Every year Culture Night is growing both in terms of activities taking place and people attending. Over 350,000 people got involved last year, with over 3,000 events taking place on what was its 10th anniversary. It really has become something quite unique in the Irish calendar, with a great buzz and sense of excitement both in venues and on the streets throughout the evening and night. The recent implementation of a top quality mobile app to guide you throughout the events and create a bespoke personal line-up was a welcome addition, and has helped no ends in whittling down a packed set of events to something more manageable. Although some people lament that they wish Ireland could enjoy this type of culture more often, perhaps it’s the infrequency and unusualness of it that makes it that much more special. We’re all looking forward to getting around and enjoying it again this year, and here are our top tips this year…
Smithfield Square Playground
This will be a must-do for all families around for the evening with drop-in workshops and loads of fun for adults and kids alike. You’d easily kill a few hours just wandering throughout the different zones, including sports, drumming, circus, dance, art, a specific one for kids, plus more interactive stuff taking place. The range of activity taking place in Smithfield is fairly overwhelming in itself, so make sure to swing by here at any point throughout the evening and there’ll be something cool happening!
Dublin Castle
The musical highlight of this year will most likely be in the grand surroundings of Dublin Castle, with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra being joined by Little Green Cars, Laureate of Fiction Anne Enright, Opera Theatre Company, musician Lisa O’Neill and many more. Dublin Castle provides a stunning location for an event like this, and the relatively compact upper courtyard creates a fantastic atmosphere. If you can’t get in for some of the bigger acts named above, it’s still worth passing through at some point in the evening just to enjoy the great feeling around the place.
RCSI Outdoor 3D Light Show
Music, sports, and theatre is all well and good, but the real beauty of Culture Night is that you get the opportunity to check out things that you may never see happening in Dublin again, or for another year at least! The technology around 3D light shows has been developing rapidly the last few years, and some of what they can now do with these displays is really mind-blowing. Add in that they’ve localised this show by making it relevant to the RCSI building on Stephen’s Green, and the extra bonus of a little bit of history through the events of 1916 that took place here, this should be a brilliant moment of Culture Night 2016.
Booka Brass Band
Anyone who’s been lucky enough to catch Booka at one of their live shows knows that the energy and craic from this bunch of seriously talented musicians is hugely entertaining! Not only are they doing their first live in-store at Tower Records, but it’s also doubling up as their album launch for their debut ‘Chilled Milk’, which should see a big crowd and a stomper of a show from the band. Although not a household name yet, those who know of the group know that they’re only going to get bigger from here. This could easily be one of those “I was there” shows before they break big.
The Freemasons’ Hall
There are always queues for this one, but it’s definitely worth the brief wait to get into what is truly a surreal building and experience. You’ve probably passed by it countless times without blinking an eye or wondering what’s inside, but Molesworth Street is home to the HQ of Irish Freemasonry since 1869. Once you’re inside you can ask the staff questions about the the Freemasons and how it works, as well as the history of the building. The myths and rumours about the Freemasons are endless, and the staff generally enjoy the wide range of questions people tend to ask during this annual event.
Ableton Push Playground
Anyone who has ever been to a house party where somebody has whipped out an Ableton Live knows how much fun they can be, even for those with no musical training! The Push Playground provides an opportunity to try out this Ableton technology, and watch how the experts use them to create music. This drop-in lab has been a popular attraction at a few other events including Comic Con, and is a really cool thing to try out with some professionals on standby, which you’ll rarely get on any other other occasion.
Amnesty International Ireland
Watching the refugee crisis unfold on the news and through social media is one thing, but hearing stories directly from those who’ve lived in these circumstances must give an entirely more authentic understanding of the difficulties faced and challenges endured. Through poetry and stories over tea, survivors will speak about their experiences. Amnesty say that “the emphasis will be on the beauty that can be found in small gestures showing our common humanity which connects us all to one another”, which sounds like a special evening.
Honourable Mention
Áras an Uachtaráin
Unfortunately the ticketing has closed for this one and there’s no mention of late applications, but we felt it needed to be highlighted nonetheless. All of the above are obviously brilliant in their own ways, but it’s very hard to top a visit to the home of the President in Phoenix Park. President Higgins has been a fantastic ambassador and champion of Irish culture and the arts during his presidency by hosting numerous events and speaking passionately on the need for more focus on our culture, both past and future. He will once again open up the Áras to visitors to look around the magnificent building, with music, theatre, and poetry performances throughout the evening. What a legend!
This is a very short list of the thousands of events taking place, so make sure to visit the Culture Night website to see what else you can do, and download the App to create your own schedule for the night.
You can also use the GoCar promo code CULTURE to get 20% off the GoCar hourly rate to get around on Culture Night and make the most of it! Make sure you have downloaded our iPhone App here or Android App here to book your trip and claim 20% off.