Spectacular sound and light shows will mark the millennium celebrations in the capital. From late this afternoon in Dublin, the Liffey bridges will be permanently lit up in a blaze of illumination.
Later, the biggest fireworks display ever seen in the State will erupt noisily over Dublin Bay.
In Merrion Square, up to 30,000 revellers are expected to congregate for a 12-hour concert, which spans popular and traditional music styles. The entire area has been declared an alcohol-free zone.
People are being advised to wrap up well for the concert, which begins at 2.30 p.m. and continues until 6 p.m., in the shadow of Government Buildings. There are no tickets required for this part of the gig, which features acts such as Brian Kennedy and the Kilfenora Ceili Band.
At 7 p.m. the second part of the millennium event begins, with performers including David Gray, Picture House and The Divine Comedy. The countdown to the millennium will be performed by the Afro-Celt Sound System and Macnas. Late-night DART and Nitelink buses will be provided.
At Christ Church Cathedral, where thousands traditionally gather on New Year's Eve, a record-breaking ringing-in of the millennium will be attempted at midnight.
Seven new bells will be rung at the church, bringing the total number of swinging bells to 19 - more than those used for similar celebrations anywhere else in the world.
And if it isn't bells that are ringing in the ears of revellers, it will be the fireworks popping every 15 minutes from the moment the first shell is fired at 10 p.m. Sponsored by the National Millennium Committee, the pyrotechnic display was designed and produced by the world-famous Grucci family of Long Island, New York.
The fireworks will be best viewed along the coast on either side of Dublin Bay, with the best vantage points believed to be from Sandymount to Dun Laoghaire, and from Clontarf to Howth, or any elevated areas of Dublin. The fireworks will reach heights of between 600 and 1,000 feet before exploding.
There is no public access to the launch area on the South Wall at Ringsend.
An elevated position will also be best for viewing the "Mexican wave" of light that is planned when 13 bridges on the River Liffey are illuminated in a switching-on ceremony starting at 6 p.m. at Dublin Corporation's Civic Offices.
Dublin Corporation has advised that the Liffey Lights event is best viewed from the quays, particularly from points at Wood Quay and Ormond Quay, Bachelors Walk and Aston Quay and Sean Heuston Bridge.
The whole spectacle will take no more than 10 minutes - millennium bugs permitting.