Crowds limit early cancellation of Dublin New Years Festival

FÁILTE IRELAND HAS confirmed that the Dublin New Years Festival (NYF) will not take place this year.

More than 100,000 people attended the three-day event last year, with 80,000 attending the iconic fireworks show on New Year’s Eve alone.

However, significant crowds like this are not allowed under the government’s Living with Covid framework.

The number of attendees is limited to 200 for events organized outdoors on Level 1, or up to 500 in venues with a capacity of more than 5,000, becoming progressively more restrictive at later levels.

“Given these numbers, it is clear that the event would not fit within current government and public health guidelines and it would not be appropriate to encourage people to flock to these numbers,” Fáilte Ireland said in a statement.

Ireland’s tourism and hospitality sector has suffered significantly as a result of Covid-19, and Dublin, in particular, is facing incredibly tough challenges in recent weeks.

Fáilte Ireland’s focus is now on working with the government, industry bodies and tourism companies on the ground to help them survive and recover in the months to come.

The organization highlighted a destination recovery task force formed in Dublin with the aim of ensuring a coordinated response to the current crisis.

Health officials have previously emphasized that even if attendees can socially distance themselves in an outdoor setting, a significant mix of homes can occur before, during and after outdoor gatherings.