Last year, over 742,000 people attended more than 1,700 Culture Night activities. This year, the 18th Culture Night programme will take place on September 22nd, and the events ‘coming of age’ promises an even bigger explosion of colour, music, dance and art on the streets of our towns and cities.
Culture Night is a national moment which celebrates culture and creativity. What started with 40 venues in Temple Bar in 2006, is today an All-Ireland event with thousands of free activities, for all ages. Artists, performers, galleries, museums, community groups, sports clubs , arts centres, studios, schools and theatres, open their doors to showcase the very best of Irish culture, and encourage communities to sample what is available on their own doorstep. The night shines a light on the quality and breadth of Ireland's cultural offerings, while introducing audiences to new venues and emerging talent. It inspires us to engage, to celebrate diversity and inclusion, and reminds us that our culture is a living, breathing and ever-changing part of our lives.
In Mayo, Culture Night will be celebrated in communities from Achill, Ballina, Ballycroy, and Blacksod, to Carracastle, Castlebar, Claremorris, and Westport. Ann Marie McGing, Mayo Arts Officer says that one new feature of Culture Night 2023 is the ‘Late’ events, which are presented with additional support from the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media under the Night Time Economy Taskforce. These events extend the Culture Night celebrations into the evening.
Ann Marie explained ‘The Mayo Culture Night ‘Late’ Event Organisers wanted to create activities that encourage a younger demographic to engage with local culture, and also find events that would keep the festivities going late into the night'.
She said: "In Mayo, Culture Night ‘Late’ is a joyful celebration of our connection through music. The ‘Late’ events include a concert organised by Ballina 2023 which will feature rapper, Sweetlemondae, Irish Folk singer, Steo Wall and the Landless acapella group, as well as local Mayo act, Doppler. Also in Ballina, the David Munnelly Duo play a late night gig in in Ballina Arts Centre, while in Claremorris a multicultural ‘Home Away from Home’ event features prose, poetry, music and dance from all the local cultures until late into the night. As well as the ‘Late’ events, many other Culture Night programmes continue into the evening. In Castlebar, at the Linenhall, DJ Mtoolz will play a selection of South African House, Amapiano, hip hop and R&B classics, while also in Castlebar, Music West will host a wide selection of bands, choirs and orchestras. There will also be late night Jazz at the Clew Bay Hotel in Westport and in Ballina, ‘No Disco’ DJ, Donal Dineen, will bring his famous ‘Backstory’ home. Meanwhile, in Achill and Killlala, trad sessions will keep the community swinging well into the evening."
Ann Marie also pointed out that this year, Mayo Culture Night aims to truly be One Night for All. There are walks and workshops for the very young, and the young at heart will take a trip down memory lane with films and displays based around our history and traditional farming practices. There are opportunities to learn, with workshops in printmaking and ceramics, as well as talks on everything from art and literature, to beekeeping. Food is also a major theme with food tours and multicultural tasting events. Many of these are open to all ages, and a special effort is being made to make them as accessible as possible.
The full programme of events will be available in September. For details on what is happening in your area go to the Culture Night website www.culturenight.ie, which is updated weekly or check the Mayo Culture Night social media platforms Facebook and Instagram.
If you would like your event included in the Culture Night listings, contact Audrey Robinson on [email protected]. In the meantime, whether you are eight, eighteen, or eighty, grab your family and friends and come and join the biggest collective celebration of culture on September 22nd. Culture Night is strategically funded by Mayo County Council and the Arts Council and is supported by Creative Ireland and participating groups and venues in Mayo. The Mayo Culture Night media sponsor is Mid-West Radio.
