The programme of events for the 21st edition of Culture Night in Galway is varied and exciting with plenty of offer for everyone.
Culture Night, or Oíche Chultúir, takes place across Ireland on Friday, September 18, 2026.
Sponsored by the Arts Council, the annual celebration of arts, culture and heritage features a packed programme of events throughout Galway City and County.
From live music and exhibitions to workshops and performances, there is something for everyone to enjoy. Here are five free events in Galway you won’t want to miss. A full programme of activities is available on the Culture Night website.
The Galway Film Resource Centre and Ardán is hosting a celebration of cinema from Galway’s first film screening in 1898 to it’s UNESCO City of Film recognition in 2014.
This 10-minute audiovisual timeline celebrates the people, places, films, and organisations that have shaped Galway’s screen legacy. Projected onto the Ardán building on Culture Night, it offers a unique outdoor journey through Galway’s cinematic story.
The loop will run from 8pm to 10pm at the corner of Middle Street and Abbeygate Street Lower.
Moth and Butterfly, a storytelling group in Galway City, is presenting stories and songs inspired by mystical lands for Culture Night 2026.
At Home in the Hedges will be a family-friendly event of stories containing magic, creatures, and mysteries by Moth and Butterfly’s renowned storytellers.
Audiences aged 7+ are welcome to journey through fields and forests where anything is possible, the organisation said.
The event is on from 7pm to 7.30pm at the Galway City Museum.
Galway’s Antlantaquaria in Salthill is open from 6pm to 8pm on Culture Night with an ‘OOO’ themed event. Open Waters, Open Mind, Open Aquarium is at the core of the celebrations touching on how people react when they experience knowledge about the marine world.
The Galway Skateboard Association is putting on a music and neon filled evening at Doughiska’s award-winning skate park from 7pm to 11pm.
The youth centred event will see the skate park decked in UV lighting, graffiti, and chalk art with live music accompanied by DJ’s and rappers.
A screening of local skateboarding history will conclude the evening for the ultimate immersive experience.
Put on your dancing shoes as Galway Céilí Club hosts their annual set-dancing event in Eyre Square on Culture night.
At 6.30pm, all are welcome to attend the dance event fitted with live music. The event is accessable to all as dances are called throughout the evening.
In the calming setting of Setu Studio in Clarinbridge, Galway artist Siobhán Quirke will be hosting an immersive painting experience.
Those in attendance will be led through a guided workshop to explore the colour and texture of the local landscape.
Artists will take their pieces of work home at the end of the evening. Booking for this event is required and it remains suitable for ages 18+.
The event will take place from 7pm to 9pm.
The Misleór Festival, put on by the Ballinasloe Traveller Women’s Group and Galway Rural Development is a celebration of Traveller culture through music, crafts, stories, and food.
Taking place at the basketball court at Hymany Park in Ballinasloe, all are welcome to explore the traditions of Traveller life.
On display will be a handmade wattle tent, demonstrations of tinsmithing and baking as well as traditional Traveller games.
The event begins at 4pm.
The Portuman Courthouse is inviting the community to partake in an evening of various events.
Running from 9pm to late, the courthouse and town hall will welcome the barbershop quartet, Lady Barbalade, an internationally recognised singing group created in 2015.
In between the quartet performances, the audience will be welcomed to partake as judges in Portumna’s first Art Battle.
Six artists will have six blank canvasses and with no preparation, the artists will be challenged to produce a finished piece in a theme-led, time-limited, 3-round event.
Additionally, Portumna Town Hall will be screening a selection of short Irish films for the evening.
Tickets are free but booking is required.
Through Our Eyes, Tuam
Friends of Kilconly Wetlands have been using the form of photography with artist facilitator Sarah Deane to communicate the unique relationship artists have with the Cloonbar Bog.
The community art collective called Bog Fam walks through the bog with cameras to capture new images of a landscape they traverse often. The exhibition includes a variety of outputs including photos, words, and moving image.
The exhibition will take place at Kilconly Community Centre from 7pm to 10pm.
Local filmmakers will screen various short films at the Clifden Station House Theatre hosted by the Clifden Film Society.
The event will run from 7pm to 8pm and is recommended for those aged 13+.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting scheme.