Dublin Christmas Market 2026 Dates at Twinkletown

Anyone picturing rows of wooden chalets under a cathedral spire should adjust that image now. The Dublin Christmas Market is really a festive village built around an ice rink, a Ferris wheel and a vintage fairground, aimed at families rather than at shoppers looking for handmade crafts. This year, it spans two sites for the first time.

Dublin Christmas Market 2026

Dates

Status: Confirmed
Northside: 20th November to 31st December 2026
Southside: 27th November to 23rd December 2026

Christmas at the Castle: Cancelled (back in 2027)

Update: Dates were announced in September. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified of changes.

Source: Verified by Ultimate Christmas Markets via Dublin City Council.

Plan Your Visit

Amenities and Attractions

Admission: Free.
Tickets: No.
Lights: DublinTown switches on the Grafton Street chandeliers from the Bewley’s balcony in mid November, with Henry Street, South William Street and Capel Street following days later.
Santa: Yes.
Ice skating: Tickets required.
Reason to visit: Family friendly, themed woolly hats, fun Christmas jumpers.

Dietary Options

Vegetarian: Plenty of options.
Vegan: Some options.
Gluten free: Some options.
Food specialities: Dublin coddle, boxty, seafood chowder, hot whiskey.

Accessibility

Accessible: Yes.
Pet-friendly: No.

Convenient Hotels

When in Dublin, I recommend staying at Zanzibar Locke. It’s on the riverfront, near O’Connell Street in the city centre. In this area, you’re near cafes, bars, shopping and sights while having easy access to festive events.

For additional options, read my guide to hotels in Dublin.

Interesting Tours

I recommend taking the Highlights and Hidden Gems walking tour in Dublin. You’ll discover interesting highlights about Dublin’s history as you stroll past significant sites like Dublin Castle, Christchurch Cathedral, and Trinity College.

Alternatively, you might like the Walking Street Food Tour. It’s a fantastic way to get acquainted with Dublin’s food scene. You’ll visit five local spots renowned for their traditional food, finishing with a stop at a favourite dessert spot.

Read our complete guide to the Irish Christmas Markets.

Visitor Feedback

What Visitors Loved

• Free entry to the whole site wins people over, and visitors consistently say the paid attractions are fairly priced compared with the food.
• Families get the most out of it. The ice rink, Ferris wheel and vintage fairground rides do more work than the stalls, and the panto is genuinely aimed at children rather than tacked on.
• The Spiegeltent programme draws praise for putting local Irish musicians and performers on a proper stage instead of piping carols through speakers.
• Getting there is easy despite the location, with the Luas dropping you at the edge of the square.

Common Complaints

• Food and drink pricing draws the sharpest criticism, with visitors reporting poor quality €5 mulled wine and small portions from some stalls.
• Anyone arriving from a German or Central European market finds it thin. The consensus is that this is a Christmas funfair with a market attached, not the other way around.
• Atmosphere divides opinion. Visitors between Christmas and New Year found the square underpopulated and short on the buzz the setting deserves.
• The location costs it. Smithfield sits about fifteen minutes on foot from the main tourist sights, so it does not pick up passing trade.

The Bottom Line

Go for the rides, the rink and an evening out with children, not for craft shopping or continental food, and you will have a good time. Eat before you arrive and treat the stalls as somewhere to buy a drink rather than dinner.

Christmas at the Castle

For six years, Christmas at the Castle filled the Dublin Castle courtyard with alpine style stalls, handcrafted decorations and a vintage carousel. It is not running in 2026. The Office of Public Works has closed the entire castle campus to the public while Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, and there is no through access from Dame Street to Ship Street for the duration.

Status: Cancelled
Location: Dublin Castle

Gifted, The Contemporary Craft and Design Fair

Ireland’s largest craft, design and artisan food fair, with over 400 makers and the Spectacular Christmas Food Emporium alongside. This is where to go if the main market leaves you wanting something more handmade.

Status: Confirmed
Dates: 2nd to 6th December 2026
Location: Main Hall Complex, RDS, Ballsbridge
Tickets: €15 adults, €12 concession at the box office, under 16s free with an adult. Available online.

Sustainable Craft Market

Held in and around the historic glasshouses at Glasnevin, with more than 80 stalls indoors and out. Every stallholder has to undergo an application process to prove their goods are ethically and sustainably produced, preferably made in Ireland, so this is the one market in the city where the sustainability claim is actually enforced.

Status: Expected, based on previous years
Dates: 13th and 14th December 2026
Location: National Botanic Gardens
Opening times: 10am to 4:30pm.

Wicklow – Near Dublin

Just a 45-minute drive from Dublin, Wicklow offers a beautiful setting that blends coastal charm with the stunning backdrop of the Wicklow Mountains.

Status: Expected, based on previous years
Dates: Weekends: 21st November to 20th December 2026
Location: The Murrough and Leitrim Place.
Opening times: Saturday and Sunday: 10am to 7:30pm.
Christmas Day: Closed.

Where to stay: The Bridge Tavern is a popular small hotel near Leitrim Place.

Read our complete guide to the Wicklow Christmas Market.

What to Expect

Expect bustling streets like Grafton Street and Henry Street, as well as beautifully decorated shop windows at Brown Thomas and Arnott’s. Local pubs like The Brazen Head and The Temple Bar have seasonal treats, such as mince pies and mulled wine, along with traditional hospitality marked by warm welcomes, lively conversations, and cosy atmospheres.

Local Specialties

• Dublin Coddle: sausages, rashers, onion and potato slowly simmered together, a working-class Dublin dish rarely found outside the city
• Irish Stew: tender lamb and root vegetables in a rich broth
• Boxty: griddled potato pancakes served with a savoury filling or apple sauce
• Soda Bread: baked fresh on the stalls to take home
• Seafood Chowder: rich and creamy, filled with fish and shellfish
• Hot Whiskey: whiskey, lemon, cloves and hot water, sweetened with honey

Gifts and Stocking Fillers

• Aran Sweaters: classic Irish knits, known for their intricate patterns and durability
• Celtic Jewellery: Trinity knot and Claddagh pieces representing love, loyalty and friendship
• Book of Kells Reproductions: copies of the illuminated gospels held at Trinity College
• Irish Whiskey: local distilleries have stalls at the market
• Connemara Marble: gifts made from a green stone found only in Ireland
• Irish Linen: everything from delicate handkerchiefs to embroidered tablecloths

Things to Do in Winter

• St Stephen’s Green: a peaceful escape from the busy city, and at its best on a cold, bright morning
• A traditional music session: nothing beats a cosy pub, a pint of Guinness and live music on a wet December evening
• Dublin Winter Lights: Dublin City Council illuminates 18 landmarks and Merrion Square Park across the city centre from late November
• National Gallery of Ireland: European and Irish art from the Middle Ages to the present day
• Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane: modern and contemporary work including Francis Bacon and Jack B Yeats
• EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum: the history of Irish emigration and the stories of the diaspora
• The Little Museum of Dublin: a quirky look at the city’s twentieth century

Sustainability

• Claim your container deposits: every plastic bottle and aluminium can carrying the Re-turn logo has a refundable deposit.
• Do not drive into the centre: private cars are banned from sections of the quays on either side of O’Connell Bridge from 7am to 7pm every day.
• Get a Leap Card: it works on Luas, Dublin Bus, and DART, and caps your spending for the day.
• Check the relaxed sessions: Dublin City Council is working towards becoming the world’s first autism-friendly capital, and, in consultation with the Irish autism charity AsIAm, it schedules quieter time slots at the ice rink. Worth asking about when you book.
• Shop the vetted markets: the Botanic Gardens market screens its stallholders for ethical and sustainable production, and the Rediscovery Centre in Ballymun, Ireland’s national centre for the circular economy, runs its own fair in early December.
• The lights are efficient: DublinTown’s displays across 25 city centre streets are low-energy LED lights on timers.