Plan to unwrap Christmas market in Limerick may spark fresh closure at The Crescent

LIMERICK City and County Council is planning to unwrap a Christmas market during the month of December.

And they’ve said while the area beside the O’Connell Monument at The Crescent in the city centre is “the proposed location”, this could still change.

A search is under way for a company to provide services around the event, which has a working title of Georgian Christmas Market.

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Council says it is looking for a “suitably qualified company to create, produce and deliver all site operations associated with the event experience which will attract visitor numbers to Limerick city.”

Any firm should have a track record of delivering “high-quality professional public events” as well as a “track record of working with volunteers”.

“The successful tenderer will provide, either directly or through third party providers, all strategic event planning and delivery services for the event.”

In the local authority’s appeal for companies, they have said the target audience for what it’s described as an “illuminated experience” is “primarily families with young children”.

“The market/fair should celebrate Limerick’s rich Georgian heritage, both built and cultural,” they add.

It’s envisaged the market will trade for four weeks up until December 23.

“It is expected the market/fair will operate Fridays, Saturday and Sundays, with an option for Thursday operation,” said council.

Although the destination for the market is not fully confirmed, the council has asked any company planning the event to have a traffic and pedestrian management plan in place.

“It is envisaged a full road closure will be required on Saturdays and Sundays and an inbound road closure for the month of December, concluding on December 24, 2025.”

The indication that the event might take place beside the Daniel O’Connell Monument is sure to raise eyebrows.

The area at the top of Limerick’s main thoroughfare was closed to motorised traffic for a month during August 2024 for a month of outdoor activities curated by Mayor John Moran.

Last December, a plan to close The Crescent to motor traffic on the four Sundays before Christmas was reduced to only one Sunday.

And a proposal to close the area for the month of August this year was axed in its entirety.

At the time, Mayor Moran said that he could not convince himself that the closure of the access point represented “good value for money.”