Dublin Event Guide 443: Christmas Market, Glow, Dublin Flea Market, World Fusion Sunday Market

To help you with your Christmas entertainment and Christmas shopping, the Dublin Event Guide (for Free Events) has a comprehensive list of all (free) Christmas Markets in Greater Dublin for you!

The first markets start on 22 Nov and the longest run is until 03 January.

Check it out at www.dublinchristmasmarkets.com and tell all your friends!

If you are involved with any Christmas Market that is not listed there, just send a mail to dublineventguide@gmail.com with the subject XMAS and I will look at your event and include it in the list if it fits.

The Christmas Kingdom Market in Malahide will run until 03 January on the following dates 27-29 Nov/4-6 Dec/11-13 Dec (Fri 14:00-20:00, Sat+Sun 10:00-20:00) and then daily 18-23 Dec (10:00-20:00) and 26 Dec-03 Jan (10:00-20:00).

Visiting the Craft Village and the Food Village is free, Ice Rink and Santa Visit cost money.

Reports from the Craft & Food Village are not blowing me away. Maybe the market didn’t work out as planned because it was initially cancelled and got only saved in the last minute. Alternatively it is could be just one of these badly thought out Christmas Markets in Ireland.

The “Designer Dublin” Christmas Market will feature stalls by 30 designers and craftspeople. It will take place on Friday and Saturday on the forecourt of the Bank of Ireland at College Green (opposite Trinity College).

There will be Fashion, Jewellery, Toys, Craft & Food items. On Saturday, a brass band will play and Santa will appear at some stage.

Admission is free,

The Dun Laoghaire Christmas Festival is this year taking place at the new location near the Maritime Museum. It runs from Thursdays to Sundays every week until 24 Dec.

With 20 stalls selling food and crafts, it is not one of the bigger markets but nestled between the new LexIcon library and the Maritime Museum it might have a better chance to create some Christmas atmosphere than the location at “The Metals” (near the Pavilion Theatre) was able to. Admission is free.

The Maritime Museum will also be involved this year and will host some events, but it seems that none of these events are free.

The outdoor children’s amusements that comes with Christmas in Dun Laoghaire will be on Harbour Plaza.

Opening hours of the market are: Thu+Fri 17:30-20:30, Sat+Sun 10:00-18:00

From Thurs until Saturday 10-12 December the designer/maker-organised “Wilde Design Fair” pop-up event will showcase unique, original, Irish design-led Christmas gifts.

At George’s Dock and at the side of the CHQ building will be this year’s main Christmas market for Dublin. There is a Christmas Village (elsehwere you call that a Christmas Market!) and admission to it is free.

The market runs every day from 26 Nov-23 Dec (Mon-Fri: 11:00-21:00, Sat: 10:00-21:00, Sun 10:00-20:00).

The Christmas Market will be on the platform in George’s Dock and at the side of the CHQ building. There are also a small number of pop-up-shops and some activities in the CHQ building.

There is a lot of good, but also bad about that market. My opinion about it and other markets is here, but I would say the I Believe market is probably the best market in Dublin (the competition is not overly strong, though!), so I suggest you check it out and decide for yourself!

The Live Animal Crib at Mansion House is a yearly Christmas feature. It will be open from 08 Dec until Christmas Eve and is brought to you in association with the Irish Farmers Association.

And just in case you are worried: The animals in the crib are brought there in the morning and brought back home in the evening, so they are looked after well.

Admission is free, but donations for the charity “Mansion House Fuel Fund” are appreciated.

The Christmas version of the Dublin Flea Market is much larger than the monthly market and with 120 stalls, the Dublin Food Co-op is not enough. The guys who organise the market found a venue in Dublin 8, but that fell through last minute (see Dublin News section of this Dublin Event Guide) and it looked bad for the market, but all was saved when a new venue was found on Thursday or Friday.

The market will now take place indoors in one of the buildings at the Point Village, opposite the Point Depot/3Arena. It is one of the biggest arts&Crafts market this Christmas, so don’t miss it!

Opening hours are Fri 11 Dec: 12:00-19:00 and then Sat+Sun 12+13 Dec: 11:00-18:00.

The Mart Christmas Market will only have 10 stalls, but there will be new traders every day, so you can come a number of times and get new ideas and buy great presents every time.

Expect Art, Design, Craft, Knits/Fashion and Jewellery.

The market will run for 8 days from 11-13 December and then again from 17-21 December (from 12:00-19:00 every day).

The Temple Bar Christmas & Book Market is an extension and expansion of the weekly (small) Book Market on Temple Bar Square. Craft stalls are added to the market.

It was planned to run on the three weekends 05+06/12+13/19+20 Dec, but because of the storms this weekend, the market on 05+06 Dec has been cancelled and instead moved to Thurs and Friday (10+11 Dec).

Admission is free.

The Green Door Market is a new indoor food/Farmer’s Market that takes place just a few doors down from the Dublin Food Co-op at Newmarket in Dublin 8. Admission is free.

Opening hours are Thu-Fri 12:00-19:00 and Sat 09:30-16:00.

Jerry O’Reilly will talk about “Early Classic Ballads In The Irish Song Tradition”. The talk will also feature a mixture of live and archive recordings. It will provide a background for a concert later on the same evening.

Admission is free and no booking required.

The three city centre contemporary art galleries, Project Arts Centre, Temple Bar Gallery + Studios and the Douglas Hyde Gallery are running their next guided walking tour that takes place across these venues on Friday. The tours introduce their current exhibitions to everybody who is interested. The whole tour will take about 60 minutes with 15-20 minute tours taking place in each gallery.

Beginning at Project Arts Centre, you will be introduced to the new exhibition Gretchen Bender. You will then be guided to the next venue, Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, for an introduction to Charlotte Prodger’s solo exhibition Stoneymollan Trail. Finally, the tour will end at the Douglas Hyde Gallery, where you will be guided through the exhibition of artists Serge Charcoune and Merlin James.

Admission is free, but booking is required via the website HERE.

Some additional Christmas events will happen in O’Connell Street from Thursday-Sunday over two weekends. (10-13/17-20 December).

There will be performances, puppet shows, storytelling, singing. Christmas Kraoke, drumming workshops and dancing.

A highlight is Ireland’s premier aerial circus company “Fidget Feet”, who will present theatre in the sky as mischievous elves climb O’Connell Street buildings and cranes. Twelve aerial dancers will impress the audience and on Sunday (15:00) even a flying Santa Clause will appear.

Admission is free.

To mark the 750th anniversary of the birth of Dante Alighieri and to give you a chance to revisit his masterpiece, a reading of “Paradiso” will take place on Friday.

Admission is free and people are welcome to come and leave as required.

Ahead of performances in Dublin, London and New York in 2016, you will get a sneak preview of the Academy’s 2016 commemorative project, which will be artistically led by pianist Iain Burnside.

Admission is free, but booking via the website below is required.

The personalised (!) short film “Santa & The Starkeeper” (5 min) will be screened every day at Dundrum Town Centre and the remarkable difference to other screening is that it will be screened on Ireland’s only Waterscreen (!!), which is in the Mill Pond at Dundrum Town Centre.

The screening will happen every 20 minutes from 16:40 until Christmas. Admission is free.

The Dublin Institute of Advanced Studies is celebrating their 75th anniversary and the talk “Mathematics vs astronomy in early medieval Ireland” by Dr Immo Warntjes (Queen’s University Belfast) is part of the festival programme.

Admission is free, but booking is required via this Eventbrite Link HERE.

The Dublin Simon Community is inviting you to their “Simon House of Light” festival at the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre in South William Street, which is an important fundraiser for the Simon Community.

It is a three day festival (Thurs 10 – Sat 12 Dec) every day from 17:00-22:00 with music and light projections onto the front of the building. There will also be the Hamley’s Christmas Toy hunt, visits to Santa, live music, street performances and even some celebrity volunteers.

The live music performers that have been rumoured are Key West, Wyvern Lingo, The U-Band, Penrose, Lucan Gospel Choir, Culwick Choral Society. (Unfortunately the guys at the Simon Community are a little held back regarding their social media communication and haven’t told us who and when.)

Admission is free. Funds are raised through collections.

Home Decor and Design Shop “Lyón Loring” got together with like-minded companies in food and other sectors to create a boutique Christmas Market for you. It will run on 27-29 Nov, 03-05/11-13 Dec (Fri: 17:30-21:30, Sat: 11:00-17:00, Sun 12:00-16:00).

Admission is free.

The Irish Astronomical Society is inviting all amateur astronomers and their friends to their Christmas event that will include a talk on the “Trials and Tribulations of Amateur Astronomy” by Michael O’Connell and a poetry reading with a focus on the night sky by poet and IAS vice president Peter Denman. And if the weather is ok, there will also be some time for observing the night sky. Light refreshments will be available including mince pies and plenty of chat before a warm log fire.

Admission is free, but booking is required HERE.

The Jumptones play Roackabilly from the 1950s.

Admission is free.

The Stillorgan Orchard has live music every Friday and Saturday. Many of the performers are established and very good bands. The upcoming gigs are detailed on the website below. Admission is always free.

That’s some line-up if you like Bluegrass and Americana:

Prison Love and support Dublin Bluegrass Collective are in Sin E for a gig on Friday. And even if Bluegrass is not your thing, if you want to experience some talented musicians and singers, go to this gig.

Admission is free.

I wish I could go!

Soul & Party band “Santoria” will perform in the Raheny Inn.

Admission seems to be free.

The 10 piece Ska band “Gangsters” will perform live in the Grand Social for the “The Selecter” Aftershow Party. The Pauline Black led UK Ska legends “The Selecter” are playing in the Academy and afterwards the Grand Social is the place to go. Following the live gig will Ska Patrol DJs.

Admission is free.

Pop-Punk bands “Glassgears” and “Beware of You” are performing in Whelan’s “Midnight Hour”.

Admission is free if you are there before 22:30 or if you sign up for the guest list.

AC/DC tribute band IE/DC will play a gig in The Mezz on Friday.

Admission is free.

A weekly car boot sale, one of less than a handful that is still reliably taking place, has up to 200 cars/sellers. The stadium is just a few minutes walk from the Red LUAS line stop and numerous bus stops. For traders the Car Boot Sale opens at 06:30 for buyers from 08:00. If you are interested in selling, check the details and register on their website.

