‘After Hours at the Museum’– €420k in funding support for museums and galleries across the country to support later openings
- Published on: 9 April 2026
- Last updated on: 9 April 2026
Funding of up to €8,000 available to help support
Night-Time Economy activities in towns and cities across the country
The Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan T.D. has today launched a late-night museum scheme in support of a commitment in the Programme for Government and the ongoing development of a diverse Night-Time Economy in Ireland. The ‘After Hours at the Museum Scheme’ 2026 builds on the learnings from a 2023 pilot scheme and aims to support museums and galleries across the country to open later, programme new live events and encourage diversity of offering in towns and cities across the country.
Members of the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland (MSPI) and the Irish Museum Association can apply for up to €8,000 in funding to host later evening and night events this year. Museums and galleries will be required to stay open until at least 9pm. Events can include live music of all genres, dancing (performative or participatory), exhibitions, poetry readings, comedy shows, theatre, film, live podcasts, storytelling, classes and wellbeing initiatives. Funding will also be made available to National Cultural Institutions in support of a 10-month pilot initiative which will provide a night of cultural activity after 5pm on the last Thursday of every month which s due to be launched in May 2026. Dublin City museums and galleries will also be required to programme events on the last Thursday of the month to support this initiative.
Speaking today, Minister O’Donovan said:
Museums and galleries are unique cultural spaces in our local communities that have an important role to play in developing a more diverse Night-Time Economy. Through this programming of cultural events and the late openings, we want to encourage visitors and attract new audiences into these spaces. It gives people increased accessibility and an opportunity that they might not normally have to experience the collections on display and what these vibrant spaces have to offer.
Applications for funding open today 9th April at noon and will close at 5pm on 7th May 2026. The Scheme is operating with a limited fund and all applications assessed and will be selected on the basis of eligibility and the quality of proposal.
For further information, click here for guidelines and application form.
ENDS
Note for Editors:
The Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce, published in September 2021, aims to create a more diverse Night-Time Economy sector for both the local community and visitors alike. Ireland’s cultural institutions, local museums and galleries have an important role to play in this, both by extending their opening hours into the later evenings, and through making their infrastructure available to provide the space/facilities for diverse types of night-time activities. Increased opportunities can be developed through collaboration between institutions and more diverse partners.
In 2023, the Department provided funding on a pilot basis to the National Cultural Institutions, museums and galleries to extend their opening hours to programme events. The scheme demonstrated the effectiveness of using cultural spaces at night and proved to be extremely popular with many of the smaller regional museums and galleries around the country who expressed that they would like to do more but would require further support to embed their later evening and night-time programme.
In support of a Programme for Government commitment, the development of the Night-Time Economy in Dublin, the actions identified in the NTE Taskforce Report and the Dublin City Taskforce ambitions for the capital city, the department in partnership with Dublin City Council, the Dublin City Night-Time Advisor, Fáilte Ireland and Dublin Town have developed a new pilot initiative to promote and support a night of cultural activity after dark on the last Thursday of every month for a 10 month period. This initiative is due to be launched in May. Previous schemes and initiatives have demonstrated the effectiveness of a coordinated, well marketed calendared approach in attracting people out at night.
This call for funding will be targeted at museums and galleries and offered to those museums who are members of the Irish Museums Association and also museums who are members of the Museum Standards Programme for Ireland. Support will be offered by way of a grant payment of up to €8,000 per museum and they will be required to open after 5pm and schedule events until at least 9pm. Museums and galleries in Dublin City will be required to programme events on the last Thursday of the month to support the late-night Thursday initiative which is due to launch in May 2026.
Requirements under the Scheme:
- The scheme will operate on a matched funding basis (85:15), where 15% of the proposed costs must be provided by the applicant.
- Applicants can apply for funding up to €8k to open later.
- Applicants must commit to opening until at least 9pm.
- All events must commence after 5p.m.
- There is no minimum or maximum number of events that can be held.
- Dublin city venues will be required to programme events to coincide with the late-night Thursday initiative every month.
- Events do not have to be free of charge. Venues may charge an entry fee, but where possible the costs should be kept low to ensure maximum participation, inclusivity and long-term sustainability.
- Events which can be funded include but not limited to, late evening or night tours, live music, live DJ, dancing (performative or participatory), exhibitions, poetry readings, comedy shows (Stand up, sketch or improvisation), theatre, film, live podcasts, storytelling, classes and health and wellbeing initiatives. Funding can be used towards operational costs, e.g. staff costs for opening later