By Kenneth Fox
Despite the challenges that Covid-19 has brought, the annual culture night is going ahead this evening with events across the country both offline and online.
Close to 800 different events will take place from a range of disciplines such as: music, art, photography, poetry, carpentry and printing.
For those who are willing to brave the outdoors there are plenty of events to attend but alternatively there are countless events online with just as much to offer.
Speaking about tonight's events, Culture night said: "Many of this year’s events will take place online, but there are safe offline events programmed too.
"Due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, events on the Culture Night programme are subject to change/cancellation. We are committed to the health and safety of our participants and audience, and appreciate your understanding of this matter.
"We hope that this year’s programme will provide a great opportunity to recognise the importance and value of our creative sector."
Full programme
Some of the highlights of tonight's programme include a video exchange called 'Distance and Time, I’ll Be Waiting ft. Maeve Higgins & Caelainn Hogan'.
Culture night describe it as "A video exchange across the Atlantic throughout the summer, messages sent back and forth between herself and the brightest young journalist working in Ireland today, Caelainn Hogan, author of ‘Republic of Shame’.
"Their exchange was filmed between tropical storms, lock-downs, protests and quiet moments just waiting for the train, with additional insights from Bulelani Mfaco, spokesperson for the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland."
One of the more intriguing offline events is The Birr projection in Co Offaly.
It is described as "A postcard view of Birr. Drawing on a collection of 70 postcards specific to Birr from 1900, the evening will highlight the changing nature of the town as captured through the lens of early photographers."
The Abbey Theatre is also offering fans a unique chance to go backstage and behind the scenes of the iconic theatre.
As Culture night describes "Led by Abbey Theatre tour guides and featuring interviews with members of Abbey staff, explore the history of the theatre, get an insight into the behind-the-scenes spaces and discover how we make our productions."
This is only a small sample of what is taking place tonight as there are countless events to enjoy across the country. You can check out everything that is on tonight here.
