For 1 night only

Tonight is Culture Night – the annual extravaganza of free shows and performances all across the country. Here, ARMINTA WALLACEsuggests a few dishes from this year's menu of marvels

LEARN HOW to make a hat at Kilruddery House in Co Wicklow. Spot Batman on the walls of the GPO and fire artists on the streets of Bandon. Make your own monoprint at Custom House Studios in Westport. In Dublin, catch some Arab jazz at the Chester Beatty Library or an organ marathon at St Finian’s Lutheran Church on Adelaide Road. From Samuel Beckett’s silent short Film, starring Buster Keaton, which will be screened at the Green on Red gallery at 6.30 pm, to clowning at the Arthouse in Stradbally, Co Laois (4pm to 6pm), there are cultural treats galore on offer tonight as Culture Night comes to 30 regions across the country.

The only problem is: where do you start?

Well, you can just head to any of the big cultural institutionsri – the National Library, the National Gallery, the National Museum – all of which are open late and offering extensive programmes of free activities. Or you can set out to sample something you’ve always avoided like the proverbial plague.

Such was the original premise of Culture Night, dreamed up by Temple Bar Cultural Trust six years ago with the aim of smashing invisible, but deeply engrained, barriers of cultural elitism and stereotype. This year looks set to break attendance barriers as well, with independent cultural outfits all around the country getting in on the act, and more than 150 events scheduled for Dublin alone.

The following suggestions, therefore, are just that: suggestions. Check out the Culture Night website, culturenight.ie, for further details of – literally – hundreds more options. There’s also a free app, Dublin Culture Trail, to help you plan your night out on the town.

And if you’re trying to get from one Dublin venue to another in a hurry, watch out for complimentary shuttle buses along three designated Dublin Bus culture routes. They’ll operate from 6pm to 11pm, leaving every 20 minutes from bus stops at Bachelor’s Walk, Aston Quay and Trinity College.

5 for outdoors

Catch a sneak preview of Derry's City of Culture 2013 programme with Tribal Fire, a fire and drumming spectacular on its historic city walls. There'll also be a catwalk show featuring fashions past and future. Derry City Walls, 8pm

It’s Swahili for sisterhood, and the eight women who make up the Akidwa choir aim to put a smile on everyone’s face as they promote the culture of African women who live in Ireland. Join them for a 10th anniversary celebration concert. Temple Bar Square, Dublin at 5.30pm

Light-meister extraordinaire, the stained-glass artist Harry Clarke, is the subject of a north Dublin "pilgrimage" which will visit a number of places associated with the man himself. The walk, led by the historian Pat Liddy, will finish up at St Peter's Church in Phibsborough where, following the tour, there'll be a showing of a recent documentary on Clarke's life and work, Revel in Blue. The event is free and no booking necessary. Meet at the Hugh Lane Gallery, Parnell Square North, 3pm.

Fire-and-light events are perfect for autumn, and here’s one that promises to emblazon the picturesque harbour at Greystones, Co Wicklow. Lanterns, fire shows and fireworks will provide the illumination, the Greystones Orchestra will add music and the celebrations will continue with more live music in the Beach House and Dann’s Bar afterwards. Greystones Harbour, 8pm

Move over, maidens: some of the best-known crossroads in the country will be going 3D after dark as Crossbóthar– an outdoor projection of moving and still visual artworks curated by the Dingle artist Andrew Duggan – gets into full swing. The spectacle will form part of a multi-location event in Kerry, Donegal, Dublin and Galway as Culture Night goes nationwide.

5 for refreshment

An evening of music and poetry at The Creel on Westport Quay in Co Mayo will feature readings by poets John F. Deane, Sean Lysaght, Geraldine Mills, Sue Minish and Gerard Reidy, as well as music from Achill island native, the flautist and piper Des Cafferky. The Creel, Westport Quay, 8.30pm. (And do please remember that while the entertainment and even the art on offer on Culture Night is free, the drink – mostly — isn’t. So put your hand in your pocket before lifting your pint.)

Gaze out at serene Strabane, Co Tyrone from the windows of The Alley Theatre's cafe bar while the music of Dave Oliver and his band kicks up a high-energy storm inside. They'll be playing Donegal Doll, It's a Long Way to the Dole Queueand other hits from their most recent album, Ghost on the Ocean.

Sit around the table in the tiny green room-cum-kitchen of Dublin's Focus Theatre and have a glass of wine in the company of playwright Jimmy Murphy, (pictured right) who'll be talking about his new play, The Hen Night Epiphany, ahead of its nationwide tour. Focus Theatre, Pembroke Place, Dublin from 5pm to 11pm.

There can be few more intriguing places to raise a glass than Kilkenny’s wine bar, The Hole in the Wall, part of a 16th-century Tudor house on High Street in the heart of the medieval city. Tonight it also acts as a portal to another universe, courtesy of the other-worldly, slow-core electronic sounds of Katie Kim and her band, who are on stage at 8.30pm.

The Coach House at Dublin Castle is an extremely salubrious setting for a glass of vino, and there’s an eclectic selection of music on offer, beginning with an open harp workshop with Siobhán Armstrong at 5pm and continuing with hourly performances from 7pm to 10.30pm. Musicians include the classical, folk and world ensemble Morisca, Kerry duo Paudie O’Connor (button accordion) and Aoife Ni Chaoimh (fiddle) and Gato Azul with Francesco Turrisi and Robbie Harris.