To help you with your Christmas entertainment and Christmas shopping, the Dublin Event Guide (for Free Events) has a comprehensive list of all (free) Christmas Markets in Greater Dublin for you!

The first markets start on 22 Nov and the longest run is until 03 January.

Check it out at www.dublinchristmasmarkets.com and tell all your friends!

If you are involved with any Christmas Market that is not listed there, just send a mail to dublineventguide@gmail.com with the subject XMAS and I will look at your event and include it in the list if it fits.

The weekly Honest2goodness food market in Glasnevin has fresh meat, vegetables, fish, baked goods, and wines. It is open from 09:30-16:00. It is behind Lidl in the Industrial Estate just after the Glasnevin Cemetary coming from the City Centre.

Parkrun Ireland is organising free weekly runs in parks. It is a timed run over 5km and participation is completely free, but registration before your first parkrun is required.

A whole range of Parkruns take place every week (and if you know some more, please tell me):
+ Malahide Park, Dublin Road, Malahide, Co. Dublin
+ Cabinteely Park, Old Bray Road, Cabinteely, Dublin 18
+ Shanganagh Park, Shankill, Co. Dublin
+ Marlay Park, Grange Road, Rathfarnham, Dublin, Co. Dublin

The SuperNatural Food Market is taking place every Saturday from 09:30-15:30 in St. Andrews Resource Centre in Pearse Street, Dublin 2.

The Green Door Market is a new indoor food/Farmer’s Market that takes place just a few doors down from the Dublin Food Co-op at Newmarket in Dublin 8. Admission is free.

Opening hours are Thu-Fri 12:00-19:00 and Sat 09:30-16:00.

From 10:00-13:30 there will be a variety of workshops in the French Library giving children and grown-ups the chance to create and bring home something they made themselves and to discover Christmas decorations and gift ideas.

A Disco Brunch with French Christmas food and a DJ set will happen in the café La Cocotte during the workshops.

Around 13:30 the workshops will end and everybody is invited to share French Christmas drinks with the Alliance Francaise staff.

The Belgard Weekend Market is an indoor market with stalls with handcraft (incl. designer jewellery, aran jumpers and wool, christening robes and shawls, cards and cross stitch), household items, bric and brac, furniture, flowers, make-up, clothes, shoes, showers, upholstery, toys, kitchens, cafe, army memorabilia, collectors items, sweets, handbags books, blinds, party shop, tools and more.

It is open every Saturday and Sunday and is located in the Glen Abbey complex (opposite Jacobs) on Belgard Road.

Every weekend before Christmas (05+06/12+13/19+20 Dec) the Farmleigh House Christmas programme will bring you lots of things to do for the whole family.

Storytelling Sessions, Carol Singing, Puppet Shows and Barbershop Singers will take place and all is free. On Sundays, Horse&Carriage rides are also provided.

And on top of that, there will be a food and craft market every Saturday and Sunday from 10:00-17:00.

The full schedule can be found via the website below, or you can download the PDF brochure HERE.

To give you a rough idea, here is the outline of the programme for the weekend:

10:00-17:00 Food & Craft Market
10:00-17:00 Festive Crib
12:00-16:00 Christmas Puppet Shows at 12:00/13:45/15:30 (Duration: 30 min)
12:45-17:00 Storytelling for CHildren at 12:45/14:30/16:15 (Duration: 45 min)
— and it continues on Saturday with
13:00-15:00 Christmas Carol Singing
14:00-16:00 Festive Barbershop Meoldies with The Mellowchords
— and on Sunday the programme is slightly different:
13:30-15:30 Christmas Carol Singing
12:00-16:00 Festive Barbershop Meoldies with The Mellowchords
13:00-16:00 Horse & Carriage Rides

The Carol Singers this week are the People’s College Choir on Saturday and the Dublin Welsh Male Voice Choir on Sunday.

The Christmas Kingdom Market in Malahide will run until 03 January on the following dates 27-29 Nov/4-6 Dec/11-13 Dec (Fri 14:00-20:00, Sat+Sun 10:00-20:00) and then daily 18-23 Dec (10:00-20:00) and 26 Dec-03 Jan (10:00-20:00).

Visiting the Craft Village and the Food Village is free, Ice Rink and Santa Visit cost money.

Reports from the Craft & Food Village are not blowing me away. Maybe the market didn’t work out as planned because it was initially cancelled and got only saved in the last minute. Alternatively it is could be just one of these badly thought out Christmas Markets in Ireland.

“Design it” is an exhibition exploring design in a child’s world and it is part of Irish Design 2015.

The exhibition and a range of (non-free) events will introduce children to the process of design, illustrating how designers take an idea and then make it a reality.

The Ark have challenged five Irish designers to create new products for children, taking inspiration from iconic children’s toys, furniture and textiles.The Design It exhibition recreates each designer’s individual studio giving us a glimpse at their working practices, using their sketches, photographs and working prototypes, to reveal how they get from an initial idea to the final product.

Admission is free and no booking is required.

The exhibition will be open every Saturday from 7 Nov – 16 Jan (closed Sat 26 Dec) from 10:00-17:00. It will also open on Sundays 22 Nov & 6, 13, 20 Dec from 12:00-16:00.

The “Designer Dublin” Christmas Market will feature stalls by 30 designers and craftspeople. It will take place on Friday and Saturday on the forecourt of the Bank of Ireland at College Green (opposite Trinity College).

There will be Fashion, Jewellery, Toys, Craft & Food items. On Saturday, a brass band will play and Santa will appear at some stage.

Admission is free,

The Dun Laoghaire Christmas Festival is this year taking place at the new location near the Maritime Museum. It runs from Thursdays to Sundays every week until 24 Dec.

With 20 stalls selling food and crafts, it is not one of the bigger markets but nestled between the new LexIcon library and the Maritime Museum it might have a better chance to create some Christmas atmosphere than the location at “The Metals” (near the Pavilion Theatre) was able to. Admission is free.

The Maritime Museum will also be involved this year and will host some events, but it seems that none of these events are free.

The outdoor children’s amusements that comes with Christmas in Dun Laoghaire will be on Harbour Plaza.

Opening hours of the market are: Thu+Fri 17:30-20:30, Sat+Sun 10:00-18:00

At George’s Dock and at the side of the CHQ building will be this year’s main Christmas market for Dublin. There is a Christmas Village (elsehwere you call that a Christmas Market!) and admission to it is free.

The market runs every day from 26 Nov-23 Dec (Mon-Fri: 11:00-21:00, Sat: 10:00-21:00, Sun 10:00-20:00).

The Christmas Market will be on the platform in George’s Dock and at the side of the CHQ building. There are also a small number of pop-up-shops and some activities in the CHQ building.

There is a lot of good, but also bad about that market. My opinion about it and other markets is here, but I would say the I Believe market is probably the best market in Dublin (the competition is not overly strong, though!), so I suggest you check it out and decide for yourself!

Jamestown Flea Market + Car Boot Sale takes place every Sat+Sun from 10:00-17:00. You can reach it from Tyrconnell Road and from Kylemore Road and it is within 3 min from Black Horse stop on the red Luas line. There is free parking.

The County Council Market (CoCo) in Marlay Park is taking place every Saturday and Sunday. You will find a wide range of products. There will be food to eat there and food to cook at home but also crafts and arts and books and lots more.

The Temple Bar Markets (Food Market on Meeting House Square, Book Market on Temple Bar Square and the Designer Mart near Cow’s Lane) are taking place every Saturday from 10:00-16:30.

From Thurs until Saturday 10-12 December the designer/maker-organised “Wilde Design Fair” pop-up event will showcase unique, original, Irish design-led Christmas gifts.

This is not really a free event, but it is kind of free …in return for a toy for the St Vincent de Paul charity.

City Sightseeing Dublin are offering a free Tour of the City on their Hop on Hop Off Bus for the whole family (max 4) as part of the Santa Toy Drive. Register and turn up with an unwrapped toy that they will donate to SVP.

All the information is available on the website below. The tour takes place at 10:30 and 13:30.

Discover the beautiful restored Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden and learn about growing your own fruit and vegetables, herbs and lots more. Meet OPW professional gardeners Brian and Meeda at the Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden. They have lots of advice to plan your perfect garden for the winter season.

Admission is free and car parking is available.

The Victorian Walled Kitchen Garden is located next to the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre, and the Phoenix Café. The OPW professional gardeners are on site on the second Saturday of every month.

At the Blackrock Market in the centre of Blackrock, you’ll find 50 stalls selling collectibles, antiques, handmade goods, books, food & there’s free popcorn, ballons & facepainting for the kids.
Open on Saturdays and Bank Holidays: 11:00-17:30, and Sundays: 12:00-17:30.

The Christmas version of the Dublin Flea Market is much larger than the monthly market and with 120 stalls, the Dublin Food Co-op is not enough. The guys who organise the market found a venue in Dublin 8, but that fell through last minute (see Dublin News section of this Dublin Event Guide) and it looked bad for the market, but all was saved when a new venue was found on Thursday or Friday.

The market will now take place indoors in one of the buildings at the Point Village, opposite the Point Depot/3Arena. It is one of the biggest arts&Crafts market this Christmas, so don’t miss it!

Opening hours are Fri 11 Dec: 12:00-19:00 and then Sat+Sun 12+13 Dec: 11:00-18:00.

An Intercultural Tour in Mandarin Language with Community Ambassador Vicky Wang will take place.

Admission is free.

The Live Animal Crib at Mansion House is a yearly Christmas feature. It will be open from 08 Dec until Christmas Eve and is brought to you in association with the Irish Farmers Association.

And just in case you are worried: The animals in the crib are brought there in the morning and brought back home in the evening, so they are looked after well.

Admission is free, but donations for the charity “Mansion House Fuel Fund” are appreciated.

Home Decor and Design Shop “Lyón Loring” got together with like-minded companies in food and other sectors to create a boutique Christmas Market for you. It will run on 27-29 Nov, 03-05/11-13 Dec (Fri: 17:30-21:30, Sat: 11:00-17:00, Sun 12:00-16:00).

Admission is free.

The Terenure Village Market has moved to Bushy Park and is from now on a weekly market.

The market has now grown to 40 stalls offering a whole variety of foods and crafts.

Admission is free.

The yearly Funderland at the RDS comes with a Christmas Market again. Don’t expect toooo much from it, though! The focus is on Funderland.

