On Friday, September 22nd, the masses will flock to various galleries, museums and other cultural institutions for the 13th year of Culture Night, one of the busiest nights of the year in Dublin. On Culture Night, a host of arts and culture organisations remain open well past their regular hours until approximately 11pm and offer a plethora of events free of charge, ranging from film screenings and talks with artists, to gigs and workshops. From its humble beginnings in Dublin, the first Culture Night drew around 40,000 people, to last year’s event – the numbers have grown to 400,000 and it has become a national affair. This year there will be over 3,000 events taking place in almost 1,500 venues across the island of Ireland.
Joey Kavanagh, the marketing manager of Culture Night, tells The University Times about the focus on accessibility that drives this night in celebration of all things cultural: “There is a big emphasis on inclusion and inclusivity, so we do try and ensure that there is something to cater for everyone in the programme.” He talks about the night being family oriented and how they aim to create a “very fun and safe environment” for the lucky little ones allowed to stay out past their bedtime. This year in particular there is a conscious campaign to make the night more accessible to those in wheelchairs. “We’ve taken measure this year as well to try and make it very clear on the website and in our communications which venues are wheelchair accessible. You can filter the events on the website and on the app by wheelchair accessibility. So people know which venues they can get into and get out of. That’s very important to me”, says Kavanagh.
“A key pillar of Culture Night is that all the events are free of charge, so again that makes it accessible to people who maybe don’t have a huge amount of disposable income and perhaps can’t afford to pay into the Vermeer exhibition in the National Gallery, but they can go and have a look for free on Culture Night”, Kavanagh stresses the goodwill of the venues who participate in Culture Night. Venues open up their doors free of charge and are paid nothing to do so. Culture Night relies completely upon the goodwill and the boundless energy of the various participants and artists who take part in it off their own backs. Most major museums, including the National Gallery of Ireland and the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA), will offer free gallery tours among other activities, including artist’s open studios and movie screenings. Other highlights include the Natural History Museum, known colloquially as “The Dead Zoo”, which will offer the opportunity to meet Dublin Zoo zookeepers as well as Nieves Fernandez, the museum’s conservator and hear her discuss how she created a replica black horn for their resident black rhino on World Rhino Day.
Graphic Studio Gallery will present a series of printmaking demonstrations and offer the public an opportunity to meet the artists as well as browse through original work by Maser, Alice Maher and William Crozier, to name a few. The New Art Studio is opening its doors, providing a rare glimpse into the working studios of contemporary Irish artists, creating space for conversation between the public and working artists. Ormond Studios, which is an artist-led collective, will also be open past its regular hours and will have artists on hand for discussion and questioning. Talking to and getting face-to-face time with artists is an invaluable experience and is one of the most exciting parts of Culture Night.
If museums and galleries aren’t up your alley, Morning Gloryville Dublin will be hosting an alcohol-free club and dancing experience at Meeting House Square in Temple Bar, aptly named “Night Gloryville”. Not only will there be dancing and music, the event, which will run from 7pm until 10pm, will see performances, face painting, yoga, massages and a host of other activities. A big hit on the festival circuit this year, the Civic Amphitheatre will hold the “Sing Along Social” beginning at 6.30pm, a place for the public to get involved and sing in an impromptu choir. In Dublin Castle there will be a big, open-air concert featuring the RTÉ Concert Orchestra as well performers, musicians and comedians.
Several walking tours will take place around Dublin. A walking tour of Dublin’s Georgian houses in Monto will take place at 5.30pm and will leave from Connolly Station. “[We] cater to people who are native to Ireland and also visitors as well – so in Dublin there is a big programme of tours in various languages … for people whom English is not their first language”, Kavanagh explains. Additional Culture Night tours will be offered in Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Polish and Irish, with one beginning at 5.30pm and another at 7.30pm. Phoenix Park and Museum Quarter Tours are also on offer, covering the history and importance of this area. The tour meets outside the Light House Cinema and covers Phoenix Park, Smithfield and Arbour Hill. Culture Night is also hosting a walking tour of one of Dublin’s most intriguing areas, the Liberties, at 5.30pm and 7.30pm.
Kavanagh highlights the importance of nights like these: “We’re trying to celebrate culture in all its forms and make it very accessible to people so that, irrespective of how much exposure they’ve had to the arts or these cultural institutions that they can get something out of the night as well.” Art can often seem unapproachable or elitist in the sense that it can be targeted towards a certain group of people. It’s nights like this that drive home the idea that art is to be enjoyed by everyone.
With the range of events on offer at this year’s Culture Night, there is indeed something for everyone, whether you’re looking to explore Dublin’s finest art museums, meet some of Ireland’s contemporary artists or try something new.
A full programme of events is available online at https://www.culturenight.ie.
