Taking place on Friday 20th September, this year’s Culture Night will follow last year’s extraordinarily successful night, where 1.2 million people participated in over 1,700 free cultural events around the country. This year, Culture Night aims to be even more inclusive, accessible and diverse while showcasing the best of both the traditional and evolving arts in Ireland.
This year’s events take place in every county, and in both urban and rural spaces. There is a large choice, with events ranging from a postcard exhibition in Ryan’s Bar in Kilkenny, to traditional music in Down Syndrome Tipperary, hip hop performances across Limerick city, and David Gray and Colm Mac an Iomaire performing on Sceilg Mhicil. A series of events running late into the night, under the Culture Night Late banner, will take place thanks to additional support from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Nighttime Economy Taskforce.
How will you Culture Night? This year the Arts Council is highlighting the many ways for people to Culture Night, whether heading out with family or friends or staying in and enjoying events on TV or radio. Audiences can check the Culture Night website to find out about accessibility and about what will suit them, from among the thousands of free events taking place in villages, towns, cities, villages and countryside late into the night. The first step to finding out how to Culture Night is to go to www.culturenight.ie.
Attending the launch are a group of Ireland’s artists who will be performing on Culture Night. These include Stíofán Ó Fearail, singer, songwriter, musician and founding member of the bilingual contemporary folk group Seo Linn; pop music sensation SexyTadhg; rapper, songwriter and one of the most exciting names in Irish hip hop, Celaviedmai; and traditional dancer extraordinaire and children’s book author Edwina Guckian. These artists are joining writer, podcaster and sustainability advocate Keelin Moncrieff in spreading the work about Culture Night between now and September 20th. The Culture Night website and social channels will provide updates on where they will be performing, and new events will continue to be posted up until September 20th.
Commenting on the launch of Culture Night 2024, Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD said: “Culture Night is One Night For All, an important moment where we come together to celebrate and enjoy our country’s incredible culture for free. I would encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to start thinking ‘How Will I Culture Night’ this year? Culture Night is already a key highlight in many people’s calendars and I’m proud for my Department to support Culture Night Late which will give people even more choice. For anyone new to Culture Night, it is my hope that the night may act as a first introduction into ongoing engagement with their local arts community.”
Maura McGrath, Arts Council Chair said: “Culture Night is a joyous moment in the cultural calendar like no other. The wealth of talent, performance and art on display truly highlights how incredibly vibrant our country is. It’s a chance for communities across Ireland to come together and experience the transformative power of the arts. This year marks my first as Chair of the Arts Council and I look forward to choosing how I will Culture Night. I am anticipating a spectacular evening of music, colour and creative spirit on September 20th.”
Maureen Kennelly, Arts Council Director said “Culture Night is an excellent opportunity to explore, experience and engage with the vast richness of arts our country has to offer. It is powerful to see artists and organisations engaging with all types of audiences, generations of families and groups of friends young and old, in a shared experience. We in the Arts Council, as stewards, are delighted to bring this important inclusive and collective cultural experience to life. By asking people how they will Culture Night on September 20th, we’d like people to consider all the possibilities the evening and night can provide.”
Overseen by the Arts Council, Culture Night is brought to you in partnership with local authorities and cultural organisations throughout the island. The night shines a light on the quality and breadth of Ireland’s incredibly diverse cultural offerings, while introducing audiences to new venues and emerging talent. Celebrating the values of openness, discovery and belonging, all activities on Culture Night / Oíche Chultúir 2024 are free. A broad expanse of people, places and spaces help make it happen including artists, performing groups, galleries, museums, sports clubs, libraries, arts centres, craft workers, studios, theatres, community groups, public bodies, transport companies, schools, universities and you the audience.
Events will continue to be added to the Culture Night programme between now and Friday, September 20th. Highlights from around the country, for all ages and interests include:
- Rock the Block in Passage West Cork promises an evening of entertainment with music from two Cork bands, indie/folk music from Sonyx and The Alkove playing original rock blues music.
- In Clare, Songs and Stories from the Spa will provide an evening of song, stories, dance and art at the Pavillion, Lisdoonvarna. Performers include renowned storyteller Aindrias De Staic, singers Kathleen Malone and Theresa Garrihy, musician Pat Dowling and there will be a special performance from the residents of King Thomond Direct Provision Centre.
- Down Syndrome Tipperary hosts an evening of traditional music with a twist. Audience members can expect Abba songs with an Irish twist as they take to the stage in Thurles.
- In Dublin, Culture Night explorers are invited for a peek behind the scenes at Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre for ‘Life on a Camp’, where travellers will demonstrate some of the traditional skills needed for camp life at the outdoor event featuring recipes from ‘Pavee Peck’ a cookbook by Traveller women. Visitors can also enjoy a special film and performance of Traveller songs.
- Also in the capital, The Goethe-Institut is delighted to host LIE NING for their Irish concert premiere. The Berlin-based musician, model, dancer, art director and LGBTQ+ and POC ambassador. Their sound seamlessly navigates indie, soul and R’n’B, delivering timeless pop moments.
- In Kilkenny, Ryan’s Bar is hosting an exhibition of 151 postcards. They date back to the 1890s and will be on display with unique stamps and postmarks, along with people’s stories and images of Kilkenny city and county.
- Roscommon hosts the window exhibition The Light From Here where visitors can view original mixed media prints that are inspired by plants, and learn about the mental health benefits of seeing and being around plants.
- Claregalway Castle in Galway will come alive with enchanting fairy folk, pixies and goblins as the young dancers of Youth Ballet West entertain with a performance of Faerie Dances.
Once again Culture Night Late returns with a series of events running later into the night than previous years, and many into the early hours. The initiative is presented thanks to additional support from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Nighttime Economy Taskforce. Highlights from this year’s Culture Night Late programme include:
- Hip Hop on Stage, an event to celebrate all five elements of hip hop culture – DJing (Turntablism), MCing (Rapping, Singing & Beat Boxing), B-Boying (Breakdance and Street Dance), Graffiti (Street Art Murals) and Knowledge – in venues across Limerick including The Church, Dance Limerick, The Commercial and The Record Room.
- In Cork, Cruthú Cois Farraige (Creation by the Sea) at Sirius Arts Centre, is a multifaceted event featuring workshops, classes and education followed by a vinyl DJ and live electronic music performance, accompanied by bespoke visuals.
- At Culture Night on Moore Street in Dublin, TASCQ (Traders in the Area Supporting the Cultural Quarter) celebrate the diversity and heritage of the historic street and North Inner-City Dublin with an Afro-Brazilian-Irish music and dance collaboration and a late-night market, embracing unity through the universal languages of food, music and dance.
- In Listowel, the Kerry Writers’ Museum invites people to Theatre of the Hearthstone. Inspired by the Irish Rambling House tradition and its sense of togetherness, people are encouraged to gather around the hearth for an outdoor cultural extravaganza in Listowel’s Georgian Square. The event celebrates the rich culture of North Kerry and the diverse culture of new communities living in the region.
- In Galway City, An Croí Óir, an outdoor theatre performance will take place at the Spanish Arch with Fíbín Teo.
Following on from the success last year, the Arts Council’s book-gifting project Read Mór is back for the third year. This year, the Arts Council is partnering with the Irish Prison Service on Culture Night to gift a curated list of titles from Irish and Irish-based authors within all prisons nationally.
RTÉ once again proudly supports Culture Night, broadcasting live across radio, television and online from multiple regional venues from 7pm on Friday 20th September.
RTÉ One and RTÉ Player will broadcast a music and arts extravaganza featuring the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. David Gray and Colm Mac an Iomaire’s performance will be broadcast live from Sceilg Mhichíl. Villagers, Joe Chester, Gemma Hayes and Edwina Guckian will also perform as part of the RTÉ show.
RTÉ Radio 1 will broadcast a Culture Night Arena live special outside broadcast from the Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray, with music, chat and performance. RTÉ 2FM will broadcast a night of live music in the Róisín Dubh Galway which will include a selection of Irish music acts from 2FM Rising. 2FM’s The Tracy Clifford Show will come live from Galway and join up with Beta Da Silva, who will host a three-hour live broadcast.
For more information on Culture Night and to keep up with new additions to the programme, go to www.culturenight.ie or join the conversation on social media channels using #OneNightForAll and/or #OícheDarSaol at Culture Night Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