In previous years there was not much arts & crafts at all, but there were some German stalls selling food. The market opens on Sat 12 Dec and will run every day until 10 Jan, so we will find out soon how good (or not) this year’s market is.

In addition to the typical Funderland attractions (from 17 Dec), there will be an Ice Rink, Santa’s Grotto and Fosset’s Christmas Circus. It wasn’t very well promoted this year, so Funderland will probably work as well as previously (it is a decade long institution every Christmas), but the success of the other features remains to be seen.

Admission to the Christmas Market and Funderland (pay as you go) is free. Circus, Santa and Ice Rink bookings can be made via the website below.

Three free Yoga sessions take place in MVP in Dublin 8 every Saturday and every Sunday. The times are 12:00, 13:00 and 14:00 and the duration is 1 hour. At every session only 8 places are available, so get your bookings in early (you can book weeks in advance).

The sessions can be booked following these links:

+ 11:00-12:00
+ 12:00-13:00
+ 13:00-14:00

Classes are open level, so everyone is welcome. The Yoga Union is run by Love8.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings focusing on highlights of the European and Irish Collection every day of the week. Check their website for details.

The Bray Beach Christmas Market, an indoor Christmas in the The Harbour Bar in Bray, will be open on Sat (12 Dec) and Sun (13 Dec).

You find lots of things there, from clothes to cakes, vinyl to skincare and crystals to photography.

Admission is free.

The weekly Ha’penny Flea Market is an indoor market in the Grand Social Pub, which offers vintage Men and Women’s clothing, contemporary crafts, books, DVDs, vinyl records, vintage and handmade jewellery, vintage hair styles, art, photography and much more. Grand Social’s Bar and Gourmet Coffee options are available.

The Mart Christmas Market will only have 10 stalls, but there will be new traders every day, so you can come a number of times and get new ideas and buy great presents every time.

Expect Art, Design, Craft, Knits/Fashion and Jewellery.

The market will run for 8 days from 11-13 December and then again from 17-21 December (from 12:00-19:00 every day).

The Temple Bar Christmas & Book Market is an extension and expansion of the weekly (small) Book Market on Temple Bar Square. Craft stalls are added to the market.

It will run on the three weekends 05+06/12+13/19+20 Dec.

Admission is free.

How does trauma affect the brain, the body, the national psyche or all three? How do buildings, bodies, artworks and stories record the traumas of our past? How do we bounce back after a trauma?

The exhibition “Trauma – Built to Break” (20 Nov – 21 Feb) in the Science Gallery is exploring the biological, psychological and societal aspects of trauma. As a sudden, violent, stressful event, trauma can be short-lived or long-lasting with impacts that range from deeply personal to universal.

Like all Science Gallery exhibitions, TRAUMA is suitable for all ages and while younger children might need some further explanation, there are lots of exhibits that can easily explained.

The Science Gallery mediators are helpers (usually students or graduates) that know the whole exhibition inside out and are very happy to help with a lot more information than the little labels at the exhibits can provide. Use their excellent service!

The Science Gallery has very visitor friendly opening hours of Tue-Fri 12:00-20:00 and Sat+Sun 12:00-18:00.
Admission is free.

Archive at Lunchtime screenings take place Saturdays (Double Bill), Mondays and Wednesdays. The programme is changing weekly now (instead of monthly as in the past). To find out what film(s) will be screened go to www.ifi.ie/whatson/now-showing-coming-soon/ and look for “Archive at Lunchtime” on the right. Admission is free.

“These Are a Few of My Favourite Things” is the title of a Walking Tour that Emily Gallagher will run every Saturday. It will be an Alternative Arts and Culture Trail and she will bring you to “Dublin’s Best Cafes, Bars, Markets, Unusual Stores, Galleries, Theatres, Arts Spaces, and more! And hear some tales you’ve never heard before!”

Meeting point is at the Spire. The tours are free but donations are welcome and booking is required via myfavouritesdublincitywalktour@gmail.com or 085-2725095

Niall de Burca will be in the National Library for a storytelling session for all ages.

Admission is free and all are welcome.

The Tara Kadampa Buddhist Centre is inviting to a Christmas Fair on Saturday.

They will have coffe, cakes, “reindeer food” ;-), crafts, arts, books, pictures, meditation CDs etc.

Admission is free.

An Intercultural Tour in Irish Language with Community Ambassador Jack FitzGerald will take place.

Admission is free.

Some additional Christmas events will happen in O’Connell Street from Thursday-Sunday over two weekends. (10-13/17-20 December).

There will be performances, puppet shows, storytelling, singing. Christmas Kraoke, drumming workshops and dancing.

A highlight is Ireland’s premier aerial circus company “Fidget Feet”, who will present theatre in the sky as mischievous elves climb O’Connell Street buildings and cranes. Twelve aerial dancers will impress the audience and on Sunday (15:00) even a flying Santa Clause will appear.

Admission is free.

Join the Dead Zoo Winter Trail challenge tour and discover what animals will be hibernating here and abroad.

Admission is free and no booking required. Suitable for ages 7+.

GLOW Fest is coming back to Smithfield Square in its second year. It is an event for the whole family and has themes of winter and light.

Here is what you can expect:
+ Glow Tent with camp fire stories, music, comedy (14:00-16:00) and kids disco (16:00-18:00)
+ Fireflies: A light installation on Smithfield Square
+ Big Screen Pictionary
+ Glow Workshops
+ Outdoor Performances

Admission to all events is free. Find out more on the Facebook Page below.

Glow was meant to take place last Saturday and had to be postponed due to the bad weather, but it will definitely go ahead this weekend.

The Annual Ecumenical Carol Singing on the steps of the Mansion House is organised by the Diocesan Council for Mission and the Archdiocese Office for Evangelisation & Ecumenism and it will take place this Saturday. The singing will be led by Crumlin Community Choir (St. Agnes’ Community Centre for Music and the Arts).

There will also be seasonal readings given by the Mayor, Eileen Dunne (RTE), Ger Brennan (former Dublin Inter–County Player and All Ireland Winner) and Iva Beranek (Church’s Ministry of Healing).

Everyone is invited to come and join in the singing of favourite carols and seasonal songs.

Admission is free.

Cantóirí is an a cappella choir and their repertoire spans centuries and styles, from Renaissance to the 21st century. They have a particular focus on folk music from around the globe and will sing Christmas Carols on Saturday in the Chester Beatty Library.

Admission is free.

The short film “Santa & The Starkeeper” (5 min) will be screened every day at Dundrum Town Centre and the remarkable difference to other screening is that it will be screened on Ireland’s only Waterscreen (!!), which is the Mill Pond at Dundrum Town Centre.

The screening will happen every 20 minutes from 16:40 until Christmas. Admission is free.

The Dublin Simon Community is inviting you to their “Simon House of Light” festival at the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre in South William Street, which is an important fundraiser for the Simon Community.

It is a three day festival (Thurs 10 – Sat 12 Dec) every day from 17:00-22:00 with music and light projections onto the front of the building. There will also be the Hamley’s Christmas Toy hunt, visits to Santa, live music, street performances and even some celebrity volunteers.

The live music performers that have been rumoured are Key West, Wyvern Lingo, The U-Band, Penrose, Lucan Gospel Choir, Culwick Choral Society. (Unfortunately the guys at the Simon Community are a little held back regarding their social media communication and haven’t told us who and when.)

Admission is free. Funds are raised through collections.

The 6-piece Family band with the brilliant name “It’s All Relative” is playing a free gig in Mother Reilly’s on Saturday.

This is a weekly Saturday night live music event event downstairs in the Wine Cave of KC Peaches Cafe. Food will be served until 21:30 and wine, minerals & music will be available until later. Admission is free and a donation into a hat at the end of the evening is appreciated.

The Bang Bang Band is playing covers and mashups from the last 40 years.

Admission is free.

The Jazz Cafe has live Jazz, Blues and Soul music performances every Saturday. Ther performers this week will be Liza Nelson (vocals) and August Korsgaard (piano).

Admission is free.

Jazz on the Green is provided every Saturday in the bar of the Fitzwilliam Hotel. Admission is free.

This week Lisa Jameson (vocals) and Dario Rodighiero (piano) will perform.

The Stillorgan Orchard has live music every Friday and Saturday. Many of the performers are established and very good bands. The upcoming gigs are detailed on the website below. Admission is always free.

Robert Coyle is performing his new show “Being Wrong is Right with Robert Coyle” in Accents Cafe.

Doors open at 20:00, the show starts at 21:30 and finishes at 23:00.

Admission is free, but donations are welcome.

The Bionic Rats (Reggae, Ska and Rocksteady) are booked for the midnight slot in The Mezz.

Admission is free.

To help you with your Christmas entertainment and Christmas shopping, the Dublin Event Guide (for Free Events) has a comprehensive list of all (free) Christmas Markets in Greater Dublin for you!

The first markets start on 22 Nov and the longest run is until 03 January.

Check it out at www.dublinchristmasmarkets.com and tell all your friends!

If you are involved with any Christmas Market that is not listed there, just send a mail to dublineventguide@gmail.com with the subject XMAS and I will look at your event and include it in the list if it fits.

The Belgard Weekend Market is an indoor market with stalls with handcraft (incl. designer jewellery, aran jumpers and wool, christening robes and shawls, cards and cross stitch), household items, bric and brac, furniture, flowers, make-up, clothes, shoes, showers, upholstery, toys, kitchens, cafe, army memorabilia, collectors items, sweets, handbags books, blinds, party shop, tools and more.

It is open every Saturday and Sunday and is located in the Glen Abbey complex (opposite Jacobs) on Belgard Road.

There will be a Christmas Market on Sunday in the Botanic Gardens and Santa will come. Santa visits will start at 13:30 and are free but ticketed (Tickets will be available on Sunday from the Visitor Centre.)

Admission is free.

Every weekend before Christmas (05+06/12+13/19+20 Dec) the Farmleigh House Christmas programme will bring you lots of things to do for the whole family.

Storytelling Sessions, Carol Singing, Puppet Shows and Barbershop Singers will take place and all is free. On Sundays, Horse&Carriage rides are also provided.

And on top of that, there will be a food and craft market every Saturday and Sunday from 10:00-17:00.

The full schedule can be found via the website below, or you can download the PDF brochure HERE.

