Forget NYE - they'll be celebrating NYF in Dublin this year...

DUBLIN HAS CHANGED the traditional NYE celebrations to NYF.

‘What’s that?’ I hear you ask.

Well, it was all launched by Minister Paschal Donohoe today, who explained that NYF Dublin will be a new three-day citywide festival to ring in the new year,

Instead of just being for one day, the upcoming New Year’s Festival (see, NYF, geddit?) will run across the city over three days from 30 December 2014 through to 1 January 2015.

It is “set to be the best New Year’s celebration that the city has ever seen”, we’ve been told – so have your expectations high.

Minister Donohoe said that they invested in developing a “‘must-visit’ end of year festival” to tempt overseas visitors.

A variety of international journalists and bloggers from all over the world will be invited by Fáilte Ireland to ring in the New Year in Dublin, so we’d better be on our best behaviour.

What can we expect?

Massively popular Irish band Kodaline will headline the NYF Countdown Concert at College Green, with very special guest James Vincent McMorrow.

There will also be:

• An NYF Food Village in the grounds of Dublin Castle
• A Procession of Light from Stephen’s Green to Dublin Castle
• Live gigs across the city at the NYF Music Trail
• 3D animations from Luminosity
• Love Dublin at the Spoken Word Festival
• The NYF Arts Trail and Dublin Discover Trail.

If you’re not feeling too ropey the following day, there will be a New Year’s Day Fun Run from Dublin Castle, or free exercise classes in Dublin city parks and fitness clubs, on 1 January, now deemed Resolution Day as part of NYF.

The NYF Dublin Festival is an initiative by Fáilte Ireland in partnership with Dublin City Council and produced by event organisers Holohan Leisure and MCD Productions. For full details on the whole thing, visit the official website www.NYFDublin.com.

What do you think of the NYF?

PICS: Here’s how Ireland welcomed in 2014>