This year’s Culture Night on Friday, 18th September is more important than ever due to the impact of Covid-19 on artists, performers, practitioners and all working in the culture and heritage sectors.

There are over 70 events taking place around Galway and 35 around Mayo in an online and offline combination, reflecting the impact of Covid-19 and the necessary public heath measures.

Incorporating events from the Galway International Arts Festival and Galway 2020, 42 events will take place offline in Galway while a further 30 will be held online. In Mayo, 24 online events will be streamed while 11 will take place in locations including Ballina, Castlebar, Westport and at the National Museum, Turlough.

In Galway a variety of events including visual arts and photography exhibitions, literature readings, talks, film screening and concerts and music sessions will take place at locations around the county including Athenry, Ballinderreen, Ballyglunin, Belclare, Cashel, Clarinbridge, Clonbur, Indreabhán, Inis Mór, Inis Oírr, Loughrea, Moycullen and Oughterard, among others.

Culture Night is an opportunity for communities to experience first-hand the richness and diversity of culture locally and the many talented individuals from Galway and Mayo.

The Covid-19 pandemic and the necessary public health measures have had a devastating impact on the arts and culture sector. Supports like the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme, along with specific sectoral supports like the Live Performance Support Scheme and the Music Stimulus Package are crucial in supporting workers in the sector.

The establishment of the Arts and Culture Recovery Taskforce is a vital step in identifying the supports and the solutions needed so that artists and performers and all working in the culture sector can not only survive but flourish.

For more information on Culture Night in Galway visit https://culturenight.ie/events/Galway and in Mayo visit https://culturenight.ie/events/Mayo.