Dublin preparing for Shamrock Drop 2026

The shamrock will be ready to drop this New Year’s.

The Downtown Development Authority will continue its New Year’s Eve tradition by holding the Shamrock Drop near Theatre Dublin this Wednesday. DDA Executive Director Glenda Berry said the shamrock will come down from an aerial lift provided by TriStar Aerial one minute before midnight, ringing in 2026.

“I think it will be approximately 40 feet up,” Berry said. “We did this last year, and I think it was great and a lot of fun for people. We had a good crowd behind the theater (for the drop). We’ll be behind the theater this year, and we’ll also have Madison Street, the block between Church and Monroe, closed off.” 

All of the events that evening will begin at 7:30 p.m., kicking off with music by the Georgia Chryslers followed by a 10 p.m. performance from 47 By Crow. During this time, there will also be face painting, a 360 photo booth, some food trucks and a “silent disco” on Madison Street, which will be sponsored by Visit Dublin GA.

“You wear headphones and you can pick any kind of music you want to listen to,” Berry said. “You might have one couple doing a waltz and you might have others doing a line dance, but you can’t hear what the other person is listening to.” 

Miriam Lewis, Visit Dublin GA executive director, brought this event to Berry’s attention. 

“You’ll put the headphones on and there will be a dance area that will be called the Silent Disco Corral,” Lewis said. “People will be able to dance around, but the fun part is no one can hear what’s going on. If there are 10 people grooving, they will all be dancing to their own different beat.” 

Lewis said the corral will be sponsored by Crooked Finger Brewing. 

“We wanted (Visit Dublin GA) to participate, and we wanted to add some fun to this event,” Lewis said. “We’ll have some giveaway items that will be very fun for a night-time event. We have loved the Shamrock Drop for years and we wanted to contribute something to it that was family friendly. Kids and adults will have fun doing this. I really hope people will get excited about it.”

Visit Dublin GA recently placed four selfie stations in the downtown Dublin area. People have taken pictures and sent them to Lewis. 

“I actually had some tourism partners from Perry and Statesboro for a meeting,” she said. “They loved the idea for the selfie stations, and we went around to the locations and took pictures at them so they could send them back. These are little fun things that we can do to get people to interact with what’s around them.”  

And since there is a selfie station at Theatre Dublin, people can take turns taking photos during the Shamrock Drop.

“It will have the marquee behind them,” Lewis said. 

Visit Dublin GA was recently mentioned in the 2026 Georgia Officer State Travel Guide from Explore Georgia.

The headline on page 118 says, “Dublin: Feel Like Family,” where it mentions Southern Pines Water Park, Lou Ann’s Biscuit & Burgers. Crooked Finger Brewing, Saltwater Fishery, Dublin Farm Bed and Breakfast, Moe’s on Madison and Strickland’s Boots. On page 100 is a story and photo about Dublin’s Martin Luther King Jr. Monument, along with mentioning the Dudley Motel and Retreat Cafe. There is also a piece about the St. Patrick’s Festival. 

“We are so excited about being mentioned,” Lewis said. “We haven’t been mentioned since 2018.”

Other events coming up for Theatre Dublin in 2026 will be the “Champions: A Celebration of Queen” at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17.

“This is something we have never had before,” Berry said. “We have had request from people to have some sort of Queen tribute because the music is so popular. We are extremely excited about that.”