MINISTER FOR TOURISM, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin announced today a grant scheme of €2.6 million has been allocated to host cultural events in pubs, nightclubs, cafés and other venues.

A maximum grant of €10,000 per application will be available to venues hosting a minimum of four cultural events.

Funding has already opened and will remain open until Friday 22 July, or until the funding has been exhausted.

Minister Martin said today:  “I want to support and develop a thriving environment at night in our cities and rural towns. This scheme aims to attract people in to our towns and cities later in the evening and night time by offering a range of cultural activities, in a variety of venues.”

“It will also support businesses in trialling events during the earlier part of the week when it’s typically quieter with a view to developing a more long-term sustainable offering in the night-time economy.”

The NTESS will be available under two strands, one for licensed premises and one for unlicensed.

Licensed premises such as pubs, restaurants, wine bars and nightclubs can avail of funding for a minimum of four events from Mondays to Thursdays.

Cafés, dry bars, local galleries can apply for funding for at least four events happening in the later evening on any day of the week if they commit to remaining open until at least 9pm in the evening.

The initiative is in support of two recommendations in the Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce, which noted that most cultural events in the late evening and night traditionally center around the sale and consumption of alcohol.

Cultural events include live music, comedy nights, dance, literature or poetry nights, theatrical productions, craft events and art or photographic exhibitions.

Martin added that the scheme would play an important role at rejuvenating cultural events and helping smaller artists to recover from the impacts of the pandemic.

“I have also listened to the sector in relation to the lack of venues for artists and performers, especially new and emerging acts.”

“This scheme will aim to provide those opportunities for new acts, by supporting the smaller venues such as pubs and cafés to trial out new cultural activities and provide those much needed spaces and paying gigs to artists.”