Culture Night 2017 have unveiled a spectacular programme, with over 3,000 events taking place nationwide in 1,400 venues on Friday 22nd September. Hoping to build on last year’s phenomenal turn out of over 400,000, free events will be taking place across the country catering to all your cultural needs.

In Dublin, highlights include a site-specific installation in the Cathal Brugha Barracks featuring the imaginary presence of one of Ireland’s foremost feminists, international suffragettes and nationalists; Hanna Sheehy Skeffington by Margaret Fitzgibbon, the return of Smithfield Square’s Interactive Playground, tours of the refurbished historical wings of the National Gallery of Ireland, and free dance classes hosted by Dance Ireland.

RTE Radio 1’s Arena will return to Dublin Castle for a live broadcast featuring music, theatre, comedy and poetry in the company of the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. The National Concert Hall will host several concerts, with RTÉ Cór na nÓg performing a selection of scores from Les Misérables and the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra performing a programme including Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy, Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor and Hindson’s Speed. Plus, Dublin Bus and Irish Rail are offering free transport on the night for all event-goers to the various cultural quarters across the city!

From the LGBT+ end of things, artist/activist Will St. Leger  will be hosting a tour of Dublin’s street art, and memoirist Alice Carey, whom at the height of the AIDS epidemic, volunteered for Gay Men’s Health Crisis- work that “changed her life”, will be hosting a public diary writing workshop. Further down the country, the Cork Gay Project will be holding an open exhibition of their LGBT Archive of Cork.

Must-see events will be taking place across the nation, including a screening of the film Maze in Cork City Hall Concert Hall followed by a Q&A with director Stephen Burke and some of the cast and crew. In Clare, three of Ireland’s most skilled fire performers present their latest production, Firestorm. In Offaly, Cultural Collisions will transform the Town Hall Square through music, dance, food, puppetry, surreal carnival and theatrics. The Automated Orchestra by Robbie Perry’, a musical exhibition created and constructed from recycled materials, will take place in Cavan. Kinvara Courthouse in Galway hosts Poetry, Paintings and Song in Court featuring an exhibition by visual artist Darryl Vance and performances by poet Sarah Clancy and singer/songwriter Sharon Murphy.

Check out the full programme for Culture Night 2017 here.