Programme announced for Culture Night Dublin 2025

The programme for Culture Night Dublin 2025 has officially been unveiled.

The 20th edition of the nighttime celebration of culture will take place on Friday, 19th September, with over 300 events throughout Dublin city and county.

Museums, galleries, artist studios, churches, theatres, and public spaces across the capital will open their doors with a variety of activities, including concerts, tours, exhibitions, workshops, and much more.

The 20th Anniversary programme was unveiled today by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr. Ray McAdam, alongside Culture Night ambassadors, musician Farah Elle, dancer Favour Odusola and the original Culture Night founder Gráinne Millar .

As part of the 20th anniversary programme, Dublin City Council has announced details of a number of commissioned events:

Favour Odusola (Culture Night Ambassador) Farah Elle (Culture Night Ambassador) and Sonnie Delap (Dublin Samulnori Drummers) are pictured at the launch of the 20th anniversary programme for Culture Night Dublin.

The iconic Wood Quay Amphitheatre will be a hive of activity, opening with a celebration of multilingualism from musician Farah Elle, followed by a host of evening performances including comedian Sharon Mannion, musical theatre artists, Jessica Hayes, Zach O’Brien, the Dublin-based Mongolian ethnic group, Khuur Band and the Ballinteer Male Voice Choir.

A highlight concert at the Amphitheatre will feature funk rockers GrooveLine who are currently on their “Let it Rip” tour of Ireland and the UK.

Meeting House Square will be stacked with live events from early afternoon until late, including the pop-alt sister duo Zeztra, as well as performances from Calum Agnew, Lisa Murray, and Earthmover—musicians who are all part of the growth of the Irish language in popular music.

There will be family fun Set Dancing led by Louise O’Connor, while dancer Favour Odusola will perform an extraordinary spectacle fusing Nigerian and Irish culture.

A nod to Daniel O’Connell’s 250th anniversary, for the first time this Culture Night, Dublin’s O’Connell Street will be activated with several events, including a “tea dance” planned for beneath Clery’s Clock, accompanied by a full swing band.

An early evening event, ‘Talking Statues,’ will bring some of the street’s iconic statues to life with period actors and the Savoy Cinema will host an interactive history tour.

Other new sites to be used for outdoor events include Wolfe Tone Square, which will host family entertainment early in the evening, and Diamond Park, which will play host to open-air family cinema screenings.

A unique project to be launched this Culture Night is “After Light: These Dark Citizens” by artist Peter Power.

The project is described as “a geo-located immersive artwork” that unfolds along a walk across Dublin City, featuring moments of music, storytelling, audio, installation, and poetry.

Meanwhile, The Lab on Foley Street will present The Poetry’s Dead Live Podcast show, presented by Ryan Duggins and Leon Dunne, as well as an evening of theatre by the Shifting Stagestheatre collective.

In the early evening an event called Peru Fusion will take over Central Plaza, featuring performances and workshops of Peruvian traditional dance styles.

Later in the night, the City Sounds event will transform the Plaza into an open-air disco dance floor, while Echo Exchange will curate Capel Street with an eclectic mix of up-and-coming techno DJs.

Nocturnal Beats, the late-night music trail supported by Dublin City Council’s Night-Time Advisor, will return this year with numerous Dublin nightclubs offering free entry on the night.

Speaking at the programme launch, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Ray McAdam, invited audiences to join the celebrations:

“Join us on September 19th for the art party of the year as Culture Night celebrates its 20th year in the capital.

Culture Night offers a chance for people to explore the city’s hidden gems, unleash your creativity and become a tourist in your own town.

“It’s wonderful to see that O’Connell Street will be activated with events for the first time, in the year of O’Connell’s 250th anniversary, a fitting tribute to our most famous former Lord Mayor”.

Gráinne Millar, the original Culture Night founder and first Co-ordinator reflected on 20 years of Culture Night in the capital:

“What started in 2006, with just forty venues in Temple Bar and the National Cultural Institutions, has grown to be the largest multidisciplinary cultural event in the country.

“It’s a night for the people of Dublin to celebrate the cultural life of the city and a tribute to the thousands of artists, arts workers, and creatives who make our city such an interesting place to live and work”.

Dublin City Council, City Arts Officer, Ray Yeates added:

“Culture Night is the Annual showcase and celebration of Dublin’s remarkable cultural life, its practitioners and unique cultural buildings.

“It’s a great night for families to sample new experiences and for cultural institutions to open up to new and returning audiences”

Elsewhere across the city, GalleryX on Hume Street will offer a night of wearable creativity with its “Alternative Fashion” showcase.

CoisCéim Dance Theatre’s outreach programme, Broadreach, will take over the bandstand in Fairview Park with a new dance project choreographed by Simone O’Toole.

The Irish Writers Centre will host live readings featuring author Mary O’Donnell and spoken word artist Vagabond Queen, while a walking tour called “Swift’s Dublin” will explore the streets and tales of 18th-century life in the capital.

Our Lady of Lourdes Church, on Sean McDermott Street, best known as the Shrine of Matt Talbot famed for overcoming alcoholism, will play host to a performance featuring the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, and Fr. Collins Park will play host to Opera in the Open, an outdoor concert gala.

The 20th edition of Culture Night Dublin takes place Friday September 19th from 4pm until late.

For full details of the Dublin events see culturenight.ie/Dublin