For the third year in a row, some of Dublin’s best-known buildings will be lighting up in red to mark the 2018 Chinese New Year and welcome the Year of the Dog, which begins tomorrow (Friday February 16). The illumination has been organised by the Dublin Chinese New Year Festival in conjunction with Dublin City Council.
Numerous civic buildings and other sites around Dublin will be illuminated in red this week, including: Brown Thomas, Carmichael House, City Hall, Civic Offices in Wood Quay, The Convention Centre Dublin (The CCD), Guinness Storehouse, The Mansion House, National Concert Hall, St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, Sin É and The Westin Hotel.
Other places around Ireland celebrating Chinese New Year by lighting in red include: Cork City Hall, The Capitol on Grand Parade and One Albert Quay in Cork, CityNorth Hotel near Gormanston, Kildare Village, Powerscourt Estate in Enniskerry and Newbridge Silverware.
Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said, “Tourism Ireland is delighted that Chinese New Year is being celebrated in Dublin once again this year, with many of our historic civic buildings lighting up in red. The illumination indicates a gesture of genuine friendship and a desire to further enhance the positive relations between China and Ireland.
“China is an important emerging travel market and one that Tourism Ireland is committed to growing over the coming years. In 2017, we welcomed an estimated 70,000 Chinese visitors to the island of Ireland.”