To give you a rough idea, here is the outline of the programme for the weekend:

10:00-17:00 Food & Craft Market
10:00-17:00 Festive Crib
12:00-16:00 Christmas Puppet Shows at 12:00/13:45/15:30 (Duration: 30 min)
12:45-17:00 Storytelling for CHildren at 12:45/14:30/16:15 (Duration: 45 min)
— and it continues on Saturday with
13:00-15:00 Christmas Carol Singing
14:00-16:00 Festive Barbershop Meoldies with The Mellowchords
— and on Sunday the programme is slightly different:
13:30-15:30 Christmas Carol Singing
12:00-16:00 Festive Barbershop Meoldies with The Mellowchords
13:00-16:00 Horse & Carriage Rides

The Carol Singers this week are the People’s College Choir on Saturday and the Dublin Welsh Male Voice Choir on Sunday.

The Christmas Kingdom Market in Malahide will run until 03 January on the following dates 27-29 Nov/4-6 Dec/11-13 Dec (Fri 14:00-20:00, Sat+Sun 10:00-20:00) and then daily 18-23 Dec (10:00-20:00) and 26 Dec-03 Jan (10:00-20:00).

Visiting the Craft Village and the Food Village is free, Ice Rink and Santa Visit cost money.

Reports from the Craft & Food Village are not blowing me away. Maybe the market didn’t work out as planned because it was initially cancelled and got only saved in the last minute. Alternatively it is could be just one of these badly thought out Christmas Markets in Ireland.

“Design it” is an exhibition exploring design in a child’s world and it is part of Irish Design 2015.

The exhibition and a range of (non-free) events will introduce children to the process of design, illustrating how designers take an idea and then make it a reality.

The Ark have challenged five Irish designers to create new products for children, taking inspiration from iconic children’s toys, furniture and textiles.The Design It exhibition recreates each designer’s individual studio giving us a glimpse at their working practices, using their sketches, photographs and working prototypes, to reveal how they get from an initial idea to the final product.

Admission is free and no booking is required.

The exhibition will be open every Saturday from 7 Nov – 16 Jan (closed Sat 26 Dec) from 10:00-17:00. It will also open on Sundays 22 Nov & 6, 13, 20 Dec from 12:00-16:00.

The Dun Laoghaire Christmas Festival is this year taking place at the new location near the Maritime Museum. It runs from Thursdays to Sundays every week until 24 Dec.

With 20 stalls selling food and crafts, it is not one of the bigger markets but nestled between the new LexIcon library and the Maritime Museum it might have a better chance to create some Christmas atmosphere than the location at “The Metals” (near the Pavilion Theatre) was able to. Admission is free.

The Maritime Museum will also be involved this year and will host some events, but it seems that none of these events are free.

The outdoor children’s amusements that comes with Christmas in Dun Laoghaire will be on Harbour Plaza.

Opening hours of the market are: Thu+Fri 17:30-20:30, Sat+Sun 10:00-18:00

At George’s Dock and at the side of the CHQ building will be this year’s main Christmas market for Dublin. There is a Christmas Village (elsehwere you call that a Christmas Market!) and admission to it is free.

The market runs every day from 26 Nov-23 Dec (Mon-Fri: 11:00-21:00, Sat: 10:00-21:00, Sun 10:00-20:00).

The Christmas Market will be on the platform in George’s Dock and at the side of the CHQ building. There are also a small number of pop-up-shops and some activities in the CHQ building.

There is a lot of good, but also bad about that market. My opinion about it and other markets is here, but I would say the I Believe market is probably the best market in Dublin (the competition is not overly strong, though!), so I suggest you check it out and decide for yourself!

Jamestown Flea Market + Car Boot Sale takes place every Sat+Sun from 10:00-17:00. You can reach it from Tyrconnell Road and from Kylemore Road and it is within 3 min from Black Horse stop on the red Luas line. There is free parking.

The County Council Market (CoCo) in Marlay Park is taking place every Saturday and Sunday. You will find a wide range of products. There will be food to eat there and food to cook at home but also crafts and arts and books and lots more.

Every Sunday, the Merrion Square Open Air Art Gallery takes place. Up to 200 artists exhibit their paintings on the railings on three sides (West, North and East) of Merrion Square and you can just enjoy the exhibition or even buy.

The Drumcondra Village Market is an arts and crafts fair in the centre of Drumcondra. There will be Food Stalls, Flea Market, Vintage Clothing, Arts&Crafts and a Pop-Up Record Store.

Admission is free.

The Christmas version of the Dublin Flea Market is much larger than the monthly market and with 120 stalls, the Dublin Food Co-op is not enough. The guys who organise the market found a venue in Dublin 8, but that fell through last minute (see Dublin News section of this Dublin Event Guide) and it looked bad for the market, but all was saved when a new venue was found on Thursday or Friday.

The market will now take place indoors in one of the buildings at the Point Village, opposite the Point Depot/3Arena. It is one of the biggest arts&Crafts market this Christmas, so don’t miss it!

Opening hours are Fri 11 Dec: 12:00-19:00 and then Sat+Sun 12+13 Dec: 11:00-18:00.

A weekly market with lots of food, but also many other products (art & crafts, books, etc) takes place every Sunday in the beautiful People’s Park in Dun Laoghaire. It is a very popular market and with around 50 vendors also one of the bigger markets.

The next Fusion Sundays Market will take place this Sunday in the Dublin Food Co-op and it will be a Wold Christmas Market.

It is a world culture market, an ethnic Bazaar, that focuses on the diverse ethnic culture present in Ireland today, and this month there will be a particular focus on Christmas.

The Market features a huge array of International stalls, ethnic food, live music and entertainment for kids. You can buy handmade goods, arts and crafts, recycled products, jewellery, clothes and food. The market is held every second Sunday of the month.

There is always a great atmosphere and I definitely recommend this monthly market.

Admission is free.

The Live Animal Crib at Mansion House is a yearly Christmas feature. It will be open from 08 Dec until Christmas Eve and is brought to you in association with the Irish Farmers Association.

And just in case you are worried: The animals in the crib are brought there in the morning and brought back home in the evening, so they are looked after well.

Admission is free, but donations for the charity “Mansion House Fuel Fund” are appreciated.

The well known Palestrina Choir sing every Sunday at the mass in St Mary’s Pro-Cathedral. They sing complete masterworks by Mozart, Haydn, Dvorak, Palestrina, de Victoria, usually accompanied by Prof. Gerard Gillen on the organ, who often also plays a solo piece.

Robby is not in the Christmas mood. Delve into Robby’s antics with ecologist and book author Dale Treadwell.

Admission is free and all are welcome (all ages).

The yearly Funderland at the RDS comes with a Christmas Market again. Don’t expect toooo much from it, though! The focus is on Funderland.

In previous years there was not much arts & crafts at all, but there were some German stalls selling food. The market opens on Sat 12 Dec and will run every day until 10 Jan, so we will find out soon how good (or not) this year’s market is.

In addition to the typical Funderland attractions (from 17 Dec), there will be an Ice Rink, Santa’s Grotto and Fosset’s Christmas Circus. It wasn’t very well promoted this year, so Funderland will probably work as well as previously (it is a decade long institution every Christmas), but the success of the other features remains to be seen.

Admission to the Christmas Market and Funderland (pay as you go) is free. Circus, Santa and Ice Rink bookings can be made via the website below.

Three free Yoga sessions take place in MVP in Dublin 8 every Saturday and every Sunday. The times are 12:00, 13:00 and 14:00 and the duration is 1 hour. At every session only 8 places are available, so get your bookings in early (you can book weeks in advance).

The sessions can be booked following these links:

+ 11:00-12:00
+ 12:00-13:00
+ 13:00-14:00

Classes are open level, so everyone is welcome. The Yoga Union is run by Love8.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings focusing on highlights of the European and Irish Collection every day of the week. Check their website for details.

At the Blackrock Market in the centre of Blackrock, you’ll find 50 stalls selling collectibles, antiques, handmade goods, books, food & there’s free popcorn, ballons & facepainting for the kids.
Open on Sundays: 12:00-17:30. Open on Saturdays and Bank Holidays: 11:00-17:30.

The Bray Beach Christmas Market, an indoor Christmas in the The Harbour Bar in Bray, will be open on Sat (12 Dec) and Sun (13 Dec).

You find lots of things there, from clothes to cakes, vinyl to skincare and crystals to photography.

Admission is free.

Christmas at the Phoenix Park Visitor Centre means that at weekends from 28 November to 20 December, you can visit the live crib and on Sundays at 14:00 (and on Saturday 19 Dec at 14:00), there will be choirs performing. Storytelling will take place on Sundays at 12:00 and Woodturning demos are also there. The performing choir this Sunday will be from the Greenhills Community College.

Admission is free.

Every Sunday, the National Botanic Gardens invite to two guided walks. The first one is at 12:00 and the second one at 14:30.

Admission is free.

Home Decor and Design Shop “Lyón Loring” got together with like-minded companies in food and other sectors to create a boutique Christmas Market for you. It will run on 27-29 Nov, 04-06/11-13 Dec (Fri: 17:30-21:30, Sat: 11:00-17:00, Sun 12:00-16:00).

Admission is free.

The Mart Christmas Market will only have 10 stalls, but there will be new traders every day, so you can come a number of times and get new ideas and buy great presents every time.

Expect Art, Design, Craft, Knits/Fashion and Jewellery.

The market will run for 8 days from 11-13 December and then again from 17-21 December (from 12:00-19:00 every day).

On Sunday, the monthly Smithfield Market Fair will take place again and this month it is all Christmassed out! 40 stalls will help you to find your presents and there will also be a free film screening (Miracle on 34th Street) at 14:00, a free Yoga Workshop at 12:00 and live music. (Tickets are required for the film screening and the Yoga workshop…see Event Page below.)

Expect Vintage Clothes, Food, Vinyl records, Contemporary Arts, Jewellery pieces and much more.

Admission is free.

The Sundays at Noon Concert Series continues in the Sculpture Gallery at the Hugh Lane Gallery. This series of free (mainly classical) concerts continues to present the best of Irish and International music and musicians. Concerts run from September to June.

The next concert will feature the Elisaveta Blumina Trio with Mathias Baier, bassoon and John Finucane, clarinet

The Temple Bar Christmas & Book Market is an extension and expansion of the weekly (small) Book Market on Temple Bar Square. Craft stalls are added to the market.

It will run on the three weekends 05+06/12+13/19+20 Dec.

