Dublin Bus Festive Season Schedule from December 2025 to January 2026

Posted on December 9, 2025

Reading time: 8 minutes.

As the end of the year approaches, preparations for 2025-6 Festive Season see inevitable changes to Dublin’s bus services. Alterations to timetables are nothing new during the festive season, and having clear information helps customers navigate family visits, shopping or late-night events. Efforts are being made to maintain as much service as feasible, balancing demand, staff availability and public expectation. What follows is a full summary of the bus arrangements for Dublin and surrounding areas in December 2025 and the early days of the new year, offering a sense of what will operate, when and where there will be deviations from the norm.

Quick Reference: Key Dates

Christmas Eve (24^th December): Saturday service with additional early morning departures, last buses approximately 21:00, no Nitelink
Christmas Day (25^th December): No service
St Stephen’s Day (26^th December): Sunday service, no Nitelink
27^th-28^th December: Saturday and Sunday services respectively, no Nitelink
29^th-31^st December: Saturday services, full Nitelink available
New Year’s Day (1^st January 2026): Sunday service, no Nitelink
2^nd January: Normal weekday services resume

Early December (11^th-13^th December)

Thursday 11^th and Friday 12^th December see the city’s routes running to regular weekday patterns, with the full Nitelink service present for those needing late connections, supplementing the network of existing 24-hour routes. Saturday 13^th December adopts the familiar Saturday pattern, again matched with Nitelink, reinforcing the sense that planners want to ensure mobility remains straightforward for most people through the heart of December.

Mid-December (18^th-21^st December)

The following Thursday and Friday, 18^th and 19^th December, continue with regular weekday services and full Nitelink operation. Saturday 20^th December maintains the standard Saturday timetable with Nitelink available.

On 21^st December, the first of the changes surfaces, with Sunday services across all routes accompanied by full Nitelink. Of note is the suspension of City Tours and Ghostbus Tours, so those hoping for some festive sightseeing or a different entertainment may have to wait.

The Critical Week (22^nd-28^th December)

22^nd-23^rd December

The same holds across the following two weekdays, 22^nd and 23^rd December, with the usual weekday service operating while the City Tours and Ghostbus Tours both remain on hiatus. Nitelink does not operate on these dates.

Christmas Eve (24^th December)

The heart of Christmas Eve on Wednesday 24^th December looks a little different, reflecting the tradition that most people are headed home or finishing work early. For this day, a Saturday service runs on all routes, though with additional early-morning departures for the busiest routes, ensuring that journeys are possible from the start of the day for those who need to get places before the last-minute dash.

Importantly, last departures are scheduled for around 21:00, a widespread adjustment that makes for a slightly earlier finish than usual. Many routes receive tailored arrangements for these final departures, so it pays to be alert to just when the last bus will run. Nitelink, City Tours and Ghostbus Tours do not operate at all that evening, so any late plans will need alternative transport.

Christmas Day (25^th December)

All Dublin Bus scheduled services take a break. This is customary and has been the case each year, so the advice is to plan well in advance, as no scheduled buses will run on 25 December.

St Stephen’s Day (26^th December)

Boxing Day, or St Stephen’s Day, Friday 26^th December, sees the network back running Sunday timetables across all routes. However, there are further caveats: Nitelink, City Tours and Ghostbus Tours will remain out of operation. The regular 24-hour service, however, continues where in place, ensuring some late-night mobility is sustained for those who need it most.

Weekend Recovery (27^th-28^th December)

Saturday 27 December resumes the usual Saturday timetable, with the reappearance of both City Tours and Ghostbus Tours for those wanting to venture out or sample some attractions. Nitelink does not operate. Sunday 28 December was set aside for the regular Sunday service, again with both the City Tours and Ghostbus Tours scheduled as normal, though Nitelink remains unavailable.

New Year Period (29^th December - 2^nd January)

The week between Christmas and New Year’s brings a slight departure from the everyday pattern. Monday 29^th, Tuesday 30^th and Wednesday 31^st December each adopt a Saturday service across all routes, paired with the full Nitelink offer for late-night demand. These days appear aimed at making it easy for people to travel, shop or visit right through the post-Christmas bustle and New Year’s Eve. Those familiar with recent years may see this as an effort to reduce confusion and avoid overly complex holiday scheduling.

