Dublin's night-time economy chief ready to take things to the next level in 2026
Dublin’s night-time economy saw major strides in 2025, with plans crank things up to “the next step” in 2026.
That’s according to Night Time Economy Advisor Ray O'Donoghue who outlined the achievements of the Night-Time Economy Strategy for Dublin city councillors. This strategy aims to revitalise the capital’s night-time economy and was first launched in October 2024.
Now over a year since its inception, Mr O’Donoghue revealed the council has led over 200 cultural events for a total audience of more than 200,000 people. This includes later night cultural initiatives like the first St. Patrick’s After Dark festival, the Culture Night Late Trail, the Liberties Festival Talking Shop, and Dublin by Night Fest.
Dublin by Night Fest alone saw over 80,000 people revelling on the city streets in a demonstration of the night-time economy’s ability to bring people together for diverse, family-friendly events. Running from 6 to 10 o’clock, music, arts and culture, food and shopping were booming last November 1.
One example of cross city collaboration is the upcoming New Year’s Eve festival, which is happening in partnership with Failte Ireland. This includes a free music trail across multiple city locations, which aims to reinforce Dublin as a prime New Year’s destination for citizens and tourists alike.
There’s also been new safety infrastructure which addresses the potential dangers of being out late at night in Dublin. The pilot programme for the Dublin Nights Help Zone , affectionately known as "The Nee-Naw," is staffed by a dedicated team of medics, a welfare officer, and trained security staff who offer people a safe space and assistance on nights out.
A major tenet of the strategy is to strengthen coordination across gardaí, transport, cultural, and hospitality agencies as late-night culture thrives while safety in the city remains a priority. This includes better transport services in the early hours of the morning through the 15 bus routes operating 24 hours a day and 12 Nitelinks.
Mr O’Donoghue also outlined increased coordination efforts with the NTA and Iarnrod Eireann for major events. There’s also been early engagement with taxi companies for the future late-night collaboration initiatives.
A primary goal for 2026 includes expanding the New-Naw, with Mr O’Donoghue indicating it could have a semi-permanent launch in Q2 2026 after funding for next year is secured. He cited a need to secure funds from the Department of Justice, Dublin City Council , and potentially the private sector.
The key priorities of the for the Night-Time Economy Strategy 2026 include:
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