Admission is free.

How does trauma affect the brain, the body, the national psyche or all three? How do buildings, bodies, artworks and stories record the traumas of our past? How do we bounce back after a trauma?

The exhibition “Trauma – Built to Break” (20 Nov – 21 Feb) in the Science Gallery is exploring the biological, psychological and societal aspects of trauma. As a sudden, violent, stressful event, trauma can be short-lived or long-lasting with impacts that range from deeply personal to universal.

Like all Science Gallery exhibitions, TRAUMA is suitable for all ages and while younger children might need some further explanation, there are lots of exhibits that can easily explained.

The Science Gallery mediators are helpers (usually students or graduates) that know the whole exhibition inside out and are very happy to help with a lot more information than the little labels at the exhibits can provide. Use their excellent service!

The Science Gallery has very visitor friendly opening hours of Tue-Fri 12:00-20:00 and Sat+Sun 12:00-18:00.
Admission is free.

A giant snow globe, balloon modellers, Santa’s Postbox, face painters and more are going on a Christmas Roadshow to Henry Street (near Debenhams) and Grafton Street (near Stephen’s Green Shoppinc Centre) over four Sundays from 13:00-16;00.
This is the schedule:

+ 29 Nov: Henry Street
+ 06 Dec: Grafton Street
+ 13 Dec: Henry Street
+ 20 Dec: Grafton Street

If you regularly or occasionally buy books online, you can help the Dublin Event Guide hugely even without having to pay cent directly. In fact you even save money this way:

Buy your books from The Book Depository and get better prices and free (!!) delivery for all orders independent from the volume and when you click on the picture here before you buy, then 5% of what normally The Book Depository would get, they give back to the Dublin Event Guide. Everybody wins!

www.bookdepository.com?a_aid=dubevg

If you prefer Amazon to buy your books (for free postage you need to order a minimum of GBP 25), then use this Amazon link to help the Dublin Event Guide. Thanks!

After 8.5 years of publishing the Dublin Event Guide every single week, you would think that there won’t be many events that will catch you by surprise. Wrong! ;-) The “Sole Food Sneaker Fair” definitely surprised me. :-) Mad events out there! :-P

This is a Sneaker Fair by “Sole Food” (formerly “Dub City Sneakz”). Come and get a glimpse into sneaker culture in Ireland with independent sneaker and apparel vendors selling the most rare and slickest shoes (Are you even allowed to call them that?). You can buy, sell or trade.

Admission is free.

A Christmas Double-Bill Film Screening will take place with

+ The Muppet Christmas Carol from 13:10 (85min, Rated: G)
+ The Wizard of Oz from 15:00 (102min, Rated: G)

Admission is free and no booking required.

Some additional Christmas events will happen in O’Connell Street from Thursday-Sunday over two weekends. (10-13/17-20 December).

There will be performances, puppet shows, storytelling, singing. Christmas Kraoke, drumming workshops and dancing.

A highlight is Ireland’s premier aerial circus company “Fidget Feet”, who will present theatre in the sky as mischievous elves climb O’Connell Street buildings and cranes. Twelve aerial dancers will impress the audience and on Sunday (15:00) even a flying Santa Clause will appear.

Admission is free.

The “Dublin Sketchers” is an informal group of (hobby) artists who go somewhere different in Dublin every Sunday (e.g. National Museum, Maritime Museum, Dublin Flea Market, Farmleigh, Botanic Gardens, Dublin Castle, Science Gallery, …), sketch for one to two hours and then meet up for coffee afterwards and discuss their sketches.

There are some hugely talented people among them and it is a great idea to meet up with others who have the same hobby. Find out on their website below or on their Facebook Page where they will meet and join them if you do some sketching/drawing yourself. I know that the Dublin Sketchers often use the Dublin Event Guide to find interesting free events and I am delighted to be able to help!

Afternoon Jazz in Café en Seine. The Stella Bass Jazz Trio play every Sunday from 14:00-16:00 in Café en Seine in Dawson Street. Admission is free. A video is here www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8aKqtOB5S8

Come to the Family Drawing Sundays in the RHA. All children are welcome to use the RHA Art Cart, in the RHA Atrium. Admission is free. For further information, contact Ruth Carroll on 01 6612558 or via ruth@rhagallery.ie

At this Drop-in activity for all ages you have a chance to explore some of the artefacts from the Museum’s collection of objects for handling with Museum educators.

Admission is free.

Unlike the three branches of the National Museum, the National Print Museum is normally not free, but every Sunday there is a free public tour for the next few weeks. Every visit begins with a short audio-visual presentation where the audience can observe active retired printers providing practical demonstrations of machines from the Museum’s collection.

During these workshops for 4 to 12 year olds, they will explore paintings, sculpture and architectural features through discussion and drawing.

Admission is free and no booking is required, but numbers are limited.

Brian Keary is a classically trained guitar player who also has experience of different styles / genres of music ranging from ragtime and folk to baroque and contemporary. He will perform in Sweeney’s (Ground Floor) on Sunday afternoon.

The Urban Mojo Blues Band will play Chicago Blues, rock and funk.

Admission is free, donations are welcome.

The short film “Santa & The Starkeeper” (5 min) will be screened every day at Dundrum Town Centre and the remarkable difference to other screening is that it will be screened on Ireland’s only Waterscreen (!!), which is the Mill Pond at Dundrum Town Centre.

The screening will happen every 20 minutes from 16:40 until Christmas. Admission is free.

After a great success of the November Game Night, Alt Events have decided to make Game Night a monthly event! From now on Game Night will be on the second Sunday of each month in Fringe Lab (just off Meeting House Square).

There will be tables full of board games and you can even win some games.

You’re all welcome to bring your own games, but there will be a wide selection available to try out, including:

Ticket to Ride | XCOM: The Board Game | Small World | Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game | Alien Frontiers | Forbidden Island | Panic Station | Betrayal at House on the Hill | Munchkin | Ruse | Elder Sign | Tsuro | Smash Up | Cards Against Humanity | Love Letter | Zombie Dice | Jenga | Hanabi | Masquarade | Loot | Skull | Timeline | Gobb’it | Jungle Speed | Cypher | Werewolf | Daybreak | Bang! | Zombies!!! | Once Upon A Time | Carcassonne | Pandemic | Saboteur | Coup | The Resistance | Redshirts | Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards: Duel at Mt. Skullzfyre | Perudo

Admission is free, donations are appreciated.

The Sweeney’s Dixeland Jazzmen play their weekly gig on the ground floor in Sweeney’s. Admission is free.

At the Jawbone Gig night in Arthur’s Pub, Acoustic Folk & Blues will be performed every Sunday. Admission is free.

www.facebook.com/pages/Jawbone-Dublin-Acoustic-Folk-Blues-Commune/724102984268967

The Gardiner Street Gospel Choir sings every Sunday from September to June at their “Gig in God’s Gaff”, a Mass in St. Francis Xavier Church at the top of Gardiner Street near the junction with Dorset Street.

The Gardiner Street Gospel Choir, one of the best known gospel choirs in Ireland will give you a chance to experience a mass with a difference. It is uplifting and inspiring and everybody is welcome independent from your level of religiousness or your relationship with the Catholic Church in other contexts.

Disclaimer: I am involved with the Gardiner Street Gospel Choir, so the description above MIGHT not be totally unbiased. But just take it from me, they are brilliant! ;-)

The Accused will play Blues and RnB.

Admission is free.

Every Sunday this singer-songwriter night takes place in the Bleeding Horse in Camden St. from 8.30pm. It is an Open mic night and performers can just turn up and put their name on the list for that night.

The Comedy Crunch is a free Stand Up comedy downstairs in Stag’s Head, Dame Lane from 21:00 every week on Sun+Mon. Every week different comedians entertain and on top of that there is some free ice cream. The line-up can be found via the Comedy Crunch Facebook Page (see link below).

“Rhythm Rocker at The Globe” is a weekly event on Sunday night in The Globe. Admission is free.

The Pavement Kings play Rockabilly from 21:00 and
DJs Popocorn Peete and Little Dakota follow from 23:00-01:30 with a white variety of styles (Rockabilly, Calypso, Soul, Rock ‘n’ Roll, etc).

Billy Treacy & The Ha’Penny Heads are playing Ballads, Folk, Trad and Classic Country every Sunday. Featuring Guitar, Mandolin, Fiddle and Banjo.

Every Sunday (except at Bank Holiday weekends), the Ragtime, Roots and Country Blues Band “Cool Hand Dukes” play in the Porterhouse near Grafton Street.

To help you with your Christmas entertainment and Christmas shopping, the Dublin Event Guide (for Free Events) has a comprehensive list of all (free) Christmas Markets in Greater Dublin for you!

The first markets start on 22 Nov and the longest run is until 03 January.

Check it out at www.dublinchristmasmarkets.com and tell all your friends!

If you are involved with any Christmas Market that is not listed there, just send a mail to dublineventguide@gmail.com with the subject XMAS and I will look at your event and include it in the list if it fits.

Emily Gallagher will run a weekly “just for fun” photo trail where you get instructions to hunt for specific snaps around the city centre. Afterwards the symbolic significance to the snaps will be shared. The overall theme is “Get a glimpse of directions you may wish your life to take and discover decisions you may desire to make.”

Meeting point is the Meeting House Square.

Participation in the photo trails is free but donations are welcome and booking is required via egaldog@gmail.com or 0852725095

At George’s Dock and at the side of the CHQ building will be this year’s main Christmas market for Dublin. There is a Christmas Village (elsehwere you call that a Christmas Market!) and admission to it is free.

The market runs every day from 26 Nov-23 Dec (Mon-Fri: 11:00-21:00, Sat: 10:00-21:00, Sun 10:00-20:00).

The Christmas Market will be on the platform in George’s Dock and at the side of the CHQ building. There are also a small number of pop-up-shops and some activities in the CHQ building.

There is a lot of good, but also bad about that market. My opinion about it and other markets is here, but I would say the I Believe market is probably the best market in Dublin (the competition is not overly strong, though!), so I suggest you check it out and decide for yourself!

The yearly Funderland at the RDS comes with a Christmas Market again. Don’t expect toooo much from it, though! The focus is on Funderland.

In previous years there was not much arts & crafts at all, but there were some German stalls selling food. The market opens on Sat 12 Dec and will run every day until 10 Jan, so we will find out soon how good (or not) this year’s market is.

