Culture Night is an annual all-island public event that celebrates culture, creativity and the arts. This year, it will take place on Friday 21st September 2018. On Culture Night, arts and cultural organisations and venues of all shapes and sizes, including the National Cultural Institutions, extend their opening hours to allow for increased access to the public. Special and unique events and workshops are specifically programmed at participating locations and everything is available free of charge.
Culture Night has grown from a relatively small scale cultural event staged only in Dublin in 2006 to the significant national cultural event it now is, with some 350,000 people visiting museums, galleries, historic houses, artists’ studios and cultural centres across the country. The initiative has captured both the public imagination and the enthusiasm of artists and cultural organisations.
Culture Night – www.culturenight.ie
- Encourages more people to visit cultural venues and experience culture in their locality
- Reminds us all about the fantastic cultural facilities and resources that we have locally and nationally
- Raises the profile of cultural organisations, activities and facilities
- Encourages people to try new things and to get into the habit of going more often to cultural venues and activities in their locality
- Makes it easier for people to play a role in their local cultural scene
- Helps create a sense of community and belonging
Culture Night in Bray
2018 marks Wicklow’s 9th year of participation in this national event. Bray has a number of different FREE events on the night and they include:
Bray Literary Festival
Join Bray Literary Festival this Culture Night for an evening of poetry, stories and song. Traditional story-teller John Carew will regale his audience with his dark and humorous tales, while local harpist Rachel Duffy is set to perform some haunting melodies.
Also, on the night we will hear the winning poems and stories from our Bray Literary Festival competition winners, along with readings from young writers from the local Fighting Words group.
For info on other Bray festival events, please check out our website: www.brayliteraryfestival.com
Common Ground
Common Ground is a community-based group, located just off Bray Main Street, dedicated to promoting a co-operative, mindful and ecological lifestyle. Join us on Culture Night for an open evening to learn about the events, classes and activities available for members; and then stay to enjoy an eclectic mix of music, film, dance, comedy and visual art at the Klinkerdin live performance and workshop session we’re holding in our upstairs studio.
Time: 6pm – 10pm
Address: Common Ground, Beverly Studios, Church Terrace, Bray
Website: commongroundbray.com
Signal Arts Centre
This year Signal Arts Centre’s Culture Night theme is Circus. Art works will be installed in the morning including contributions from local community groups and we kick off our events at 3 p.m. with children’s workshops and events in the gallery that include a hall of mirrors at the back of Signal, continuing into the evening with music and poetry. All are welcome.
Time: 4pm – 5pm
Address: Signal Arts Centre, 1 Albert Avenue, Bray, Co. Wicklow.
Website: www.signalartscentre.ie
Screening of The Breadwinner
In celebration of Culture Night, come along to a screening of The Breadwinner (booking essential). Based on Deborah Ellis’ award winning novel, Director Nora Twomey’s The Breadwinner tells the extraordinary story of an 11-year-old Afghan girl who finds strength in the love of her family and the power of storytelling. This is the third Oscar-nominated film from Irish animation studio The Cartoon Saloon (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea).
Booking essential through Mermaid Box Office, Phone: 01 2724030
Time: 5pm – 7pm
Address: Mermaid Arts Centre, Main Street, Bray, County Wicklow
Website: www.mermaidartscentre.ie/
Phone: 01 2724030
Culture Night is brought to you by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Creative Ireland Programme in partnership with Wicklow County Council. Read more here.