Selling alcohol
Northern Ireland Christmas licensing hours
Guide
In Northern Ireland, premises licensed to sell alcohol must abide by certain trading rules which specify the permitted hours for sale.
Licensed premises, such as bars, hotels and restaurants, may normally sell alcohol from 11:30am to 11pm, or on Sundays from 12:30pm to 11pm.
Some licensed premises have a 'late licence' that allows them to sell alcohol as late as 1am or with further additional permitted hours until 2am.
The permitted hours are different for Christmas Day.
Christmas 2024 licensing hours
The permitted hours that licensed premises can sell alcohol during the Christmas period are:
Christmas Eve (24 December 2024) alcohol sales
- Licensed premises: 11:30am to 11pm (late extensions until 12pm midnight, no alcohol sales after midnight)
- Drinking up time: plus 1 hour
- Off-licences (pub liquor licence): 11:30am to 11:00pm
- Off-licences (shops): 8am to 11pm
Christmas Day (25 December 2024) alcohol sales
- Licensed premises: 12:30pm to 10pm (no late extensions)
- Drinking up time: plus 1 hour
- Off-licences (pub liquor licence): closed
- Off-licences (shops): closed
New Year's Eve (31 December 2024) alcohol sales
- Licensed premises: normal trading day, opening at 11:30am, late extensions apply
- Drinking up time: plus 1 hour