In addition to the typical Funderland attractions (from 17 Dec), there will be an Ice Rink, Santa’s Grotto and Fosset’s Christmas Circus. It wasn’t very well promoted this year, so Funderland will probably work as well as previously (it is a decade long institution every Christmas), but the success of the other features remains to be seen.

Admission to the Christmas Market and Funderland (pay as you go) is free. Circus, Santa and Ice Rink bookings can be made via the website below.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings focusing on highlights of the European and Irish Collection every day of the week. Check their website for details.

Archive at Lunchtime screenings take place Saturdays (Double Bill), Mondays and Wednesdays. The programme is changing weekly now (instead of monthly as in the past). To find out what film(s) will be screened go to www.ifi.ie/whatson/now-showing-coming-soon/ and look for “Archive at Lunchtime” on the right. Admission is free.

“Religion, social hierarchy and gender in English murder and execution pamphlets, 1570-1620” is a talk by Patricia Walker (TCD) in the Centre for Early Modern History Seminar Series 2015-16.

Admission is free.

The short film “Santa & The Starkeeper” (5 min) will be screened every day at Dundrum Town Centre and the remarkable difference to other screening is that it will be screened on Ireland’s only Waterscreen (!!), which is the Mill Pond at Dundrum Town Centre.

The screening will happen every 20 minutes from 16:40 until Christmas. Admission is free.

“Red Guards and the Democracy Movement in China” is a public lecture by Prof. Jackie Sheehan (School of Asian Studies, University College Cork) as part of the Trinity Centre for Asian Studies Public Lecture Series 2015-16.

Admission is free.

The German Embassy invites to a Christmas Programme with the German National Theatre Weimar.

There will be literary and musical performances with songs and arias by G. F. Händel, J. S. Bach and P. Cornelius and entertaining stories (in German language) by Hans Christian Andersen, Joachim Ringelnatz and Astrid Lindgren will be told.

At the end there will be a German Christmas Carol singing and you are asked to join in. A small reception will follow the event.

Admission is free, but booking is required via rsvp@dubl.diplo.de

The Storytellign event Candlelit Tails present “Telling the Tain” on 14+16 December.

Admission is free, donations are welcome.

Song Cycle is a weekly Singer/Songriter showcase. The line-up is not always easily findable on the Whelan’s website, but admission is always free.

We Bloom is a platform for upcoming bands & singer/songwriters. The line-up on Monday is

+ Bishop
+ Farah Elle
+ 13
+ Strange Attractor

Admission to this gig night is free.

Every Monday the Woolshed Bad hosts “Al Porter’s Comedy Shed”. Admission is free.

The Berlin Busk is a songwriter sanctuary that welcomes you to perform your own material, your favourite songs, or even woodshed new material. And if your not into playing you can sit back & listen in. If you want to perform send a message via the Facebook Page or drop in on the night.

Admission is free.

The Comedy Crunch is a free Stand Up comedy event every Sunday and Monday. Every week different comedians entertain and on top of good comedy you will get free ice cream. Admission is free. The line-up can be found via the Comedy Crunch Facebook Page (see link below).

Every Monday a Jazz Jam Session will take place in the Grand Social and you are invited to listen or even to participate. Admission is free for musicians and audience.

Instruments are supplied (drums (no cymbals), double bass, guitar amp, bass amp, PA system) and ideas and themes will be proposed prior to the session to the musicians who join the event on Facebook (see Facebook Page below).

An Open Trad Music Session is taking place every Monday in Mother Reilly’s. Admission is free.

Astronomy Ireland have their Christmas Lecture on that day (EUR 10, www.astronomy.ie/lecture201512.php) and afterwards, at 21:30, everyone – even if you didn’t go to the lecture – is invited to their Christmas party.

Donal Kirk and Anto Drennan are playing music from Lowell George Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, Free, Bad Company, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Beatles, Bobby Bland, Vince Gill, Ray Charles, Etta James, Elvis, Ry Cooder, Dobie Gray, Guy Clarke, early ZZ Top, Dave Edmunds, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Willie Nelson.

Admission is free.

To help you with your Christmas entertainment and Christmas shopping, the Dublin Event Guide (for Free Events) has a comprehensive list of all (free) Christmas Markets in Greater Dublin for you!

The first markets start on 22 Nov and the longest run is until 03 January.

Check it out at www.dublinchristmasmarkets.com and tell all your friends!

If you are involved with any Christmas Market that is not listed there, just send a mail to dublineventguide@gmail.com with the subject XMAS and I will look at your event and include it in the list if it fits.

“These Are a Few of My Favourite Things” is the title of a Walking Tour that Emily Gallagher runs on Tuesdays now as well. It will be an Alternative Arts and Culture Trail and she will bring you to “Dublin’s Best Cafes, Bars, Markets, Unusual Stores, Galleries, Theatres, Arts Spaces, and more! And hear some tales you’ve never heard before!”

Meeting point is at the Spire. The tours are free but donations are welcome and booking is required via myfavouritesdublincitywalktour@gmail.com or 085-2725095

At George’s Dock and at the side of the CHQ building will be this year’s main Christmas market for Dublin. There is a Christmas Village (elsehwere you call that a Christmas Market!) and admission to it is free.

The market runs every day from 26 Nov-23 Dec (Mon-Fri: 11:00-21:00, Sat: 10:00-21:00, Sun 10:00-20:00).

The Christmas Market will be on the platform in George’s Dock and at the side of the CHQ building. There are also a small number of pop-up-shops and some activities in the CHQ building.

There is a lot of good, but also bad about that market. My opinion about it and other markets is here, but I would say the I Believe market is probably the best market in Dublin (the competition is not overly strong, though!), so I suggest you check it out and decide for yourself!

The yearly Funderland at the RDS comes with a Christmas Market again. Don’t expect toooo much from it, though! The focus is on Funderland.

In previous years there was not much arts & crafts at all, but there were some German stalls selling food. The market opens on Sat 12 Dec and will run every day until 10 Jan, so we will find out soon how good (or not) this year’s market is.

In addition to the typical Funderland attractions (from 17 Dec), there will be an Ice Rink, Santa’s Grotto and Fosset’s Christmas Circus. It wasn’t very well promoted this year, so Funderland will probably work as well as previously (it is a decade long institution every Christmas), but the success of the other features remains to be seen.

Admission to the Christmas Market and Funderland (pay as you go) is free. Circus, Santa and Ice Rink bookings can be made via the website below.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings focusing on highlights of the European and Irish Collection every day of the week. Check their website for details.

If you regularly or occasionally buy books online, you can help the Dublin Event Guide hugely even without having to pay cent directly. In fact you even save money this way:

Buy your books from The Book Depository and get better prices and free (!!) delivery for all orders independent from the volume and when you click on the picture here before you buy, then 5% of what normally The Book Depository would get, they give back to the Dublin Event Guide. Everybody wins!

www.bookdepository.com?a_aid=dubevg

If you prefer Amazon to buy your books (for free postage you need to order a minimum of GBP 25), then use this Amazon link to help the Dublin Event Guide. Thanks!

The short film “Santa & The Starkeeper” (5 min) will be screened every day at Dundrum Town Centre and the remarkable difference to other screening is that it will be screened on Ireland’s only Waterscreen (!!), which is the Mill Pond at Dundrum Town Centre.

The screening will happen every 20 minutes from 16:40 until Christmas. Admission is free.

The book “Fighting Irish – The Irish Regiments in the first world war” by Dr. Gavin Hughes will be launched on Tuesday.

Admission is free, registration is required via info@merrionpress.ie

Rumours have it that the Bluegrass Collective will perform in Sin É on Tuesday and there might even be an open Bluegrass Jam! Admission is free.

Every Tuesday an informal sing along with Ukulele and Toy Musical Instruments takes place in the Stag’s Head. Just bring your instrument and come along. Beginners are welcome. Admission is free and further details (and a big book of songs) are available on the Facebook Page below. The get-together meets in the “snug” in Stag’s Head.

Live sessions with the Blue Moon Folk and Blues Collective are taking place every Tuesday at the Beerhouse. Admission is free.

The Folk Club in Whelan’s will bring you the best in Trad, Ballads, Americana & World Music every Tuesday. The line-up this week is on the Facebook Page below. Admission is free.

The Comedy Crunch is a free Stand Up comedy event every Sunday and Monday AND Tuesday. Every week different comedians entertain and on top of good comedy you will get free ice cream. Admission is free. The line-up can be found via the Comedy Crunch Facebook Page (see link below).

Pete Cummins, Grammy award winning songwriter will play songs from his album “Crooked Highways”. Every Monday he and his band will be in the Leeson Lounge. Admission is free, donations are welcome.

The Phoenix Big Band is a 16 piece band playing songs of the 1930s, 1940s and other big band arrangements and they are playing every Tuesday in the Tara Tower Hotel (since 2012!) for adult dancing. If you like to waltz, cha cha or foxtrot, come and enjoy their performance.

Admission is free.

The band plays in the main function room which is occasionally booked, so to confirm that they are playing, please ring the hotel on the day: Phone 01-2694666

Every week there is a free pub quiz in Sober Lane, the new-ish pub in Irishtown. There are lots of other weekly events happening there too, check them out here.

The Lounge Quintet plays this gig every Tuesday: Jazz Standards, Latin and Bebop. Often guest musicians and singers join them. Admission is free, donations are welcome.

A totally unplugged Singer/Songwriter night (no PA, no microphones) with original music is taking place upstairs in Anseo every Tuesday from 21:30.

Please check on the Facebook Page below if the event is going ahead as it seems to get cancelled every now and then and if you want to play a 15-30 min set or just want to play one song make yourself heard via the same Facebook Page.

Admission is free.

Every Tuesday and Thursday the International Bar invites to a Jazz night in the Lounge.

Groups led by Cote Calmet, Sean Maynard Smith, Dominic Mullan, Paddy Groenland, Georgia Cusack & Alex Mathias are performing regularly with occasional guest players, but there are also other bands from all over.

Admission is free, with a suggested donation of EUR 5. The website clearly says that there is no entry fee, but – and that makes a lot of sense – that your donations are very much appreciated (Musicians need to pay for rent and food too!) Be generous after the gig if you liked it, but if someone wants to charge an admission charge, please point out that the “rules” as described on their website are like I have explained.

