- ✓You usually don’t need a VPN — RTÉ makes the Toy Show available worldwide on RTÉ Player.
- ✓It’s free, live and on demand at RTE.ie/Player and in the RTÉ Player app, wherever you are.
- ✓You just need a free RTÉ account to sign in.
- ✓A VPN is only a backup — if it’s ever geo-blocked in your country, or if you want the rest of RTÉ Player (which stays Ireland-only).
- ✓It airs in early December; check RTÉ each year for the exact date and time.
The quick answer
You can watch the Late Late Toy Show from anywhere in the world, free, and without a VPN. Unlike the rest of RTÉ Player, RTÉ deliberately makes the Toy Show available worldwide — live and on demand — as a gift to the Irish diaspora. Just go to RTE.ie/Player (or the app), sign in with a free RTÉ account, and press play. A VPN is only a backup for the rare cases we cover below.
The Toy Show is unblocked worldwide on RTÉ Player — you don’t need a VPN, and we’d rather tell you that than sell you one.
The good news: it’s worldwide
Most Irish TV is geo-locked to Ireland, but the Toy Show is the great exception. RTÉ opens it up globally every December so families abroad can share the tradition — and the diaspora turns out in force. The 2025 show drew hundreds of thousands of streams on RTÉ Player from viewers in over 130 countries, from all 50 US states to every corner of Australia. So if you’re abroad this Christmas, you’re not locked out — you’re specifically invited in.
How to watch it
It couldn’t be simpler:
- 1Go to RTÉ Player
Open RTE.ie/Player in a browser, or the RTÉ Player app on your phone, tablet or TV device. The Toy Show is featured front and centre in early December.
- 2Sign in to your free RTÉ account
You need a free RTÉ account to watch. Register in a minute if you don’t have one — no payment, no subscription.
- 3Press play — live or on demand
Watch it live as it airs, or on demand afterwards. RTÉ unblocks it worldwide, so no VPN is needed for the Toy Show itself.
When you’d still want a VPN
To be straight about it, there are only two:
- If it won’t play where you are. The worldwide release is at RTÉ’s discretion each year, and the odd restrictive network or region can still block it. A VPN with an Irish server is the reliable fallback.
- If you want the rest of RTÉ Player. Everything around the Toy Show — the regular Late Late Show, Christmas programming, other RTÉ content — stays geo-locked to Ireland. For that, you do need an Irish IP.
Using a VPN as backup
If you do need one, it’s the same three-minute routine as any Irish TV: connect a VPN to an Irish server, open RTÉ Player, and sign in. Our full walkthrough is in how to watch RTÉ Player abroad, and if a stream misbehaves, our RTÉ-not-working fix has you covered. The VPNs we rate for RTÉ:
More in our best VPN for RTÉ Player guide.
Timing & tips
- When: a Friday evening in early December (the 2025 show was Friday 5 December, 9:35pm Irish time). Check RTÉ each year for the exact date.
- Mind the time zone. Convert Irish time to yours — or just watch it on demand the next morning.
- On the telly: the RTÉ Player app runs on Fire TV Stick, Android TV, Apple TV and most smart TVs.
- Get the account ready early. Set up your free RTÉ account before the night so you’re not registering as it starts.