DCU opens its doors for Culture Night 2025 at St Patrick’s Campus, Drumcondra
Dublin City University (DCU) is delighted to announce its participation in Culture Night 2025 with its biggest and more expansive programme to date. On Friday, 19 September, DCU’s St Patrick’s campus in Drumcondra will once again transform into a vibrant hub of creativity, culture, and community celebration.
Each year, Culture Night at DCU draws families, local residents, students, and visitors of all ages for a jam-packed night of live music, dance, circus acts, art workshops, immersive tours, exhibitions, sensory play and more, showcasing the very best of what the university and its partners have to offer.
Highlights to expect at DCU Culture Night
The Ark's Groove Garden with Donal Dineen
It’s time for the whole family to throw some shapes and show off their best moves as DJ Donal Dineen takes to the decks for a very special Culture Night disco! Donal has spent a lifetime digging for foot-tapping rare gold in record crates all over the world, and he'll be presenting a selection of the most highly infectious grooves from his box of boom tunes for this special disco experience for all ages with open ears and dancing feet of all sizes. The more we dance together, the better life gets, so if you’re ready to get into the groove, then you're ready to hit the dancefloor!
Traditional Music by DCU Trad Soc
Buail isteach ag an Seomra Caidrimh, Campas Phádraig OCBÁC do sheisiún Trad. Spéis agat páirt a ghlacadh – tabhair leat d’uirlisí ceoil nó bróga damhsa! Join us for a lively trad session in the Seomra Caidrimh on the DCU St. Patrick's Campus.Interaction and crowd participation encouraged, so bring your instruments, singing voice and dancing feet along.
Revolutionary afterlives with Leeann Lane
Dr Leeann Lane is Associate Professor of History in DCU's School of History & Geography. Her primary area of research is modern Irish history with a specialisation in nineteenth and twentieth-century gender and women's history. This talk discusses aspects of the later lives of women from Cork city and county who participated in the campaigns of the revolutionary period.
Fuinseog Bemusement Woodland Games
Step into the enchanting world of the Bemusement Games, crafted by Fuinseog Woodland Crafts, and experience a unique collection of traditional games. Each game is thoroughly handcrafted from Irish timbers, offering a selection of classic favourites.
DCU will also open up key spaces including Cregan Library and the campus Green, inviting the public to experience these facilities in a new, creative context — turning the heart of Drumcondra into a festival of culture for one special evening.
Marcella Bannon, DCU’s Cultural Arts Officer, explained the importance of Culture Night:
Our aim is to make the campus a vibrant cultural hub that radiates outwards, forming deeper connections across North Dublin. Over the past 15 years, celebrating Culture Night, we’ve been building something meaningful: an inclusive, creative space where university and community meet. In 2024, DCU welcomed over 2,500 visitors to its St Patrick’s campus for Culture Night — a number expected to grow again this year as new features are added and accessibility expanded.
For more information and the full timetable, visit the DCU Arts and Culture website.