Culture Night:  One Night For All

Culture Night invites everyone, everywhere, on one wonderful night to discover and celebrate all that our culture is today.

The Culture Night experience is across a wide range of sectors – arts, heritage, community, education, sport, hospitality, tourism, health and commercial and corporate enterprise.

The diversity of Culture Night is reflected in the scope and range of events and people who participate in it. It aims to continue to connect with both engaged audiences as well as extending its reach to those who may not always have access or been aware of the event.

Culture Night’s success relies on the part played by artists, arts groups and the wider community. The objective of Culture night is to showcase and celebrate our culture and creativity in all its forms, and every event programmed forms part of this fantastic evening of activity. All events must be free of charge.

Getting involved

Cork County Council invites proposals from individuals and groups in Cork County to participate in Culture Night on Friday 22nd September 2023. Culture Night / Oíche Chultúir is a national event where arts and cultural organisations come together to invite the public to experience, enjoy and participate in the rich cultural and creative resources that exist in their community.  We invite you to help create an evening of open, free access to exhibitions, cultural spaces, performances, workshops, games and other cultural pursuits. Events can range from something as simple as hosting a story-telling event, organising an exhibition, to more complex events such as concerts, dance performances or parades, all of which reflect the vibrancy and diversity of culture in County Cork.

Why take part?

Aside from being a fantastic celebratory event, Culture Night can have a lasting impact on communities. It has proven to be a wonderful opportunity for local arts and cultural groups to raise awareness of the work they do and build relationships with local people. Culture Night provides a valuable platform to reach new audiences and provides an opportunity for networking with other local cultural organisations and artists.

Where will Culture Night Cork County take place?

This year we are planning to concentrate activity in 17 Culture Night Hubs across Cork County: Baile Mhúirne, Bandon, Bantry, Carrigaline, Charleville, Clonakilty, Cobh, Fermoy, Kinsale, Macroom, Mallow, Midleton, Mitchelstown, Passage West, Skibbereen, Watergrasshill, Youghal and the islands.

What role will Cork County Council play?

Cork County Council Arts Office with project management company, Crayon Creative, will work with and support all participating organisations to be part of the Cork County Culture Night offering.  This year we aim to produce a programme of events which will consist of concentrated pockets of activity throughout the county. We will be coordinating a targeted PR campaign to ensure public awareness of these events at a local, regional and national level.

Is funding available?

We have limited funding to cover fees for professional artists fees or for professional services costs and these should be outlined in the application. We regret that Cork County Council cannot provide funding to cover the general costs that may be incurred by a group organising an event or an activity for Culture Night. While all events must be free of charge, revenue from the sale of work, voluntary contributions, raffles etc is permitted.

Funding application process for 2023 is now closed.

Registering your event

Once you decide on the format for your event, complete the online event information form here. Closing date for receipt of information for inclusion in printed material is 11th August. Online submissions can be submitted until September. If you would like to discuss your event or ideas with our Cork County coordinator, Gráinne O’Connor, she can be contacted on 086 022 5111 or by email to culturenightcorkcounty@outlook.com

Support

Co-ordination, promotion and support for Culture Night is provided by Cork County Council’s Arts Office which will be working to help all participating individuals and organisations involved in this year’s event. We are here to help and will provide a targeted PR campaign to ensure public awareness of events at a local, regional and national level as well as marketing support through culturenightcorkcounty.ie, culturenight.ie and digital media platforms.

For more information on these events or events happening around the county, please contact:

Cork County Council Arts Office
Tel: 021 434 6210

Cork County Coordinator
Grainne O’Connor
Tel: 086 022 5111
Email: culturenightcorkcounty@outlook.com