The very first Culture Night to be held in Westmeath promises to have something for everyone with more than 70 different events being held throughout the county.
Locals are being offered the opportunity to attend any and all of the vast selection of events for free in a bid to showcase the county's talent and rich arts and culture heritage. And with a whopping 72 shows and activities planned there should be something to suit absolutely everyone's tastes, from the youngest to the oldest in society.
Westmeath Culture Night 2010 will boast everything from drama; music, traditional and modern; performance art; exhibitions; street dancing; historic tours; face painting; and much more. The one day and night of free events has been designed to transform the county into a cultural hive of activity in the hope that everyone will open their eyes to what is on offer around them.
The idea is that the one day event on September 24 will turn each town in the county into an accessible cultural venue and offer people of all ages and persuasions the chance to experience culture in various forms including dancing, family fun, music, poetry, lectures, art, drama, and sport to name only a few, for free.
Events will begin at 10am and finish in the early hours in locations across the county including Mullingar, Kinnegad, Castlepollard, Killare, Delvin, Fore, and Athlone.
Some of those taking part are the Midlands Youth Orchestra, Mullingar Youth Academy, Cherokee Chicks, Athlone Arts group, Tonnta Street Theatre, Athlone Dance Company, Coosan Culture Group, Athlone Community Orchestra, and The Golden Sisters.
Also, attractions such as Belvedere House, Tullynally Gardens, Columb Barracks, and Cathedral Museum are all throwing open their doors and providing free tours. Other events will include tug o' war, vintage car displays, face painting, street drawing, outdoor art installations, and the Athlone Literary festival.
Westmeath County Council will reveal a detailed programme for Culture Night 2010 and its numerous events in the coming weeks.
Catherine Kelly, Westmeath County Council arts officer, said, “This is the first time that Culture Night has ever taken place in County Westmeath and so we are very excited about the event.
“We really hope that as many people as possible take advantage of the occasion to check out arts and culture activities which are of particular interest to them.”
She went on to say, “I would like to thank all the groups from across the county who are putting on an event or show in their area. The wealth of activities on offer means that our programme really does have something for everybody to enjoy."
While this is the first time Culture Night is being held in Westmeath the event has been running since 2006 in other counties around Ireland including Dublin which saw more than 150,000 people attend some 120 venues last year.
The event is an initiative of the Temple Bar Cultural Trust and is part sponsored by the Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport.
For more information log on to www.westmeathcoco.ie/culturenight
