A record 40 locations throughout the country will be taking part in the 10th annual Culture Night next month when special events and late-night openings take place.
Organisers have promised an evening of “nocturnal cultural creativity” on both sides of the Border for Friday, September 18th.
Dublin venues include the Freemason's Hall, Windmill Lane Studios and Áras an Uachtaráin for free public tours.
Most parts of Ireland will be represented this year with an eclectic range of activities from a "cultural crawl" on Achill Island to secret gigs in Cork city and céilí in Tralee.
Transport services will also be supporting the initiative, with free Dublin Bus services due to operate between the city's main areas. There will be a number of complimentary Bus Éireann routes in Cork and Iarnród Éireann will be issuing a limited number of family passes for the night.
Speaking at the launch event, Minister for Arts and Heritage Heather Humphreys praised the level of co-operation between cultural partners North and South of the Border to help make an All-Ireland culture night a reality.
“As the 10th year of Culture Night, the 2015 event promises to be bigger and better than ever,” she said.
Global dimension
“A decade on from relatively humble beginnings, it is going from strength to strength and I am very pleased to see that the level of cross-border cultural collaboration is increasing again this year.”
Among the celebrations on the programme is a mock gay wedding in Belfast, which has been organised in conjunction with Amnesty International and the Rainbow Project to promote the cause of same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland. The issue has proved divisive in the Stormont Assembly in the wake of the Republic's Yes vote on same-sex marriage this year.
There will also be an international element, with a cultural showcase in New York and a live performance of The Outcasts at the Centre Culturel Irlandais in Paris.
RTÉ's Philharmonic Choir will be appearing alongside the Army No 1 Band at Trinity College Dublin. The Irish Times will be organising talks and pop-up events at DownstairsDublin in the Georgian quarter in and around Merrion Square.
