Christmas may still be 10 weeks away, but Dublin is already getting in the spirit after the city's first Christmas lights were erected on Thursday.
Dublin Town, the city's business collective, has erected energy-efficient Christmas lights on South Anne Street on the south side of the city, with 24 other Dublin streets set to receive Christmas lights over the coming weeks.
The lights will be switched on in mid-November and are all energy-efficient, Dublin Town said.
The organization has been managing Dublin's Christmas lights for the past 15 years and says that the lights help bring a sense of Christmas to Dublin's city center.
Dublin Town CEO Richard Guiney said in a statement that it takes more than 200 hours to erect Dublin's Christmas lights.
"It takes 30 people, working through the night over four weeks and 200 hours to erect the lights," Guiney said in a statement.
"Every single bulb and fixture is tested by Dublin Town’s lighting contractor in advance of going up.
"The lights bring the sense of Christmas to the city centre and thousands take selfies beneath the iconic displays.
"The erection of the lights is one of the biggest tasks Dublin Town undertakes for its business members on behalf of the people of Dublin, and beyond.
Ho ho ho. Christmas lights up in Dublin ? pic.twitter.com/rAqCz78KzJ
— Paul Arbuthnot (@paul__arbuthnot) October 11, 2023
"They are the major catalyst of the city center Christmas buzz and drive a sense of joy, as well as attracting footfall."
As with previous years, there will be no public ceremony for the switching on of the Christmas lights. Dublin Town said the lights will be up from mid-November until early January.
The group said all lights are regulated by time clocks, adding that the Grafton Street lights use one-third of the energy required for an electric shower.
Here's just a taste of Dublin's Christmas lights from 2022, thanks to EU Rambler: