This occasion began as Dublin Culture Night in 2005, was an enormous success and has now spread to 28 cities and towns in Ireland to become one of the biggest, best and most varied cultural events in the calendar.
From 5pm until 11pm (and sometime later) on Culture Night museums, galleries, historic buildings, artist’s studios and other cultural venues all over Ireland will remain open, offering free tours, exhibitions, readings, performances and films. There will be drama and poetry, music and dance, workshops and lectures, and a lot more, all of them free of charge and with everyone welcomed.
Dublin is still the largest center and with over 150 venues or organisations taking part and more than 200 possible events to attend in Dublin alone, it’ll require some planning to get the best from the evening, and the Culture Night website helpfully categorises events by area. Still, there is no possible way you’ll see all you’d like to, so you’ll just have to come back again next year!
Dublin Bus help by providing free transport between some of the main venues throughout the evening. The streets will be a hive of activity, with street performers and buskers on hand to entertain the crowds moving between locations and Culture Night Guides to assist people with navigating the various events.
Cork, Limerick and Belfast also have a huge number of events, but there are few parts of Ireland where you won’t find something of interest to attend.
This is very much a family event, with lots for children to enjoy, and while it is largely aimed at residents, visitors lucky enough to be around that night are welcomed and encouraged to join in.
Date and details for 2023 subject to confirmation.