CULTURE NIGHT 2009 EXPECTING HALF A MILLION VISITORS
Access An Array Of Free Culture Across 11 Towns, Cities and Counties
Temple Bar Cultural Trust (TBCT) and Lord Mayor Cllr Emer Costello today (Tuesday 18 th
August) unveiled an immense programme for Culture Night 2009 at the National Museum of
Ireland, Collins Barracks, which takes place on Friday 25 th September. TBCT expect half a
million visitors to attend Culture Night across the 11 participating towns, cities and counties.
Renowned for its free mix of events, street activity and ‘All Sorts’ of talent, Culture Night 2009
will transform the participating areas of – Dublin, Cork, Galway, Letterkenny, Limerick, Mayo,
Roscommon, Sligo, Tralee, Waterford, Wexford - into an accessible cultural wonderland
offering people of all ages the chance to experience culture in various and unusual forms
including visual art, architecture, dancing, family fun, music, poetry, street performance,
painting, talks, theatre and traditional forms of culture. Culture Night will also take place in
the Cathedral Quarter of Belfast this year on Friday September 25 th.
Curiosity and energy fills the towns, cities and counties on Culture Night as ‘All Sorts’ of people
- workers, young people, families with children, grandparents, groups of friends – escape their
usual Friday evening activities to explore culture. For many it’s a new experience as they
anticipate how many venues and street performances they can squeeze in on their culture
trail.
According to Lord Mayor Cllr Emer Costello“Culture Night opens doors and unlocks the rich
history and heritage of the City allowing Dubliners experience and appreciate the remarkable
and rich history of this wonderful City”
Grainne Millar, Head of Cultural Development at TBCT said “Culture Night 2009 is a unique
platform that presents the wealth and variety of Irish cultural treasures on a scale that is
accessible for everyone. We are delighted to be in a position, in our fourth year, to bring
together cultural communities across Ireland to capture the imagination of an estimated
500,000 people as they go out and explore culture on their own doorstep. Culture Night began
in 2006 with an attendance of 40,000. The year on year growth and the participation of 11
towns, cities and counties this year is a reflection of the enormous positive contribution culture
can make to our society”
“In these times, it is more important than ever for Culture Night to connect with families and
strengthen the relationship between culture and the public against the backdrop of current
economic difficulty so that we can imagine a different future where culture is recognized as an
intrinsic dimension to our development and growth as a society”
A brand new Culture Night logo ‘See All Sorts’, designed by Maeve Keane from DIT, Mountjoy
Square, illustrates the diverse mix of culture that visitors can expect to experience on the
night. From live animals in the Dead Zoo in Dublin to a Lord Mayor’s Tea Dance in Cork;
Theatrical Entertainment in Galway to An Cosán Glas sculpture trail in Letterkenny; a tour of
a thousand years of art and antiquities in the Hunt Museum in Limerick to an Altered Images
exhibition in Ballina, Mayo; a tour of Artists Studios in Boyle and Roscommon to a bag of
culture on the culture trail in Sligo; Dancing In The Green in Tralee to culture in Waterford
and An Céilí Mor in Dun Mhuire Theatre, Wexford.
In Dublin a record 124 cultural venues will open their doors for Culture Night including St
Stephen’s Green Park, the National Museum of Ireland, the Science Gallery Trinity College, The
Revenue Museum, Guinness Storehouse, RTÉ Performing Groups, Dublin Castle State
Apartments, Gallery Zozimus and a Francis Street Treasure Hunt, The Ark Cultural Centre for
Children and much more.
While visitors move from venue to venue, they can experience the exhilaration of live
performances, music and colourful acts on the streets and open spaces including a Charlie
Chaplin and stilts walkabout, dancing to La Vie en Rose in DCC Civic Offices Atrium, a 50ft
inflatable whale in Wolfe Tone Park, the Discovery Gospel Choir on Exchequer Street, Tai Chi
martial art performers and a Barbershop Quartet in St Stephens Green Park, Cuban drummers
on Henry Street, Thai dancing in Ranelagh, a young people’s multimedia show in Meeting House
Square and a Buí Bolg larger than life characters walkabout.
To help visitors move around on the night, Dublin Bus is providing free buses along three
culture trails from 6pm to 11pm. Buses will leave every 20 minutes from bus stops at
Bachelor’s Walk, Aston Quay and Trinity College transporting visitors to outermost venues.
LUAS are also offering 50 free, return tickets for the night.
Culture Night is a hugely important event on the cultural calendar providing people with the
opportunity to discover and enjoy the rich cultural offering of the country’s cultural venues at
night. This year Dublin Culture Night will see Temple Bar Cultural Trust working in partnership
with the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism, Dublin City Council, Fáilte Ireland, Dublin
Tourism, Dublin Bus, DART and LUAS.
The Culture Night National initiative is co-ordinated by Temple Bar Cultural Trust and
supported by the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism in partnership with the regional arts
offices and local authorities.
For further media information please contact Anna Murphy or Kerryann Conway, Conway
Communications. Tel: 017071704 / 0857266191/ 0876168785
Notes to Editor;
o
The full programme of events and participating venues for Culture Night 2009 will be
available on www.culturenight.ie from 18thAugust or by calling organisers Temple Bar
Cultural Trust on 01 888 3610.
o
All events are free but booking is essential for some events so people must book
directly with the cultural venue where indicated to avoid disappointment.