To help you with your Christmas entertainment and Christmas shopping, the Dublin Event Guide (for Free Events) has a comprehensive list of all (free) Christmas Markets in Greater Dublin for you!

The first markets start on 22 Nov and the longest run is until 03 January.

Check it out at www.dublinchristmasmarkets.com and tell all your friends!

If you are involved with any Christmas Market that is not listed there, just send a mail to dublineventguide@gmail.com with the subject XMAS and I will look at your event and include it in the list if it fits.

Did you ever want to give drawing a go? Or maybe you are a budding artist looking for like-minded people to draw with? The Creative Den in Rua Red runs free weekly drawing sessions on Wednesdays at 11:00 .

At George’s Dock and at the side of the CHQ building will be this year’s main Christmas market for Dublin. There is a Christmas Village (elsehwere you call that a Christmas Market!) and admission to it is free.

The market runs every day from 26 Nov-23 Dec (Mon-Fri: 11:00-21:00, Sat: 10:00-21:00, Sun 10:00-20:00).

The Christmas Market will be on the platform in George’s Dock and at the side of the CHQ building. There are also a small number of pop-up-shops and some activities in the CHQ building.

There is a lot of good, but also bad about that market. My opinion about it and other markets is here, but I would say the I Believe market is probably the best market in Dublin (the competition is not overly strong, though!), so I suggest you check it out and decide for yourself!

The yearly Funderland at the RDS comes with a Christmas Market again. Don’t expect toooo much from it, though! The focus is on Funderland.

In previous years there was not much arts & crafts at all, but there were some German stalls selling food. The market opens on Sat 12 Dec and will run every day until 10 Jan, so we will find out soon how good (or not) this year’s market is.

In addition to the typical Funderland attractions (from 17 Dec), there will be an Ice Rink, Santa’s Grotto and Fosset’s Christmas Circus. It wasn’t very well promoted this year, so Funderland will probably work as well as previously (it is a decade long institution every Christmas), but the success of the other features remains to be seen.

Admission to the Christmas Market and Funderland (pay as you go) is free. Circus, Santa and Ice Rink bookings can be made via the website below.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings focusing on highlights of the European and Irish Collection every day of the week. Check their website for details.

Archive at Lunchtime screenings take place Saturdays (Double Bill), Mondays and Wednesdays. The programme is changing weekly now (instead of monthly as in the past). To find out what film(s) will be screened go to www.ifi.ie/whatson/now-showing-coming-soon/ and look for “Archive at Lunchtime” on the right. Admission is free.

“Preaching rebellion to a lot of silly boys: the 1916 Rising through the eyes of Protestants in Dublin” is a public lecture by Dr Ian d’Alton (Visiting Research Fellow, Trinity Centre for Contemporary Irish History) in the Centre for Contemporary Irish History Seminar Series 2015-16.

Admission is free.

The “Havana International Language Exchange” is taking place every Wed from 16:30-19:30 in Havana Tapas Bar in George’s Street. There are many Spanish speakers and English-speakers are explicitly invited, but everyone else is certainly very welcome too, to meet for a chat to improve your Spanish or English.

The short film “Santa & The Starkeeper” (5 min) will be screened every day at Dundrum Town Centre and the remarkable difference to other screening is that it will be screened on Ireland’s only Waterscreen (!!), which is the Mill Pond at Dundrum Town Centre.

The screening will happen every 20 minutes from 16:40 until Christmas. Admission is free.

This is an open mic night every Wednesday. Arrive, sign up and play. Admission is free.

The Alliance Française Choir is inviting to a Christmas Concert. There will be French, German and Hebrew Christmas songs (Entre le boeuf et l’âne gris / Vive Le vent / Un flambeau Jeannette / O Nuit Brillante / Les Anges dans nos campagnes / Stille Nacht (multilingual) / Es ist ein Ros entsprungen) and also part of the Fauré requiem. The choir is conducted by Lucie O’Flynn.

Admission is free, but registration is required via rsvp@alliance-francaise.ie with subject “Xmas Choir”.

The Storytellign event Candlelit Tails present “Telling the Tain” on 14+16 December.

Admission is free, donations are welcome.

The Roots Band “Brand New Switcharoo” will perform in the Harbour Bar. Admission is free.

The King Kong Club is a weekly music game-show in the Mercantile. Each week 6-7 bands/solo artists play three songs each. At the end of all the performances a clap-off with the King Kong Club Clap-o-Meter takes place and the winner goes through to a semi-final and it all culminates after six months of competition with The Grand Final, held in front of a panel of celebrity judges.

Check the Facebook Page below for the line-up.

The Anseo Comedy Club, run by comedian Aidan Killian, takes place every Wednesday in Anseo (upstairs).

Admission is free, donations are welcome.

“The Song Room” is another open mic event. It takes place in The Globe in George’s Street at 20:30 every Wednesday.

“The Zodiac Sessions” is a regular open mic event from 20:30 in Bruxelles (between Grafton Street and Westbury Hotel) for unsigned musicians. Admission is free and there is a different line-up every week.

Bad Boy Jake are every Wednesday in the Gypsy Rose Rock & Blues Bar playing their rock, blues and American.

The Inn Jokes Comedy Club is usually happening on the third Wednesday of the month, but organiser and comedian Colm O’Regan has not announced it yet, so best to have a look at the website below early next week. The line-up will be listed there.

Admission is free.

Los Paradiso are playing Rockabilly, Tex Mex, Western Swing, Surf in the Leeson Lounge. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.

The Jazz Pigs with a classic multi-brass front line play a mix of Lounge, lively sixties Jazz and driving Funk. Every Wednesday downstairs in 4 Dame Lane. Admission is free.

Every Wednesday the Tetratonic Quartet will perform Jazz in Mother Reilly’s. Admission is free.

Traditional Irish Music Session in Hedigan’s (The Brian Boru) in Phibsborough from 21:30 every Wednesday. If you play an instrument you are especially welcome (all levels are welcome).

To help you with your Christmas entertainment and Christmas shopping, the Dublin Event Guide (for Free Events) has a comprehensive list of all (free) Christmas Markets in Greater Dublin for you!

The first markets start on 22 Nov and the longest run is until 03 January.

Check it out at www.dublinchristmasmarkets.com and tell all your friends!

If you are involved with any Christmas Market that is not listed there, just send a mail to dublineventguide@gmail.com with the subject XMAS and I will look at your event and include it in the list if it fits.

At George’s Dock and at the side of the CHQ building will be this year’s main Christmas market for Dublin. There is a Christmas Village (elsehwere you call that a Christmas Market!) and admission to it is free.

The market runs every day from 26 Nov-23 Dec (Mon-Fri: 11:00-21:00, Sat: 10:00-21:00, Sun 10:00-20:00).

The Christmas Market will be on the platform in George’s Dock and at the side of the CHQ building. There are also a small number of pop-up-shops and some activities in the CHQ building.

There is a lot of good, but also bad about that market. My opinion about it and other markets is here, but I would say the I Believe market is probably the best market in Dublin (the competition is not overly strong, though!), so I suggest you check it out and decide for yourself!

The yearly Funderland at the RDS comes with a Christmas Market again. Don’t expect toooo much from it, though! The focus is on Funderland.

In previous years there was not much arts & crafts at all, but there were some German stalls selling food. The market opens on Sat 12 Dec and will run every day until 10 Jan, so we will find out soon how good (or not) this year’s market is.

In addition to the typical Funderland attractions (from 17 Dec), there will be an Ice Rink, Santa’s Grotto and Fosset’s Christmas Circus. It wasn’t very well promoted this year, so Funderland will probably work as well as previously (it is a decade long institution every Christmas), but the success of the other features remains to be seen.

Admission to the Christmas Market and Funderland (pay as you go) is free. Circus, Santa and Ice Rink bookings can be made via the website below.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings focusing on highlights of the European and Irish Collection every day of the week. Check their website for details.

The Mart Christmas Market will only have 10 stalls, but there will be new traders every day, so you can come a number of times and get new ideas and buy great presents every time.

Expect Art, Design, Craft, Knits/Fashion and Jewellery.

The market will run for 8 days from 11-13 December and then again from 17-21 December (from 12:00-19:00 every day).

The Green Door Market is a new indoor food/Farmer’s Market that takes place just a few doors down from the Dublin Food Co-op at Newmarket in Dublin 8. Admission is free.

Opening hours are Thu-Fri 12:00-19:00 and Sat 09:30-16:00.

Some additional Christmas events will happen in O’Connell Street from Thursday-Sunday over two weekends. (10-13/17-20 December).

There will be performances, puppet shows, storytelling, singing. Christmas Kraoke, drumming workshops and dancing.

A highlight is Ireland’s premier aerial circus company “Fidget Feet”, who will present theatre in the sky as mischievous elves climb O’Connell Street buildings and cranes. Twelve aerial dancers will impress the audience and on Sunday (15:00) even a flying Santa Clause will appear.

Admission is free.

The short film “Santa & The Starkeeper” (5 min) will be screened every day at Dundrum Town Centre and the remarkable difference to other screening is that it will be screened on Ireland’s only Waterscreen (!!), which is the Mill Pond at Dundrum Town Centre.

The screening will happen every 20 minutes from 16:40 until Christmas. Admission is free.

The Dun Laoghaire Christmas Festival is this year taking place at the new location near the Maritime Museum. It runs from Thursdays to Sundays every week until 24 Dec.

With 20 stalls selling food and crafts, it is not one of the bigger markets but nestled between the new LexIcon library and the Maritime Museum it might have a better chance to create some Christmas atmosphere than the location at “The Metals” (near the Pavilion Theatre) was able to. Admission is free.

The Maritime Museum will also be involved this year and will host some events, but it seems that none of these events are free.

The outdoor children’s amusements that comes with Christmas in Dun Laoghaire will be on Harbour Plaza.

Opening hours of the market are: Thu+Fri 17:30-20:30, Sat+Sun 10:00-18:00

A weekly Forro Night (Brazilian Dance) with a Forro Live Band takes place in the D-One Bar & Brazilian Grill every Thursday.

Admission is free.

On Thursdays from 18:00-20:00, the Little Museum of Dublin waives all admission charges thanks to sponsor Guinness.

Visit the museum and find out lots more about Dublin.

In the lecture “Should people with visions go to the doctor?”, TASC’s director Dr David Begg (former General Secretary of the ICTU), will explore what the possibilities are for achieving TASC’s vision of a more equal and flourishing society? To what extent will the vision be clouded by the long term scarring effects of austerity on social capital?

