'Dublin by Dusk' — pubs, hotels and clubs in Dublin to stay open later once a month through new initiative
Hotels, pubs, restaurants and other venues across Dublin will stay open later in the evenings once a month starting the end of May.
A big push to the city’s night-time strategy, the Dawn to Dusk initiative will see establishments across the city extend their opening time on the last Thursday of every month starting May 28.
“Dublin by Dusk is about encouraging more people to engage with the city earlier in the evening, while showcasing the breadth of what Dublin has to offer across culture, hospitality and retail,” said Dublin City Council’s (DCC) night-time economy advisor, Ray O’Donoghue.
"By bringing these elements together in a more joined-up way, we can create a stronger evening offer that supports cultural venues, pubs, clubs, promoters and the wider businesses that are central to Dublin’s night-time economy.”
The initiative will see a mix of events running late into the night. It will see a number cultural events, offers and discounts across pubs and restaurants.
This will include later opening hours at the National Gallery, the National Library, the Photographic Archives and the Book of Kells experience. It will also introduce “experiences" like pottery and UV Painting in the dark and evening events in venues like Bewley’s and Wren’s Urban Nest.
“The nighttime economy starts at 6pm – so we’ll see a lot of places that normally close around that time stay open later into the night,” said Mr O’Donoghue.
“The aim is to showcase the breadth of what’s already happening across the city, from cultural access to more social, creative and late-opening experiences, all brought together into a more visible and coordinated programme.”
The initiative was set up by DCC with the Department of Culture, Fáilte Ireland and Dublin Town.
It follows earlier intitiatives including Dublin Nights Mapped and Dublin by Night festival where work went into connecting cultural programming, transport and safety measures as part of the city’s night-time economy strategy.
“In terms of safety, the most recent ‘Your Dublin Your Voice’ survey shows that over 40pc of people now report feeling safe in the city at night,” said Mr O’Donoghue.
“This is the highest level recorded in 15 years. This is a notable increase from 31pc when the night-time economy strategy was launched 18 months ago and reflects a positive shift in public confidence as the city continues to evolve its evening and night-time offer.”
A full list of the venues and businesses involved in the initiative will be announced closer to the opening date.
“We’re working with everyone on this. There’s quite a bit to do now in Dublin after 6pm – when we mapped Dublin night events in January, there were 300,000 events across the city,” he added.
“Then we did Dublin by Night Fest [where 80,000 people attended], which was a one-off big night that really worked – so we decided why don’t we try and do a monthly where we get people to come into the city from early evening to late at night to experience it all.”