New Year’s Day, Thursday 1^st January 2026, bears its own variations. All routes run on the Sunday schedule, but with Nitelink taking a break for this day, so alternative plans are required for late-night journeys. The 24-hour services continue, sustaining a basic level of provision, while City Tours do return for those looking for something to do on the bank holiday. Ghostbus Tours, on the other hand, remain suspended for the day.

By Friday 2^nd January, the bus network is back to the typical weekday service pattern, marking the proper end to the holiday period.

Christmas Eve: Special Arrangements

Additional Early Morning Departures

Within these headline changes, there are layers of detail for those catching buses at sensitive times or working unsocial hours. Additional early morning departures play a key role, especially on Christmas Eve. Extra buses operate specific early services on several of the larger, busier routes. Timings are exact and intended to align with shift patterns or early-morning demands, with some buses leaving as early as 04:35 and spanning a wide range of corridors, such as from Howth Dart Station, Mountjoy Square, Ballycullen, Charlestown, Dublin Airport, Clarehall, Balbriggan, Blanchardstown and other major gathering points. Access to the city centre is notably prioritised from outlying areas, reflecting the need for staff to reach retail or hospitality work in good time.

Full details of additional early morning departures are available on the Dublin Bus website.

Last Departures

Specific mention is warranted for last departures on Christmas Eve, always a topic of concern for those making critical journeys home or to other gatherings. The overwhelming pattern here is for the final buses on each route to run between 19:30 and 21:00, though some services do see their final departure as early as late afternoon, for example, Skerries to Abbey Street on Route 33 at 17:11.

For most city and suburban routes, the final runs are efficiently spaced to clear demand before a full stop is applied for the evening. City centre corridors such as Abbey Street, Aston Quay, Parnell Square and Hawkins Street feature as hubs for many final buses, suggesting a concerted effort to keep the network interconnected for as long as practical. Some suburban routes finish slightly before 21:00, so anyone depending on public transport in the evening needs to plan ahead with particular care, allowing for earlier departures to avoid disappointment.

Complete information on last departures for all routes is available on the Dublin Bus website.

Specialist Services Throughout the Period

Nitelink

Nitelink, which for many years has helped people get home after late nights out, is only suspended at the most critical points in the season. Across most of the lead-up to Christmas and from 29 December through to New Year’s Eve, Nitelink supplements the 24-hour routes. The key exceptions to this are 22^nd, 23^rd, 24^th, 25^th, 26^th, 27^th, 28^th December and 1 January, days when the combination of early finishes, full closures or public holiday schedules renders the late-night runs less essential.

Wherever Nitelink does operate, it is available alongside the regular 24-hour services, adding further capacity for those who need to travel at less usual times.

Nitelink operates:

11^th-13^th December
18^th-21^st December
29^th-31^st December

Nitelink does not operate:

22^nd-28^th December
1^st January 2026

City Tours and Ghostbus Tours

Throughout the season, the City Tours and Ghostbus Tours, favourites for both locals and visitors, follow an on/off pattern. They do not operate on the last few days before Christmas, nor on 25 and 26 December, but return for the weekend that follows. On New Year’s Day, only the City Tours resume, with the Ghostbus remaining suspended.

City Tours and Ghostbus Tours do not operate:

21^st-26^th December

City Tours and Ghostbus Tours resume:

27^th December onwards

New Year’s Day exception:

City Tours operate
Ghostbus Tours do not operate

24-Hour Routes

The regular 24-hour services (Routes 15, 39a, 41, 80, C1, C2, C5, C6, E1, E2, F1, F2, G1, G2 and N4) operate throughout the Christmas period, including Christmas Day, providing continuous mobility across twelve routes seven days a week.

Conclusion

The emphasis throughout the Christmas period is on balancing festive demand with the operational realities of public transport. Adjustments serve both as a recognition of the city’s core routines and its seasonal differences. By running a patchwork of weekday, Saturday and Sunday schedules interwoven with special early morning departures, Dublin Bus aims to make the season as seamless as possible for its many users, from shift workers to shoppers to families reuniting after a long year.

For precise times and departures, consulting the latest operational updates or real-time information will be essential, as there is scope for slight adjustment closer to the day if warranted.

For more information: