Dublin City Council is launching a new campaign today to encourage everyone to enjoy all the amenities and attractions Dublin City has to offer.
The ‘We Can Dublin Again’ campaign comes as the latest pedestrian data shows footfall in Dublin City has increased by 114% since January 2021 and is up 45% since April 2021. When comparing May Bank Holiday Monday to June Bank Holiday Monday this year, when outdoor dining resumed, footfall in the city increased by 89% (150,517 on June 7th 2021 vs. 79,637 on May 3rd 2021).
Dublin City Council measures and initiatives to assist in the recovery of Dublin City, following the Covid-19 pandemic are follows..
- The widening of footpaths to facilitate outdoor dining, including on Merrion Row, Lower Baggot Street, Suffolk Street, South William Street, Drury Street and Capel Street
- Traffic-free streets in the City to facilitate outdoor dining, including Anne Street South, Dame Court, South William Street, Drury Street, and Sandymount Village
- Weekend evening traffic-free streets on Capel Street and Parliament Street, now extended from the original 6 weeks to 12 weeks
- Increased public seating areas and picnic benches with parasols
- 393 street furniture licences for outdoor dining
- Reallocation of roadway and parking spaces, including protections to facilitate outdoor dining
- All street furniture fees waived until 2023
- 30 new park benches across the city in memory of people who died from Covid-19
- Installation of 10 Light Boxes in Smithfield Square, with each containing images of paintings and sculptures from the Hugh Lane Gallery, to enhance the outdoor dining experience
- Street Art Programme launched to commission new artworks in the city
- Free special six Hugh Lane Gallery concerts “Sundays@Noon” every second Thursday
- ‘Eat the Streets’ online festival in conjunction with Creative Ireland
- Revamping Francis Street in the Liberties, with new granite-paved public spaces to the front of the Iveagh Market and St Nicholas de Myra Church, as well as landscaping, bicycle stands, and road and footpath resurfacing.
- Open call launched for musicians to play in the public domain over the summer months.