Pride weekend is in full swing here in Dublin, but with more than 600,000 people expected to travel to the capital for a variety of events including Pride, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, the Longitude Festival and more, members of the public are being warned of traffic disruptions and taxi shortages.
Dublin is in for an extremely busy weekend as events are lined up across the city. Taylor Swift is bringing her long-awaited sold-out Eras Tour concert to the Aviva Stadium this Friday, Saturday and Sunday night, while this summer’s Longitude Festival is also set to make its triumphant return to Marlay Park.
These momentous events are joined by a number of other concerts coming to Dublin this weekend, including Friday night performances from Shania Twain at Malahide Castle and Jane’s Addiction at Trinity College. Meanwhile, on Saturday, The Saw Doctors are set to perform at Fairview Park while the Villagers take their performance to Trinity.
The city will similarly play host to the GAA Senior Football Championship over the weekend, with the Armagh v Roscommon and Dublin v Galway matches set to take over Croke Park on Saturday, followed by the Donegal v Louth and Kerry v Derry quarter-final matches on Sunday.
All of these events and more will coincide with Dublin’s 50th annual Pride. While events are scheduled to be spread across the city, the Pride Parade will take to the streets tomorrow afternoon.
While road closures have been announced for weeks, including the closure of both the Red and Green Luas Lines for the duration of the parade, officials at the Taxis for Ireland Coalition have warned Pride, festival, and concertgoers that there will also be “severe taxi shortages amid a busy weekend of activity”.
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“The last thing we want people in Dublin to feel is stranded, waiting late at night for taxis in areas they may be unfamiliar with,” reported Donall O’Keefe, CEO of the Licensed Vintners Association (LVA). “Taxis provide that extra layer of safety, particularly for visitors attending the city.”
O’Keefe added: “We want Dublin and Ireland to remain competitive when it comes to hosting large events. However, we need to ensure additional taxi availablity for the night-time economy in particular to enhance the experience of visitors to our capital city.”
As this weekend is sure to be hectic, Pride-goers are encouraged to double-check road closures and keep in mind that finding a taxi late at night may not be as simple as it has been in previous years.
And whether you’re already queuing up to get into Taylor Swift’s concert, prepping for the unmissable Mother Pride Block Party, or just settling in for a quiet weekend with your chosen family, GCN wishes you the loudest, proudest, and happiest Pride!
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