Dublin Winter Lights Festival moving from December to January

Dublin City Council Dublin Winter Lights Festival has been moved into the New Year, now ending at St Brigid's weekend signifying the beginning of Spring

Add to preferred sources What's On Stephen Holland Local Democracy Reporter 15:45, 22 Sep 2026 View 2 Images Dublin Winter Lights GPO

Dublin City Council Dublin Winter Lights Festival is being moved to January.

This citywide initiative illuminates buildings, bridges and landmarks across Dublin with dazzling displays at places like Merrion Park and the GPO, as well as light shows at Dublin Castle, Wolfe Tone Square, along the River Liffey and Meeting House Square. While the showcases typically begins in December, the council has announced it’s being moved into the New Year.

It will now start mid-January and finish on St. Brigid's/Imbolc public holiday weekend. This is because St. Brigid's Day traditionally signifies the start of Spring and the beginning of the return of light and longer days.

Lord Mayor Daryl Barron highlighted the festival as “a wintertime favourite for both locals and visitors”. “It will be fantastic to see the Festival brighten up Dublin city-centre as, for the first time ever, people will be able to enjoy seeing the city in all its sparkling glory in January and into Brigid's public holiday weekend,” he said.

“We anticipate this being a new successful departure for the festival and illuminating the city at that time of year will be of huge benefit to our citizens, workers, visitors and everyone else who uses the city!"

View 2 Images Dublin City Council Dublin Winter Lights winning artwork by Mya Byrne Archbold Hugh Lane Gallery (Image: Dublin City Council)

But that does not mean that Dublin City Council won’t be illuminating the city at Christmastime with lighting and projections. They also stated that details will be “forthcoming in due course” around initiatives like 'Feel Dublin City Twinkle this Christmas ' with the return of TwinkleTown and the Dublin City Council Twinkle Trail just to name a few.

Dublin Winter Lights Festival will celebrate national and international themes with innovative and imaginative light projections and installations to be seen throughout Dublin city-centre. Colourful projections, lighting displays and interactive experiences, created by leading national and international artists, will transform iconic landmarks, buildings, parks and locations along the River Liffey.

Tony Smithers, from Dublin City Council’s Events section said, “The 2027 festival will transform Dublin city-centre with fantastic locations, festival favourites and great interactive experiences.”

“The move to January and into Brigid's weekend will give the festival its own place in the city's events calendar. It will illuminate Dublin City in the shoulder season between Christmas and St. Patrick's Festival, bringing much needed light, activity and artistry to the city.

“We’re committed to achieving a low carbon footprint with use of LEDs, projections with low power requirements, battery storage for power, and hydrotreated vegetable oil as a fuel source and the 2027 festival will look to improve these elements wherever possible once again”.

Dublin City Council Dublin Winter Lights is a free festival, with over 250,000 people of all ages coming into the city-centre to enjoy the experience. Details on locations and the full programme of activities will be released in December.

This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme

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