Launch of Culture Night programme for Friday 18th Septemner 2020 — Connect Through
Culture: In or Out
Culture Night 2020 launches its National Programme with free online and
physical events taking place on Friday 18th of September.
Full programme available at – www.culturenight.ie
Culture Night / Oíche Chultúir 2020* today launched its *National
Programme in Dublin with the unveiling of Culture Night Trailblazers,* a
group of artists and performers that showcases the* scale and diversity of
culture in Ireland.
This year, Culture Night Trailblazers have been chosen from around
Ireland and abroad, across numerous disciplines, including music, dance,
theatre, Gaeilge and literature, to champion the spectrum of Ireland’s
artistic offering.
Comedian, author and podcaster Maeve Higgins is the
Inaugural International Culture Night Trailblazer for 2020, representing
the voice of Ireland’s cultural diaspora.
The Culture Night Trailblazers this year include:
– Fehdah (Emma Garnett) – musician and producer
– Michael Gallen – composer and performer
– The Gardiner Brothers – World champion Irish dancers and Riverdance
members
– Úna-Minh Kavanagh – Gaeilgeoir and author
– Mark Smith – performer and theatre maker
In response to the unprecedented challenges of the moment, *Culture Night
will share a hybrid programme of digital and physical events, *continuing
to champion the Culture Night legacy as a night of shared cultural
experiences– making culture free and accessible to all. Audiences of all
ages both here and abroad, can seek out culture online, or in their
locality.
The Arts Council is the primary funder for Culture Night for the first
time ever this year, driving the event’s focus on equity for artists and
increasing visibility of Ireland’s diverse cultural landscape.
Newly appointed Director of The Arts Council, Maureen Kennelly said:
“While this year presents new challenges for the cultural sector, we see
Culture Night as a fantastic opportunity for artists, arts organisations
and audiences to connect, online and offline, and to celebrate the value
that the arts brings to our lives. The Arts Council’s ‘Paying The Artist’
and ‘Equality, Human Rights and Diversity’ policies are key considerations
in the planning for this year’s event, and we envisage that Culture Night
will be part of our path to return to creativity and culture in new,
inclusive and exciting ways.”
This year Culture Night invites audiences to come together apart, as we
open a window into Ireland’s shared cultural experience. The programme for
Culture Night 2020 is available online today on www.culturenight.ie