Gig Review: New Year's Festival, Dublin Castle

New Year's Festival Dublin 2025/2026 Lineup

Zoë Priscilla | January 2025

Three days full of music, culture and joy. That is how I would describe Dublin’s New Year's Festival. The festivities started on December 30 and made its end on January 1, with all kinds of entertainment such as live music, street performances and many cultural acts surrounding the city. It started off with free events suitable for all ages, but there were also a few for which you had to buy tickets in advance, or had to be over 18 to be allowed inside. 

I flew over to Dublin from Amsterdam on December 29, getting greeted warmly by all the lights that brightened the streets. My friends and I decided to make use of the free access to some of the gigs on the 30th, beginning with a band called Sell Everything, playing at the Grand Social. We hadn’t heard of them before, but they absolutely amazed us. Their set was intriguing and they even had a bit of crowd participation at the end. I would definitely go to one of their shows again if I were in a position to. 

After their set, it was SMO’s turn to set the stage, this being an artist all of us knew. With five songs released on his Spotify account, the crowd seemed to know the lyrics to most of his tunes, even to the ones that aren’t out. His song “Lost My Way” was definitely one of the fan-favourites, as this one was screamed on top of people's lungs. “War” was one of the songs that really brought the crowd together, merging friend groups into singing the chorus all together. 

I personally loved his performance of “Love Me Too” the most. I was thrilled to finally hear it live, as it is my favourite song of his. The artist, Sam O’Neill, also took the time to talk about the main event, which was due the next day, telling the listeners he was excited to see his friends from the band Inhaler play the big stage during the New Year’s countdown. 

SMO was delighted to meet his fans after the show at the merch stand, selling his own personalised t-shirts, and taking pictures with them. It was a show I would definitely want to re-live, and I am still thinking about the enjoyment I had with my friends. The Grand Social was a great location to experience this gig, because even though it was very warm in the attic of the bar, the atmosphere was very cosy. 

Dublin Castle was a brisk walk away and was easy to find. Since we were in no hurry walking to the Castle, we arrived at the end of Madra Salach’s set. An alternative Irish folk band, I had never stumbled upon this genre before, but it was a beautiful experience to have – the music is filled with great passion and emotion. 

The first thing I noticed was the way the lead singer transferred his music onto the crowd. His voice was ravishing and really pulled me in. I believe this genre of music uses instrumental solos a lot more than the music I normally listen to, but I cannot deny that I loved every second of it. I later discovered that the lead singer of this band was recently on stage with Gurriers, another band I am a fan of. To this day, I find it fascinating how you can rediscover artists through such festivals.

My friends and I knew there were still a few acts to see around the city, but decided to recharge our batteries for the next day, as we knew there was still a lot to come. 

Our New Year’s Eve started with watching the marching band down the street of Dublin Castle, which started right after the matinee countdown concert. It was impressive to watch that many people with instruments walk down the streets that were cleared out just for them. 

We waited outside during the matinee edition, watching all the families go in to enjoy New Year’s Eve just a bit earlier, for the young children who couldn’t wait until late at night. It was beautiful to hear people count down and to see the fireworks. I personally love the idea of having an extra edition of the big countdown in the afternoon, just so the children can experience the magic of the New Year too, without having to stay up until midnight.

The organisation handled the queue outside really well, having organised two separate lines for the matinee and midnight events. This way, the matinees could walk out easily, while the people waiting for the midnight countdown were on the other side of the road. Once the Castle was clear, the people who queued up for the midnight edition were let in by security. As soon as the first few people stood in the Castle, DJ Shelly Gray came on stage and played us a mix of some newer and older tunes. 

The evening began with Florence Road, an all-girl band playing their most popular songs and shocking the crowd with their beautiful tracks. They have a perfect balance between glorious vocals and splendid instrumentals. I had heard of them before, but this was the first time hearing their songs played. Their live performance was one of the best I’ve ever watched. It was extremely passionate and I quickly regretted not getting into them sooner, but added them to my Spotify playlists immediately. When looking into them, I saw they are going on a Europe tour in late April/early May, which I have now bought tickets to.

The next act came on stage shortly after. I had also heard about this band before, but noticed they haven’t had any music released on Spotify. BIIRD later explained this on stage, stating they don’t support Spotify due to its alleged streaming of recruitment ads for ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement), and that they won’t release any music on the platform until this is cleared up. Instead, their music is available on platforms like YouTube and Instagram. 

BIIRD, another all-girl band, performs traditional Irish music, setting the stage with multiple classical instruments. The band is formed of 11 women, playing instruments like: the harp, the fiddle and the flute. As someone who is not from the country, BIIRD introduced me to music I always understood to be traditional Irish music, which is not only about the sounds you hear, but also the feelings you stumble upon during the performance. I never thought it was something I could listen to casually, but here I am, writing this piece with their music playing in the background. During their performance, they welcomed someone on stage to dance a traditional Irish jig, which happened during multiple songs. 

The night ended with Inhaler’s set, the band for which fans had been waiting for hours by now. This was an exciting show for most of the band, as they had been travelling around the world for around a year, and this was their last performance of their Open Wide Tour. Their set started with their title track, “Open Wide,” having the crowd open their arms as a welcome hug for them on stage. 

The setlist was filled with their most popular songs, which fans seemed to savour. Just before midnight, they played their popular song, “Dublin in Ecstasy,” which was a big moment, looking back on it, for they were performing the song in Dublin Castle. It was also being live-streamed on national TV. What used to be a small Dublin band now had a big moment before them.

When finishing the song, a massive countdown rolled on the left side walls of the Castle. The band told the crowd to “find the ones you love and hold them tight,” having a precious moment of their own as the lead singer, Elijah Hewson, and the bassist, Robert Keating, embraced each other. 

As the crowd counted down from ten, the band got into position again. Elijah screamed “Happy New Year!” into the microphone as the music started again. The crowd and the band went into the new year with the song “It Won’t Always Be Like This,” a rather nostalgic way to start the year for fans who have travelled the world with the band. Many tears were shed as the fireworks welcomed the New Year alongside the band. The band walked off the stage after a few other songs, waving their fans goodbye. 

Just like that, the New Year started. The incredible New Year’s Festival of Dublin taught me a lot more about Irish culture, gave me moments to cherish and has made my friendships a lot more meaningful.