Culture Night 2025 – What Happened
Sligo – take a bow – we asked, and you delivered!
over 40 live events took place throughout the county in arts venues, galleries, community and public spaces, pop-ups and even the bus station! Here’s just a snapshot of the action:
Culture Night Sligo 2025 included:
- A magical giant Púca roaming the streets of Sligo town
- Exhibitions at the Model, City Hall, Hawk’s Well, Metalbox workshop, National Surf Centre, Barytes Mill at Gleniff and Abhainn Studio Enniscrone
- Workshops in the Yeat Building, The Model, Pulled Studios, the Hamilton Gallery, Children’s Community Garden, MADE Sligo, Sligo Folk Park
- Multi-cultural celebrations with music, dance, and food at the Model, the Avalon, The Methodist Hall, No. 45 on High Street and The Presbyterian Church Hall
- a Tea Ceremony at the Wellness Centre
- a traditional Rambling House in Ballintogher
- Trad music from Sligo town Ceolthas at Sligo Bus Station
Performances from Sligo Orpheus Choir, Sligo Baroque Orchestra with the O’Carolan Trio, Sligo Gospel Choir, Sligo Integration Chorus and a live set with the 2FM Rising Artists at the Model.
Flagships events included: two curated evenings of entertainment courtesy of The Model & The Yeats Society, with hands-on events for younger children; the Model’s galleries & artist studios stayed open late, while they hosted Sligo Global Kitchen & Sligo Integration Chorus before alive music set with RTE 2FMas part of Culture Night Late.
The Yeats Society’s programme also included two rehearsed readings of Lady Gregory’s “The Rising of the Moon”, followed by Sligo-based music producers “Magnata”’s Night Moon Music programme.
For children: there was a music workshop with Music Generation, printmaking and glass workshops at the Model & Pulled, storytelling and a magical garden beasts workshop in Sligo Community Garden, while young people performed as part of Sligo Youth Theatre’s “Echoes”, the Yeat’s Society’s poetry programme, the “Amplify” Teenage music night at the Crib and the Nest’s “Live & Local” event as part of Culture Night Late.
The Hawk’s Well Theatre played host to Raymond Watson’s “The Hands of History” exhibition – featuring bronze casts of the hands of the Good Friday agreement, while Sligo Abbey hosted “Sligo Soundscapes” a live performance of traditional music, curated by Joanna Sweeney
“With their Backs to the Sky” was an immersive night of film, performance, visual art and experimental sound at Image Framers on Adelaide Street, while Sligo Gaming Society launched a new role-playing game by Wayne O’Connor at their home on JFK Parade and Cranmore Co-op’s inter-generational exhibition by local residents brought young and old out to see.
Throughout the county: there were Culture Night celebrations in Strandhill at the National Surf Centre celebrating the work of Barry Britton and Sligo Traditional Singers lifted the roof in Harry’s Bar, Rosses Point. The beautiful Gleniff Barytes Mill hosted the gRounded exhibition, Abhainn Studios in Enniscrone showcased the work of Easkey artists and the Coleman Centre hosted a night of traditional song, music and dance.
Sligo Folk Park hosted Bru Moytura who invited all to add their news & stories through calligraphy and art to Ireland’s Annal’s; while in Ballymote, locals enjoyed a reading of Rory Nevin’s new play and down the road in Tubbercurry the Phoenix Players hosted a night of music and poetry.
Culture Night Late: included events at The Model and The Yeats Society, on the street with the Púca, teen music events at both The Crib and The Nest and an immersive evening entitled “With Their Backs to the Sky” from Metalbox Collective at Image Framers.
Download the full Culture Night Sligo 2025 programme below:
Culture Night Brochure 2025 (PDF) - 2,044 kbs
Culture Night Sligo was brought to you in association with:
Sligo County Council’s Arts Service Department, The Arts Council, Sligo BID & The Department of Culture, Communication & Sport
