and experience the best of Irish music and entertainment.”
Ciara Sugrue, Head of Festivals at Fáilte Ireland said “New Year’s Festival was back in full swing this year, with a truly world-class line up of music, entertainment, and fun for all the family. Creating new and exciting reasons to visit is a crucial part of supporting tourism businesses during the shoulder season and Fáilte Ireland has developed the New Year’s Festival to position Dublin as a must-visit destination to ring in the New Year. This year’s festival was a flagship event in Fáilte Ireland’s Winter in Dublin programme and expected to attract 40,000 visitors to the capital over 2 days. This plays an important role in driving footfall in the city for the tourism and hospitality sector, supporting jobs and driving economic benefits for businesses in the city.”
Conor O’Kane, General Manager, Clayton Hotel Cardiff Lane added “New Year’s Festival Dublin is a really important fixture in the winter events calendar and helps to draw people from at home and abroad to Dublin during the quieter part of the winter season. This year’s event is the biggest yet, and has a very positive effect on bookings and footfall for businesses in the Docklands and throughout the city centre.”
The New Year’s Eve Celebrations commenced with a family friendly ‘Midnight Family Matinee’ on North Wall Quay, headlined by Gavin James with special guests Lyra and Brad Heidi.
The New Year’s Dublin Festival Village saw performances from The Blizzards, Tolü Makay, Bradley Marshall, Dara Quilty’s Bangers, 2FM’s Emma Power, Katie Phelan, Kingfishr and Rachel Mae Hannon. Westlife, supported by Gavin James and Lyra, headlined the midnight countdown on the main stage.
The celebrations on New Year’s Day continued in Meeting House Square in Temple Bar on New Year’s Day with performances by Liam Ó Maonlaí, Cormac Begley, Clare Sands, Lorraine Nash and The Pride Of Plains Marching Band.
