Night markets have been proposed as one of the things that could help 'reimagine' night-time activity in Irish cities.
Dublin Lord Mayor Hazel Chu is chairing a committee looking at how things could be done differently, saying there have been some "very good suggestions".
The committee is part of a wider effort to look at ways to reinvigorate nightlife and night economies in Ireland, as part of efforts being led by the Department of Culture and Minister Catherine Martin.
Campaigners have long called for major reform of Ireland's night-time culture - with those calls increasing as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the arts, retail and hospitality sectors.
Speaking on The Hard Shoulder, Lord Mayor Chu said one of the key things is changing licencing laws, to allow more opportunities for families and older people.
She said: "There's nothing wrong with restaurants and pubs... but we want to provide more options.
"One of the things we were talking about was night markets. I had been one of the facilitators of the Henry Street traders... we noticed the traders already have it quite difficult.
"In terms of night-time trading, that could be an option - or night-time events across the city that wouldn't just involve the pub."
She noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how there's more need to support outdoor activities such as markets.
The Lord Mayor stressed there's "absolutely nothing wrong with the pub" - but there's a recognition there has to be changes.
She said cities in Ireland have been 'decimated' during the pandemic, and there's a need for cities - as well as towns and villages - to start looking at how to reimagine night-life.
She highlighted transport as something that's also vital to planning, as there needs to be a way to get people home safely if they're in the city at night.
Reimagining cities
Also speaking to Kieran, CEO of Dublin Town Richard Guiney says he believes we need to reimagine our cities, "full stop".
He explained: "Before COVID, we'd actually seen for quite a number of years an increase in footfall post 5pm, and a decrease pre 5pm.
"Everyone knows retail has been challenged for quite a number of years. A lot of big household names have not reopened post-COVID.
"The night time economy is important - it's going to be increasingly important."
Mr Guiney explained that cities internationally have already been moving towards more vibrant night-time activity, and engagement with the likes of arts and culture in Dublin city centre was already 'close enough' to the number of people who come in to go to the pub.
He said the list of options does need to be expanded, and the city will unfortunately have more vacant space once the pandemic is over.
He called for a 'far more imaginative' approach to planning laws, while also ensuring there's a balance between residential use and evening-time activity.
