Madrid makes a fiesta of culture night

FESTIVALS:IRELAND'S CULTURE Night has been steadily expanding since it began in 2006 but Irish visitors to Madrid next weekend will get a glimpse of how a culture night could really transform a city.

Last September, some 800,000 people attended events in Madrid on the night, with queues forming after midnight to visit the most popular exhibitions.

This reporter entered the doors of the Annie Leibovitz exhibition after midnight for a leisurely browse of the Vanity Fairphotographer's work.

At 12.30am, some 100,000 dancers were taking part in a giant dance class all along the Paseo del Prado. It ended at 1.30am with 43,000 people dancing on the street at the Plaza de Cibeles.

Next Saturday, (September 11th) Madrid’s streets will fill up with more than 100 outdoor activities and art projects for their culture night, called “La noche en blanco” or white night.

The city’s main streets and squares, including Cibeles Square, Plaza de Oriente and Retiro Park will be transformed by exhibitions mounted by 11 artists and artistic groups while more than 200 institutions will offer their own activities.

The city’s key buildings, such as the Prado Museum, the Reina Sófia museum, and Bolsa, the stock exchange, have all organised free events for the night.

The Royal Theatre will open its season in style with Tchaikovsky's Eugene Oneginwhich will be broadcast live on a large screen to the crowds outside.

Up to 2am, visitors will be able to pay a visit to the kitchens of the Royal Palace while the Prado Museum will open the recently renovated collection of Velasquez to the public.

Up to 1am people will also be able to visit rooms dedicated to artists such as Goya, El Greco, Ribera, Titian and Tintoretto.

While Ireland’s Culture Night started with Dublin five years ago, it has become a nationwide event and this year’s night, on Friday, September 24th, will be the biggest yet, involving 20 cities, towns, counties and islands taking part.

In Dublin, some 132 cultural venues will open their doors, including the Irish Museum of Modern Art, the Light House Cinema, Freemasons’ Hall, the Custom House and the Quakers’ Meeting House.