'Tour the city, drop by and try something new': Culture Night events announced for Cork city 

Culture Night 2026 will return next month with a programme spanning music, theatre, dance, visual art, literature, film, spoken word, workshops, exhibitions, Irish language events, and family experiences.

Bus Éireann will provide a free hop-on-hop-off service, operating from City Hall across three routes, on Friday, September 18.

Highlights of this year’s programme include The Devils in the Dance Hall, at the Concert Hall in Cork City Hall. 

Inspired by the true story of Jimmy Gralton and the suppression of Ireland’s rural dance halls, the performance uses spoken word, song, and the sounds of The Gralton Big Band to bring the spirit of Ireland’s old dance halls to life. 

Choreographer Edwina Guckian will teach audiences steps across swing, trad, foxtrot, sean-nós, lindy hop, and set-dance, inviting everyone to dance.

The English Market will open its doors from 6pm to 9pm, with local musicians adding to the atmosphere while a selection of traders will serve food ranging from handmade sushi and local cheese to charcuterie and Cork favourites, alongside wine tastings and samples.

Triskel Arts Centre will host an evening of music and contemporary art, featuring the Irish Baroque Orchestra presenting Handel’s Band Off-Duty, which imagines the music Handel and his contemporaries would have heard in the informal settings of the 1740s.

Sarah Long, artist in residence in Triskel Sample Project Space, will also launch I Want To Talk About Ireland, an auto-fictional work exploring dreams, language, and nationhood through a feminist lens, with a live performance on the night.

The Barrack Street Band and friends will perform at Elizabeth Fort as part of an evening of music and song from 5.15pm to 8pm.

The event will feature The Voices of Peace, the Ukrainian Voice music group, and the Sunshine International Youth Ensemble, celebrating music, community, and Cork’s cultural diversity.

Cork City Library will also host a wide-ranging programme featuring exhibitions, live music, readings, and creative workshops.

Highlights include the colourful Rap-A-Mile music-in-motion parade from the Kabin Crew, children’s origami workshops, and the Sweet Dreams: Lullabies Across the World exhibition.

The exhibition is compiled by more than 160 women with experience of forced displacement, created through the women’s programme at Nasc and drawing on the lullabies sung to them and the ones they sing now, expressed through painting, drawing, crochet, and sewing.

Visitors can also explore hidden library collections in Uncovering Treasures with the Local Studies and Learning Department, while Culture Through a Shared Lens brings together trad music, French jazz, photography, Sí Gong, and a screening of the Trócaire documentary Still Not Safe: Life in Gaza.

Backwater Artists Group will offer guided studio tours and an opportunity to meet resident artists, Cork Printmakers will offer tours of its printmaking studios and current exhibition hay boy, gay boy by Maitiú Mac Cárthaigh, while Lavit Gallery will present New Irish Art, showcasing new work by artists from across the island, alongside a talk and exhibition tour.

Lord Mayor of Cork councillor Damian Boylan encouraged people to participate in Culture Night events.

“Culture Night is that one evening a year across the country when galleries, theatres and artist’s workshops welcome visitors to explore the culture of their home place. Cork City is so fortunate to have a huge number and range of talented artists, performers and makers, who on ‘Oíche Cultúr’ invite you to view and experience their work.

“See the range of events available, and know that whether you visit them often or never have before - you are welcome," he said. 

“Tour the city, drop by and try something new - and enjoy seeing Cork city through the artist’s eye.”

Adrian O’Loughlin, Bus Éireann’s senior operations manager for the southern region said: “Bus Éireann is proud to support Culture Night in Cork, helping connect with the city’s vibrant arts and cultural scene.

“We look forward to welcoming and seeing people throughout the evening as they enjoy the many cultural experiences on offer.”

While all events on Culture Night are free, some require booking. 

Visit www.CorkCity.ie/CultureNight and www.CultureNight.ie for full details.