5 for gigs

A showcase of all things musical comes to Sligo for Culture Night, featuring a slice of everything from jazz to trad. Acts will include Anything Goes, Tabby Callaghan, The Katonahs, Junior Davey and Declan Folan. Hawk’s Well Theatre, 8pm til late

Diddle-um, diddle-um, diddle-um tum tum . . . yes, it's Rossini's William Tell Overture, played by four pianists on two pianos with, well, panache is probably the word. Noriko Ogawa, Finghin Collins, Charles Owen and Katya Apekisheva will be giving it loads in a free fanfare concert which also opens this year's New Ross Piano Festival. To add to the fun, Ogawa will be joined by Kathryn Stott, a chamber ensemble and narrator Barry McGovern for Saint-Saens's Carnival of the Animals. St Mary's Church, New Ross, 6.30 pm. Booking essential on 051-421255.

For a spot of choral culture join the National Chamber Choir in Navan. These super singers can do anything from contemporary a cappellathrough medieval Irish music to plainchant and beyond. Booking essential on 046-909 2300. Solstice Arts Centre, 8pm

A kaleidoscope of the best that Ireland’s performing arts scene has to offer can be seen in Bray, Co Wicklow when Fishamble Theatre Company, CoisCéim Dance Company and the Crash Ensemble combine for what promises to be a first-rate night of music, theatre and dance. As with all Culture Night events, admission is free – but booking essential from tel: 01-2724030. Mermaid Arts Centre, 8pm.

Tea, cake and comedy is a sweet combination in anybody's diary; and when the setting is a former bishop's mansion in Cavan, it's a winner. The Mothvisual arts and literary magazine and Second Floor Studios are both based in the building, and they're making people welcome with poetry readings and the chance to have your portrait painted. There'll also be a performance by the musician-in-residence, the pianist and songwriter Cormac McCann, who has composed scores for silent films as well as developing his own inimitable brand of protest rap. Former See House, Cavan, 7pm to 10pm.

5 for DIY

If you’re a basket case, you need to get to Dunamaise Arts Centre on Church Street in Portlaoise which is not only mounting an exhibition of Joe Hogan’s exquisite sculptural baskets, but will encourage you to make your own attempt at this ancient craft at 7pm with an hour-long demonstration of basket-making by the local weaver Martin Sinnott.

Curly creatures of all hues and textures have been flocking to Tinahely, Co Wicklow ever since the spring, when Tinhahely Arts Group launched a public art project of 28 sheep and lambs made from lovingly embellished sheet metal. Having spent the summer out and about on roads, walks and public areas the flock is being herded into the centre of Tinahely at 3pm to serve as the hub for all sorts of high jinks from a puppet show to a bronze casting demonstration. The latter, by sculptors Niall O’Neill and Padraig McGoran, will take place on the lawn of the Courthouse Arts Centre at 8pm.

If you've got an art deco artifact lurking in the attic, or a priceless vase perched on your sideboard, bring it to the RDS in Dublin and have it valued by a team of experts including Henry Sandon from the BBC's Antiques Roadshow. There'll also be crafts workshops where you can discover the wonders of puppetry and have a go at hands-on ceramics. From 6pm to 11pm. Advance booking essential, especially the Antiques Roadshow; tel: 01-2407295.

Always wanted to have a go at life drawing, but been afraid to ask? The Powerscourt Gallery in Dublin is stripping down to basics with an exhibition of nude studies by Sohoko Blake, Jimmy T Murakami and Ross Stewart as well as an informal life-drawing session. With a complimentary glass of wine on arrival to get you in the mood, this is a fantastic opportunity to try your hand at one of the most challenging themes in the visual arts. Powerscourt Gallery, Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, South William Street, 6pm to 9pm

Tie me angklung down, sport: if you’ve ever dreamed of playing this Javanese tuned-bamboo instrument – or even if you haven’t – join one of the free hour-long workshops at the Kevin Barry Room at the National Concert Hall, Earlsfort Terrace in Dublin. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and the event is suitable for all ages. From 7pm to 10pm.

5 for families

Who wouldn’t love a bouncy dolmen? Jim Ricks’s monumental inflatable sculpture at the Pop-up Playhouse, Friar’s Walk car park, Ennis, Co Clare is a scaled-up replica of the 6,000-year-old Poulnabroune portal tomb, designed to encourage children of all ages to get up close and bouncy with pre-history. For younger fry there’s also an opportunity to meet The Gruffalo; an interactive live music show centred on that much-loved story will take place at the same venue at 3.30 pm and 5.30pm.

Make your mark on the streets of Temple Bar in Dublin – in a good way. Solus Street Art, aided and abetted by Scene Not Herd, is inviting members of the public to take part in a communal installation especially for Culture Night. Spray paint and stencils will be provided, the theme is Unity and Equality and it’s all happening between 5pm and 8pm. Budding young artists can also express themselves on canvas — again, all materials are provided — at the Children’s Art Jam on Curved Street from 5pm to 7 pm.

Built in 1190, St Audoen’s Church on Cornmarket, Dublin is the only remaining medieval parish church in the city. Dedicated to the patron saint of Normandy, the building has a hairs-on-the-back-of-the-neck atmosphere and its guided tours — available free tonight from 5.30pm to 9.30pm – are famously lively and engaging.

We don’t often get the chance to wander around research facilities, much less have a go with hi-tech, hi-spec instruments; but wannabe scientists can do all that, and more, on Salthill Promenade at Sea2Sky, a free event at Galway Atlantaquaria and Leisureland. Learn about whales and dolphins in Irish waters or take a 3D tour of the universe; there’ll also be competitions, quizzes, theatre, puppetry and storytelling in a marquee in the park. Open until 11pm.

At the National Museum of Ireland on Kildare Street, Dublin free guided tours will attempt to untangle fact from fiction about Ireland’s pre-history with the help of the museum’s hands-on collection of artifacts and live reenactments. The storyteller Nuala Hayes, meanwhile will mix it all merrily up again with some mind-boggling myths and legends from The Táin. From 5pm to 9pm; last tour at 8pm.