Dublin’s bank holiday weekend: marathon closures, Bram Stoker Festival and what you need to know

It’s a busy bank holiday weekend in Dublin, and it starts with a storm. Met Éireann has a nationwide Status Yellow rain warning for Storm Austen from 7pm on Thursday 22 October to 8am on Friday 23 October. Then on Sunday the Irish Life Dublin Marathon closes roads across the city. In between, the Bram Stoker Festival runs from Friday to Monday. Here’s what you need to know. For the full festival programme, see our Bram Stoker Festival 2026 guide.

Storm Austen

Met Éireann warns of difficult travel, localised flooding and impacts on outdoor events. It says the weekend will stay very unsettled after the storm passes, with more wind and rain. Check met.ie before heading out.

Marathon Sunday

The Irish Life Dublin Marathon starts at 8.45am on Sunday 25 October. The organisers say major road closures will be in place across the city and county from early morning to late evening, with some streets closing from Friday 23 October. Our Dublin Marathon road closures guide has the details.

Bram Stoker Festival: the free highlights

Dublin City Council Bram Stoker Festival runs Friday 23 to Monday 26 October. We’ve seen no weather changes from the festival yet, but check bramstokerfestival.com before you go.

• Stokerland, St Patrick’s Park, Sat 24 – Mon 26 Oct: free, no booking.
• Macnas: Fiáin, North East Inner City, Mon 26 Oct: free, no booking.
• Making Faces!, family mask-making at the National Museum, Sun 25 Oct: drop in.

Then go north

Derry Halloween turns 40 from 28 October, with the parade and fireworks on Halloween night. LoveBelfast has that guide: read it on LoveBelfast.

Everything else this weekend: What’s On in Dublin.

The details

• Storm Austen: Status Yellow rain warning, nationwide, 7pm Thu 22 Oct to 8am Fri 23 Oct (met.ie)
• Marathon: Sun 25 Oct, 8.45am start; road closures citywide (irishlifedublinmarathon.ie)
• Bram Stoker Festival: Fri 23 – Mon 26 Oct, citywide (bramstokerfestival.com)

More from Love Dublin

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