CULTURE NIGHT SLIGO UNVEILS PROGRAMME FOR 2020

Culture Night is an annual all-island public event that celebrates culture, creativity and the arts. We are delighted to announce that Culture Night will take place across Sligo on Friday 18 September 2020.

On Culture Night venues of all shapes and sizes, host cultural events late into the night and all events are FREE.  In response to the unprecedented challenges of the moment, this year Culture Night Sligo will share a hybrid programme of physical and digital events, making culture accessible to all.

Events just announced include; Blue Raincoat Theatre Company’s large-scale art project, ‘It’s in Your Hands’ which brings together the Sligo community, a little paint and a lot of fun! With your help a new art work will be created and be hung within the community as a representation of the unity amongst us. Hawk’s Well Theatre & Music Network collaborate to present a live performance from Ye Vagabonds. Singers, multi instrumentalists and triple RTÉ Radio 1 Folk awardees, brothers Diarmuid and Brían Mac Gloinn. With trademark close harmony singing, lean and tasty accompaniment and the rare ability to tell a good story in song, they cast their magic spells and remind us of how precious live music is. A night of great music in store for audiences. ‘Adjust Your Position’ is a new promenade theatre performance written and performed by members of Sligo Youth Theatre. Each performance is 30 minutes long and numbers are limited so please ensure to book in advance. The Mad Ravens present another Shaun Purcell original piece for Culture Night, I am of Sligo, a Sligo music theatre trail featuring characters, stories and myths of Sligo. The Yeats Society host The Secret Rose a free event for children 7-12 years old. An enchanting evening filled with stories interpreted from ‘The Secret Rose’ collection by WB Yeats performed by storyteller Imelda Ryan Jones, followed by delightful watercolour painting – inspired by Elizabeth Yeats –  with artist Rebecca Massey. As per government guidelines on COVID19 social distancing measures will be adhered for physical happenings and performances. Audiences numbers are limited and advance booking is recommended.

You can also join in the Sligo’s celebration of Culture from the comfort of your own home with a selection of curated online events. Sligo Traveller Support Group are delighted to present an evening of songs and stories with Thomas McCarthy, TG4 Gradam Ceoil Traditional Singer Of The Year 2019. The culture and history of the Traveller community is a rich and diverse one and one that should be experienced. The Model present an Online Puppetry Workshop with Marc Mac Lochlainn, founder of the trailblazing children’s theatre company Branar Téatar do Pháistí. Log on for an exploration of the world of puppetry using materials you can find in your own home: newspaper, masking tape, pens, pencils and a dash of imagination. No Man’s Land is a new music commission from The Model with composer and sound artist Karen Power. The three-part piece is based on field recordings that highlight the unique sonic profile of the Sligo seaboard. In this live-streamed performance, Power will be joined by soprano Michelle O’Rourke. Expect a truly impressive piece combining voice and multi-channel electronics. Easkey Street Festival present a short film celebrating the creativity, community spirit and pride of place in a little village by the sea. A chain of light was created by the local community along the shoreline at Easkey. Even though they had to remain apart in recent months members of the community lit their lanterns, one by one, symbolising the link between them and showing solidarity in challenging times. The film is produced by Fionn Rogers Productions with spoken word by writer Jack Harte. Community project facilitated by Workhouse Arts Studios and funded by the Creative Ireland Programme (Sligo) 2018 – 2022.

Please note due to COVID19 measures in place booking for online and offline events may be a requirement. Organisers hope that this year’s events programme will provide a great opportunity to recognise the importance of our creative sector and to celebrate the value that the arts bring to our lives. Be sure to visit culturenight.ie/sligo to view how to book and to see the most up to date programming details for 2020 as new events are being added regularly.

Culture Night Sligo is co-ordinated by Hawk’s Well Theatre on behalf of Culture Night Sligo partner venues Hawk’s Well, The Model, Blue Raincoat Theatre Company & Yeats Society and is brought to you by the the Arts Council in partnership with Sligo County Council Arts Office.