Christmas entertainment for all the family: Festive markets, shows, parties and more

There are always way too few sleeps until Christmas, so get your skates on to make the most of all the festive entertainments on offer.

Of course the whole country will be lit up like a Christmas tree, with festive illuminations in cities, towns and villages, but for extra sparkle don’t miss the Dublin City Council Winter Lights display. It promises a dazzling December with buildings and bridges set for light installations, projections and sculptures, including the Spire, GPO, Trinity College, Central Bank Plaza and the Millennium and Ha’penny bridges, to name just a few.

Also back this year is the wonderful installation at Merrion Square park, transforming it into a magical winter walk with a constellation of LED lights among the trees and across the grass.

It would not be Christmas without Santa and the Big Man is back at the home of the GAA, Croke Park. Having arrived in mid-November he will be on duty on selected dates until December 22nd. However, he is not the only star player, with all sorts of winter wonderland scenes to enjoy en route to his Croke Park Cabin, have your picture taken, and score a gift.

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Christmas is not Christmas without music and there is loads to look forward to this year, including Christmas by Candlelight at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, on December 20th-21st, featuring classic singalong songs such as White Christmas and Winter Wonderland.

The National Concert Hall’s schedule is a veritable cracker, starting with The Good Glow’s Joy to the World on December 3rd, featuring positive and uplifting talks and high energy Christmas music to kick off the festive season.

The National Symphony Orchestra is in full swing with Home Alone in Concert, December 8-9th, alongside Cór na nÓg. Handel’s Messiah, December 12-13th, is back with Our Lady’s Choral Society, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and soloists Aoife Gibney, Sharon Carty, Peter O’Reilly and Marcus Farnsworth.

This Way To Christmas, a family show featuring The Snowman movie, with score performed by the National Concert Hall (NCH) Christmas Orchestra, runs December 15-17th while Candlelit Carols take place, twice, on 19th December.

The National Symphony Orchestra is also tuning up for its Christmas Gala with Claudia Boyle, also at the NCH, for performances on December 22nd-23rd.

If that is not enough, the hills are alive once more with The Sound of Music. Festival Productions – the team that brought us Oliver!, Annie and Bugsy Malone – returns to the NCH with an all-singing, all-dancing production including the Festival chorus, dancers and orchestra, from December 27th until January 2nd.

A Classical Christmas takes to the stage at the Everyman in Cork, on December 5th, the National Opera House in Wexford on December 9th and the National Concert Hall on December 14th. This Lyric Opera Productions’ show features soloists Rachel Croash and José De Eça, the Carlow Choral Society and the MTU Glór Choral Society.

Gift buying is all part of the fun of Christmas too, but only if you do it right. Make yours an event in itself at a fab Christmas market.

Dublin’s fabled Moore Street is putting on the glitz with a Christmas edition of its regular market running every Wednesday to Saturday from the end of November to December 23rd. Enjoy festive foods from around the globe, hand crafted gifts and a chance to experience Christmas traditions from near and far, along with live music and street performances.

Cork will be getting its annual festive glow up thanks to Glow, Cork City Council’s Christmas initiative. Follow its magical trail through Bishop Lucey Park, enjoy the Ferris wheel, and tarry a while for the carol singers. The whole shebang runs from November 24th until January 7th.

Elsewhere, more than a quarter of a million people are set to visit the Galway Christmas Market at Eyre’s Square, enjoying pretzels, bratwurst, mulled wine and a German Bierkeller.

Midlanders are not missing out, with Winterfest Mullingar taking place over two weekends, December 8-10th and 15-17th, with an indoor Christmas market and Santa’s Grotto.

In Kilkenny it is all about Yulefest, which runs until December 23rd, and includes Santa’s magical village, a Christmas market, and lots of hot chocolate.

The main stage at Winterval, Waterford’s ode to Christmas, at Gladstone Street, is hosting 21 days of free, live performances, from choirs to a children’s disco and puppetry.

Be sure not to miss A Narnia Christmas, an adaptation of CS Lewis’s Lion, Witch and Wardrobe classic in a one-hour show from Broken Theatre, packed with acrobatics, fire breathing performers and flame throwing. It runs Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays throughout the Winterval festival.

There are more Christmas dramas than you could throw a candy cane at too, including a live Christmas Carol at the Pavilion theatre in Dún Laoghaire, December 14-17th, plus a Muppet variation of the same story at the Triskel Arts Centre, Cork, December 17th-22nd.

Round off the pre-Christmas entertainment with an overnight stay at the swish Fitzpatrick Castle in Dublin’s Killiney, handily close to the Dart.

Its Winter Retreat package includes two nights B&B, a bottle of wine on arrival and dinner for two at Mapas restaurant, with late checkout, priced from €360 based on two sharing.

If you are in the mood for a knees-up, the family-owned property invites you to join it for one of its popular Christmas parties. For €99 you will be welcomed like a long-lost family member with a festive cocktail and served a four-course dinner. You can enjoy a live band followed by a late night DJ and bar. Just be quick – there is currently availability only on December 9th and 16th, both Saturdays. Happy Christmas.