10 Fun Things To Do Over Christmas That Don’t Involve Drinking

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With Christmas almost here, we’re all trying to go a little bit easier on the booze.

Most of us have our work Christmas parties out of the way and are looking at a relatively quiet one this weekend (unless you’re planning a 12 pubs, of course). Maybe you don’t want to drink that much at all this Christmas, having learned from last year’s mistakes.

This is the season of eating as much as humanly possible after all, who wants hangover nausea standing in the way of all that good eatin’?

But taking a break from the drink this Christmas doesn’t mean you have to be all boring about it. Here are just 10 fun alternatives to boozing you can enjoy this festive season…

1. Ice skating

A bit of an obvious one, granted, but an excellent way to get some winter shits ‘n’ giggles. You can find places to ice skate in Dublin at the RDS, in Dundrum, and Blancardstown. You can find a list of all those places here.

Also, it’s a great opportunity for couples to showboat… so there’s that too.

2. Christmas markets

This is just some good, clean, wholesome festive fun right here.

Have a browse of the stalls, soak up that Christmassy vibe, and sample all the holiday treats on offer. And with plenty of Christmas markets to visit in Dublin (we’ve a handy list right here in fact), there’s plenty to keep you occupied.

3. Funky Seomra

So you don’t wanna drink this New Year’s Eve, but you still wanna head out and dance? Then Funky Seomra is just the ticket; run like a mini-festival, it’s Ireland’s most successful alcohol and drug-free nightclub.

There’ll be live musicians and stunning visuals, an interactive arts area, a juice and smoothie bar, cosy chill out areas with comfy couches and giant buddha bags, three DJs accompanied by live drumming sessions and much more.

You can find it at Filmbase in Temple Bar this year and you can get tickets here.

4. Christmas Movies On The Square

One of the great things about Christmas is the film collection that comes with it and you’ll be able to enjoy them on the big screen at Meeting House Square this year.

Running from December 17 until the 21, Christmas Movies At The Square will be screening classics like Elf and The Polar Express, as well as not-so-obvious Christmas movies like Bridget Jones’ Diary, Some Like It Hot, and (of course) Die Hard.

Tickets are €3 for kids, €5 for adults and you can find the full line-up here.

5. The panto

You may have preconceptions about the panto that’d make you dismiss it out of hand, but this year’s Little Red Riding Hood is actually a pretty entertaining show for adults as well as kids.

One of the Lovin Dublin team checked it out recently and they were surprised at how much they enjoyed it, see what they thought here.

6. Winter Funderland

This is like regular Funderland only better. You have all the amusements you’d expect from Funderland, but there’s also a Christmas market and circus here to enjoy too.

You’ll find Winter Funderland at the RDS, for more info click here.

7. Adventure Rooms

If you haven’t been to this place before, it’s well worth checking out over your Christmas holidays.

Mystery is kind of the key to it so we can’t tell you a whole lot about its particulars, but we can say it involves being locked into a room, and having 60 minutes to use a series of clues and puzzles to engineer your escape.

Brilliant fun and a great date idea.

8. Indulge in some unbelievable treats

Like I said earlier, Christmas is a time for eating copious amounts of junk food in a vain attempt to become as jolly as old St Nick himself. What better way to do that then setting aside some time to visit some of Dublin’s best vendors of all things sweet?

Luckily for you, we’ve a compiled a list of who they are and where to find them, right here.

9. Do the GOAL Mile

But then, maybe you wanna go in a completely different direction and avoid all the unhealthiness that’s associated with Christmas altogether. In that case, the GOAL Mile could be a nice one for you.

This is GOAL’s flagship fundraising event that takes place each year on Christmas Day and St Stephen’s Day around the country. Participants simply walk, jog or run a mile along a GOAL route and are asked to donate to the charity.

A nice little family activity to do over the holidays, you can find out more here.

10. Christmas carol service

Celebrating Christmas doesn’t get much more traditional than this. There are plenty of carol services to choose from in Dublin as well, such as at St. Teresa’s Carmelite Church (7pm, Thursday, December 17), St. Patrick’s Cathedral (7pm, Friday, December 18) and the National Concert Hall (2.30pm/5pm/7pm, Friday, December 18).

For the full list of carol services in Dublin this Christmas, click here.