New Year's Even Celebrations in Dublin Ireland

New Year's Eve celebrations in Dublin have reputation for being rowdy with a lot of drunken individuals wandering around the streets. However this is not be all and end all to Dublin's New Year's Eve celebrations. There is no single big event organised that you may find in other cities but there are hundreds of small festivities happening around the city that would suit both young party seekers and those who want milder celebrations. The thing with Dublin is that you just have to do a little searching to find out what is going on. Dublin's New Year's Eve celebrations range from pub-crawling to nightclubbing to extravagant dinners to live music to black tie balls. So all you have to do a dodge a few drunken revellers on your night out.

The closest thing Dublin has to the ball dropping is Time's Square is the ringing of the bells at Christ Church Cathedral. This yearly tradition attracts people of all ages. It has a friendly party atmosphere that can have a few rowdy people but it is nothing to crazy, it is New Year's Eve after all, you need to let lose a little. It is a fun way to count down the last seconds of the year and chat to others who are out celebrating New Years. Christ Church is one of Dublin's most famous landmarks and is located in the city centre so it is easy to find. The best thing about this celebration is that is free, something rare in Dublin on New Years Eve

If you want to treat yourself to an evening of elegance then have a look at one of Dublin's New Years Eve Balls. These events are run by several of the city's hotels. They are black tie and are perfect if you are seeking something romantic and classy to do on New Years Eve. One well-known ball is held at Jury's Hotel Ballsbridge. This is the New Year's Eve Gala Ball. The hotel is situated in one of Dublin most affluent city centre neighbourhoods, only a couple minutes by taxi from Grafton Street. Guests are serenaded by a string quartet, treated to a delicious five-course meal and entertained by live bands, a DJ and dancing until 2:30 am. Black tie balls on New Year's Eve are pricey, usually costing around 90 euros per person. They are a wonderful treat for that special someone. Maybe even a great idea for someone looking to make a New Year's Eve marriage proposal to round off a magical night!

If you like a few or maybe a lot of drinks and some live music but less casual than a black tie event then Dublin's pubs and clubs offer a variety of New Year's celebrations for you. There are so many different types of pubs in Dublin that if you are looking for loud music and a young crowd or some live traditional music you will find it. If you want to see live bands some venues to check out would be Whelan's, Vicar St, the Olympia Theatre and the Temple Bar Music Centre. Each of these venues are well known for the excellent live music and they are sure to have something extra special on New Years Eve. Traditional music may be found at some of Dublin's popular traditional pubs such as the Brazen Head and Oliver St. John Gogartys. The Arlington Hotel has also been known to have an excellent New Years full of live traditional Irish music.

If rock and roll, disco and traditional music isn't your thing then how about classical? One of the most popular New Year's Eve events in Dublin is held at the National Concert hall in the city centre. It is called the New Year's Eve Gala Concert and the main performance is by the RTE Concert Orchestra. Before the main event concertgoers are entertained in the Concert Hall's foyer with music and champagne. At just before ten pm the main event kicks off with music by Handel, Tchaikovsky and more. The concert also includes some singing. The 2006 concert will have a talented Limerick soprano called Mairead Buicke. At midnight the whole audience joins the playing orchestra to sing Auld Lang Syne. Tickets to this event sell out very fast, usually in around one hour so you need to be sharp if you want to snag some. The cost for tickets ranges from 25 to 50 euros.

So as you can see New Year's Eve in Dublin isn't just drunk people falling around the place, though yes that is certainly present. There are plenty of New Years celebrations happening around the city that would suit all types of partiers. The only negative, which is common in many places on New Years Eve, is the cost. Most music venues will charge over 20 euros per person just to get in the door, entry into clubs usually doubles or even triples costing around 30 euros and even the pubs charge an entry fee on New Year's Eve. In most cases you will also have to by your entry tickets in advance. So if you do plan on spending New Year's Eve in Dublin plan in advance or else you will be left standing on the street with your fellow party goers that have over indulged.