St. Patrick’s Festival and Mother are delighted to present Cultúr Club at Festival Quarter in the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History at Collins Barracks on Thursday 16th March 2023.
The stage is set for a very special night of live music, queer performance and art in celebration of Irish LGBTQ+ club culture and the transformative power of the dancefloor in one of Ireland’s most iconic spaces. Cultúr Club will see St. Patrick’s Festival and LGBTQ+ Club promoters, Mother collaborate once again on the eve of the world’s largest celebration of Irish Culture for one big PARTY at Festival Quarter in the National Museum of Ireland, Collins Barracks. Expect the unexpected!
Championing the idea that clubbing is culture – a vibrant and pivotal cultural expression - Cultúr Club spans 4 stages across the Festival Quarter site, playing host to some of Ireland’s finest DJs, drag queens, artists, cabaret talent and performers from across the LGBTQ+ community and traversing musical styles including pop, disco, electro, techno and beyond.
Cultúr Club will host the first ever LGBTQ+ ‘Géilí’ (pronounced Gay-Lee) on the mainstage with the fabulous PJ Kirby (co-host of the smash hit podcast, I’m Grand Mam), ably assisted by an army of drag performers.
Hot off RTÉ’s Dancing with the Stars, the Queen of Ireland herself, Panti Bliss and her partner, Denys Salmon will take to the main stage for a very special dance performance.
RTÉ Choice Music Prize-nominated Queer Irish artist Elaine Mai with MayKay and Sinéad White come together for a very special, one-time-only performance of club classics. Joining them on the night are some of the most exciting artists on the Irish music scene including Bobbi Arlo, Lewwab, Pastiche, and Tim Chadwick.
The brilliant SEANCHOÍCHE (pronounced Shanna-Key-Huh), a storytelling night founded in Dublin will take over the Tent Beag stage featuring tales to enthrall and entrance with Una Mullally. This unique event that has captured audiences in London and Amsterdam is an opportunity for everyone to connect and engage with ordinary people telling extraordinary stories.
Mother DJs present an all-night queer dance party in Tent Mór accompanied by the gorgeous OINK dancers and the drag fabulousity of Pixie Woo, Anziety, Shaqira Knightly and Viola Gayvis.
The party will continue across the Festival Quarter site with DJs Billy Bunzari, Billy Scurry, Bull Horris B2B Rhyzine, Stephen Dowling, DJ Karen, Mango & Tara Kumar and with drag, dancing and divilment on display from artists Annie Queeries, Anziety, Chanel, Donna Fella, Liam Bee, Marian Mary the 6th, Naomi Diamond, Richard Joke, Vicky Volltz, Victoria Secret & more TBA.
Following on from the Mother Club night ‘Máthair’ at last year’s Festival, St. Patrick’s Festival CEO, Richard Tierney states that ‘Ireland’s LGBTQ+ scene has boasted some of the most legendary and cutting-edge club nights – and Cultúr Club is sure to add to this legacy. At our core, St. Patrick’s Festival is very much of a celebration of diversity and so it makes sense for us to collaborate with Mother again, and to expand even further on what we did in Festival Quarter last year.’
Mother co-founder Cormac Cashman said ‘St. Patrick’s Eve has been one of the biggest nights for clubbing in Ireland for as long as I can remember. This St. Patrick’s Eve we’ll be celebrating clubbing as cultural expression; for the LGBTQ+ community in particular clubbing provides not only a vital means of expression of identity, but also an essential safe space, a place to meet and be with each other. We’re so proud to programme some of Ireland’s finest performers, DJs, drag queens & dancers to help us celebrate the opening of our national festival. Join us St. Patrick’s Eve. It's going to be wild.’
Ciara Sugrue, Head of Festivals at Fáilte Ireland said “The Festival Quarter is a really exciting part of the overall St. Patrick’s Festival offering, and this year will showcase the best of Irish music, arts and entertainment. Exciting festivals and events play a key role in delivering visitor experiences which enable domestic and international visitors to fully immerse themselves in the unique culture, history and heritage of a destination.”
Lynn Scarff, Director of the National Museum of Ireland adds: “We are thrilled to host the Festival Quarter of St Patrick’s Festival at the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts and History in Collins Barracks and delighted to see the collaboration with Mother expand this year. It is so vital that our cultural spaces are platforms for multiple forms of cultural expression that engage widely with diverse communities. The exploration of clubbing in this context through an amazing line up, in the grounds of our National Museum is both joyful and exciting in equal measure.”
Cultúr Club marks the return of the hugely popular Festival Quarter in the National Museum of Ireland – Decorative Arts & History at Collins Barracks, which in 2022 saw almost 60,000 people enjoy a packed programme of family entertainment, music, art, conversation, workshops, spectacle and street performance, along with the best of Irish food and crafts at the iconic Dublin site. Open to all ages throughout the day Festival Quarter transforms into the ultimate urban Festival space after dark.
Just a short walk from the city centre and easily accessible by Luas and bus, and adjacent to Heuston Station, Festival Quarter will once again be a bustling hub for locals and visitors alike for the duration of the Festival.
More Information
Tickets are €20 (plus booking fee) and are on sale from stpatricksfestival.ie from Friday 6 January at 11am.
Doors to the site open at 6pm on Thursday 16 March.
This event is subject to licence.
St. Patrick’s Festival is made possible through the continued support of the Government of Ireland, the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Fáilte Ireland, Dublin City Council, and many generous partners and funders.
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