External influences that will be considered are the challenges posed by uncertainty about Britain’s long term relationship with Europe, the COP21 climate change conference, the OECD’s reform of corporate taxation and even the future path of European integration.

The lecture will be followed by a wine reception.

Admission is free, but donations are welcome.

“These Are a Few of My Favourite Things” is the title of a Walking Tour that Emily Gallagher will run next Thursday. It will be an Alternative Arts and Culture Trail and she will bring you to “Dublin’s Best Cafes, Bars, Markets, Unusual Stores, Galleries, Theatres, Arts Spaces, and more! And hear some tales you’ve never heard before!”

Meeting point is at the Spire. The tours are free but donations are welcome and booking is required via myfavouritesdublincitywalktour@gmail.com or 085-2725095

Every Thursday, the Xchange invites to a Language Exchange (19:00-20:30). Admission is free.

Dimestore Recordings run a weekly event in Sweeney Mongrel’s with a variety of bands and performers. It starts at 20:00, follow the link for the line up.

At the time of writing this, there are two gigs announced for Friday on the Harbour Bar website and none on Thursday, so it is most likely that one of them is meant to happen on Thursday and the other on Friday, but which is not clear.

The two gigs are Ann Scott (Alternative Music) and Sham Bone (Blues Covers). Check the website closer to the day!

Oki’s Wagon will play a gig at Whelan’s and their support will be Modesto.

Admission is free.

The Good Name Xmas Party will bring you some of their favourite acts from the last 12 months. (The line-up is not listed, though.)

Admission is free.

“Tis the Week Before Christmas” is a new Open Mic event organised by Kevin Bateman and Ruairi Conneely.

Poets and singer-songwriters are welcome to this informal open mic evening. Festive or not, it’s your call when you are in front of the mic. Come share your work, have a drink, be the holiday spirit or the humbug.

Admission is free. For more information contact Kevin on neo842@gmail.com or 0858228976. It will take place downstairs in The Front Door.

Every Thursday a Singer Songwriter Night will take place in Mother Reilly’s in Rathmines. This is YOUR chance to show everyone what you can do, alternatively you can just listen to the talented Singer/Songwriters. Admission is free.

A Fun Pub Quiz takes place in Brady’s in Terenure on Thurs. The quiz will be on every Thursday night in the Lounge at Brady’s. Keith McLoughlin is the Quiz Master.

There will be six rounds of the quiz with picture questions, audio questions and general knowledge questions. Admission to the quiz is free and therr will be free drink vouchers for the winning and runner up teams. (No phones to get answers allowed.)

Every Tuesday and Thursday the International Bar invites to a Jazz night in the Lounge.

Groups led by Cote Calmet, Sean Maynard Smith, Dominic Mullan, Paddy Groenland, Georgia Cusack & Alex Mathias are performing regularly with occasional guest players, but there are also other bands from all over.

Admission is free, with a suggested donation of EUR 5. The website clearly says that there is no entry fee, but – and that makes a lot of sense – that your donations are very much appreciated (Musicians need to pay for rent and food too!) Be generous after the gig if you liked it, but if someone wants to charge an admission charge, please point out that the “rules” as described on their website are like I have explained.

Every Thursday “Left Right & Centre” play a mix of blues & soul with a bit of rock&roll.

A weekly Trad Music Night is taking place in McLoughlin’s in Dun Laoghaire. It is an acoustic night and all musicians are welcome. Admission is free.

Every Thursday a free Trad Session takes place in McNeills and often there are high profile Trad musicians performing.

The Woolshed Karaoke is happening every Thursday from 21:30. Anyone can participate! Admission is free.

To help you with your Christmas entertainment and Christmas shopping, the Dublin Event Guide (for Free Events) has a comprehensive list of all (free) Christmas Markets in Greater Dublin for you!

The first markets start on 22 Nov and the longest run is until 03 January.

Check it out at www.dublinchristmasmarkets.com and tell all your friends!

If you are involved with any Christmas Market that is not listed there, just send a mail to dublineventguide@gmail.com with the subject XMAS and I will look at your event and include it in the list if it fits.

The Christmas Kingdom Market in Malahide will run until 03 January on the following dates 27-29 Nov/4-6 Dec/11-13 Dec (Fri 14:00-20:00, Sat+Sun 10:00-20:00) and then daily 18-23 Dec (10:00-20:00) and 26 Dec-03 Jan (10:00-20:00).

Visiting the Craft Village and the Food Village is free, Ice Rink and Santa Visit cost money.

Reports from the Craft & Food Village are not blowing me away. Maybe the market didn’t work out as planned because it was initially cancelled and got only saved in the last minute. Alternatively it is could be just one of these badly thought out Christmas Markets in Ireland.

The Dun Laoghaire Christmas Festival is this year taking place at the new location near the Maritime Museum. It runs from Thursdays to Sundays every week until 24 Dec.

With 20 stalls selling food and crafts, it is not one of the bigger markets but nestled between the new LexIcon library and the Maritime Museum it might have a better chance to create some Christmas atmosphere than the location at “The Metals” (near the Pavilion Theatre) was able to. Admission is free.

The Maritime Museum will also be involved this year and will host some events, but it seems that none of these events are free.

The outdoor children’s amusements that comes with Christmas in Dun Laoghaire will be on Harbour Plaza.

Opening hours of the market are: Thu+Fri 17:30-20:30, Sat+Sun 10:00-18:00

At George’s Dock and at the side of the CHQ building will be this year’s main Christmas market for Dublin. There is a Christmas Village (elsehwere you call that a Christmas Market!) and admission to it is free.

The market runs every day from 26 Nov-23 Dec (Mon-Fri: 11:00-21:00, Sat: 10:00-21:00, Sun 10:00-20:00).

The Christmas Market will be on the platform in George’s Dock and at the side of the CHQ building. There are also a small number of pop-up-shops and some activities in the CHQ building.

There is a lot of good, but also bad about that market. My opinion about it and other markets is here, but I would say the I Believe market is probably the best market in Dublin (the competition is not overly strong, though!), so I suggest you check it out and decide for yourself!

The Live Animal Crib at Mansion House is a yearly Christmas feature. It will be open from 08 Dec until Christmas Eve and is brought to you in association with the Irish Farmers Association.

And just in case you are worried: The animals in the crib are brought there in the morning and brought back home in the evening, so they are looked after well.

Admission is free, but donations for the charity “Mansion House Fuel Fund” are appreciated.

The yearly Funderland at the RDS comes with a Christmas Market again. Don’t expect toooo much from it, though! The focus is on Funderland.

In previous years there was not much arts & crafts at all, but there were some German stalls selling food. The market opens on Sat 12 Dec and will run every day until 10 Jan, so we will find out soon how good (or not) this year’s market is.

In addition to the typical Funderland attractions (from 17 Dec), there will be an Ice Rink, Santa’s Grotto and Fosset’s Christmas Circus. It wasn’t very well promoted this year, so Funderland will probably work as well as previously (it is a decade long institution every Christmas), but the success of the other features remains to be seen.

Admission to the Christmas Market and Funderland (pay as you go) is free. Circus, Santa and Ice Rink bookings can be made via the website below.

The National Gallery has an extensive programme of free talks, public tours and Art Documentary screenings focusing on highlights of the European and Irish Collection every day of the week. Check their website for details.

The Mart Christmas Market will only have 10 stalls, but there will be new traders every day, so you can come a number of times and get new ideas and buy great presents every time.

Expect Art, Design, Craft, Knits/Fashion and Jewellery.

The market will run for 8 days from 11-13 December and then again from 17-21 December (from 12:00-19:00 every day).

The Green Door Market is a new indoor food/Farmer’s Market that takes place just a few doors down from the Dublin Food Co-op at Newmarket in Dublin 8. Admission is free.

Opening hours are Thu-Fri 12:00-19:00 and Sat 09:30-16:00.

The Lunch time talk “Going with your emotions: towards a new strategy for the National Library of Scotland” with Dr John Scally, National Librarian and Chief Executive will take place on Friday.

Admission is free.

Some additional Christmas events will happen in O’Connell Street from Thursday-Sunday over two weekends. (10-13/17-20 December).

There will be performances, puppet shows, storytelling, singing. Christmas Kraoke, drumming workshops and dancing.

A highlight is Ireland’s premier aerial circus company “Fidget Feet”, who will present theatre in the sky as mischievous elves climb O’Connell Street buildings and cranes. Twelve aerial dancers will impress the audience and on Sunday (15:00) even a flying Santa Clause will appear.

Admission is free.

The short film “Santa & The Starkeeper” (5 min) will be screened every day at Dundrum Town Centre and the remarkable difference to other screening is that it will be screened on Ireland’s only Waterscreen (!!), which is the Mill Pond at Dundrum Town Centre.

The screening will happen every 20 minutes from 16:40 until Christmas. Admission is free.

A Christmas Concert by Young Dublin Symphonia takes place in Swords.

Admission is free.

Cornucopia Café & Restaurant host live music three evenings a week (Thurs, Fri and Sat). The restaurant is a Wholefood & Vegetarian Restaurant and is open until 22:15.
+ Every second Thursday N.C Lawlor, a songwriter, session player and troubadour plays a mix of country, bluegrass & blues from 19:30-21:30.
+ Every Friday (19:30-21:30) Junshi Murakami plays Irish Harp.
+ Every Saturday (19:30-21:30) Nollaig Mann plays a collection of popular and jazz classics.

At the time of writing this, there are two gigs announced for Friday on the Harbour Bar website and none on Thursday, so it is most likely that one of them is meant to happen on Thursday and the other on Friday, but which is not clear.

The two gigs are Ann Scott (Alternative Music) and Sham Bone (Blues Covers). Check the website closer to the day!

The Stillorgan Orchard has live music every Friday and Saturday. Many of the performers are established and very good bands. The upcoming gigs are detailed on the website below. Admission is always free.

“Ska ‘n’ Reggae” is the theme in the Dive Bar (downstairs in Turks Head) every Friday. The Bionic Rats play live. followed by DJs until late. Admission is free.

Springfield Crew Massive is a Drum & Bass /Jungle community and they will have an event on 18 Dec where admission is free and they fundraise for Focus Ireland, the Homeless Charity. The Dublin Event Guide is happy to give some support to this event by spreading the word!