Funding hits Culture Night

Funding hits Culture Night

3 September 2025

DOWNPATRICK’S annual Culture Night will not be going ahead this month due to a lack of money.

The event’s organisers, Downpatrick Community Collective, have been declined funding by Newry, Mourne and Down Council.

The group were informed that there was “insufficient budget” available. 

Community Collective chair Dan McEvoy, said the news was  “frustrating” and a “kick in the teeth”. 

“This is very frustrating for our group and of course the county town of Downpatrick,” he said.

“Having hosted Culture night for nearly 10 years, we are annoyed that this event is now deemed unsuitable for funding as it has clearly been rated below other applications.

“I can confirm that no offer of funding has come our way.”

The family event has brought live music, dance, street entertainment and other activities to the town for one night each September for almost a decade, attracting all ages to a number of venues such as The Saint Patrick Centre, Down County Museum and Down Arts Centre.

Mr McEvoy said the feedback from the “many thousands” of people who have previously attended or participated in the event “has always 

been positive” and provided encouragement for the organising committee.

He said the setback is “another kick in the teeth for the local arts and culture scene” in the town.

“As delighted as we are for the other groups who have met the standard required to be awarded funding, we believe the omission of Culture Night Downpatrick 2025 is disgraceful and damaging for our town as a whole,” he added.

A spokesperson for Newry, Mourne and Down Council said: “For 2025-2026, Down Community Collective (DCC) submitted an application to the council for financial assistance towards the cost of supporting the event.

“The council operates an open and competitive financial assistance scheme annually. While DCC’s application passed Stage 2 scoring, there was insufficient budget to fund all successful applicants.”

The spokesperson continued: “As a result, the application has been placed on the Scored and Ranked list. Projects on this list may be offered funding in rank order if additional resources become available during the 2025/26 financial year.

“The scheme’s guidance notes, published alongside the application, provide details of all assessment criteria,” the spokesperson added.