Pick of the week: Culture Night

There’s only venue worth checking out tonight: all of them. Culture Night is throwing open the doors of weird and wonderful places, from Dublin to Donegal. You can call in and visit President Michael D Higgins, dine in the dark on Merrion Square, run away to the circus in Galway or put yourself in the frame in the National Gallery.

This is one of the best nights of the cultural calendar. Check out our listings for a more detailed picture of what’s taking place, and if you fancy sticking to just one area, The Irish Times has organised Downstairs Dublin – a subterranean invasion of the finest basements in Merrion Square. Drop down a selection of steps or take a peek from the path at art installations, fashion shows, No Way Back’s fun-size disco, an Irish Times chat show, our Dine in the Dark event, contemporary classical music from Kaleidoscope, garden spaces, a library lottery, a treasure hunt, and Ireland’s smallest cinema. (The latter will rather aptly be screening a selection of Irish shorts, including Deadly, pictured above.)

We’ll also be taking the opportunity to introduce our new Ticket to the world: but if you’re reading this, you’re already well ahead of the curve. Don’t forget to pop by and say hello.