Free events in 90 venues as Culture Night proves a huge success in Cork

Culture Night took place across Cork city and county on Friday evening, with a plethora of exciting, free, family-friendly activities offered for festival- goers to enjoy.

With more than 90 venues taking part in this year’s celebration across the city, the annual event continued to showcase the rich cultural tapestry of Cork.

Now in its 17th year, the national event, which first came to Cork in 2008, continues to see large numbers of festival-goers from all backgrounds come from far and wide to enjoy the celebrations on the night.

With families and friends gathering at every corner of the city to take part in the creative and inclusive festival, Leesiders were spoiled for choice, with live music, food stalls, art exhibitions, and drag-queen performances among the events which took place in a variety of spaces across Cork.

Highlighting Cork’s status as a place where arts and culture thrive, among the venues in the annual showcase were Cork Opera House, Nano Nagle Place, University College Cork, Cork City and County Libraries, the Marina Market, and the Everyman Theatre.

Culture Night also included the Open Streets series of events, which saw North Main St, Cornmarket St, and Patrick St transformed into a flurry of animation, with music, dance, and games.

Other events spread across the city included powerful photography exhibitions, guided tours, cultural showcases, lively circus workshops, choral performances, literary readings, music sessions, and engaging quizzes.

Popular events on the night included a performance from Ireland’s leading drag haus and pure Cork legends Mockie Ah! at The Everyman, an immersive experimental audio experience by composer Kevin Terry at Cork Opera House, a walking tour led by Cathal Kerrigan, highlighting the history and impact of LGBTQ activism at UCC, and a performance from the Cork Light Orchestra at Cork City Gaol.

Visitors were also given the opportunity to step into history at Nano Nagle Place, which offered guests free museum admission, as well as a Georgian dress-up corner, a lace revival exhibition on the history of lace artistry, and an exclusive look behind the scenes at ‘Miss Nagle’s Parlour’.

This year’s celebration included a great number of inclusive and accessible events, which saw people of all ages, ethnicities, abilities, and sexualities taking part.

Other events throughout the day included children’s workshops from viral sensations The Kabin Crew, as well as an impromptu performance by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Councillor Dan Boyle, who played ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon on the piano outside Cork City Hall.

The annual event is organised by the Arts Council of Ireland, in conjunction with local authorities and cultural organisations, and takes place in most counties throughout the country.