Noise reduction & late night cultural space funds announced to support Irish Night-Time Economy
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin has announced three initiatives to benefit the Night-Time Economy.
The main one of interest, is a new scheme to provide funding to Nightclubs and Late Night Venues to help reduce noise late at night as recommended in the Night-Time Economy Taskforce report, and there is also a Late Night Events Pilot Programme to extend and diversify late night time activity in Arts Centres and a Programme of cultural events on Moore Street called “Summer Nights at Moore Street”.
Here’s all the info shared today:
1. Noise Reduction fund
€2 million in capital funding has been allocated to support venues that operate late at night to implement noise reduction measures at their venues.
The Noise Mitigation Grant Scheme announced today is targeted at late night venues, such as nightclubs and late night live music venues that are in need of funding support to help reduce noise emissions in and outside their venues.
A maximum allowable grant of €70,000 will be made available per project, to fund works such as the installation/replacement of noise cancelling systems, the construction of acoustic absorbers and the installation of outdoor noise barriers.
The scheme is also being launched ahead of the proposed reform of the alcohol licensing laws and will help support any planned modification of opening hours for nightclubs and other late night venues operating in the Night-Time Economy. The application portal for the Scheme will open at 4pm today. Further details in relation to this scheme can be found here.
2. Arts Centre & and cultural spaces late night €800k fund
€800k in funding has been allocated to support art centres and cultural spaces to open later and diversify their offering. In partnership with the Arts Council, 12 pilots will be selected to support innovative approaches to night-time cultural activities.
The Late Night Events Pilot Programme, which is being rolled out by the Arts Council and funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media is aimed at art centres in towns and cities around the country, who are in receipt of Arts Council Art Centre Funding or Arts Grant Funding (arts centres).
The selected pilot art centres will be required to host events late at night, events could range from traditional music to electronic music, DJ nights, theatre, comedy or dance. The pilots will also seek to identify and address any challenges which arts centres may associate with staying open late. Funding of up to €60,000 is available for the selected lead arts centre. Details of the programme can be found here.
This is separate to the €1 million in funding announced for late night museums and galleries events in May.
3. Moore Street programme
Programme of cultural events announced for “Summer Nights at Moore Street” during July and August. The second of these Nights takes place on July 20th. It is aimed at turning Dublin’s oldest Market into an early evening and night-time outdoor food and culture destination.
“The Late Night Events Pilot Programme which I am announcing today, will seek to use our publicly funded cultural spaces around the country to their fullest potential and make them appealing to new audiences. I would like to take the opportunity to thank the Arts Council for their support in the management and development of this Pilot Programme and for their continued support in finding creative solutions to opening up much needed space in the late night economy.
“I am also launching a new Noise Mitigation Grant Scheme today which will help support our late night sector to implement noise reduction measures at their venues and will help improve relationships with local residents and businesses. If we are going to develop our cities and towns as vibrant places to live, socialise and work we need to manage the Night-Time Economy in a balanced way so we support those residents living in our busy towns and cities, whilst also supporting the growth and development of our Night-Time Economy Sector. I want to also acknowledge that it has been a difficult time for late night venues since the pandemic and I am aware that the cost of living crisis has put further pressure on our Night-Time Economy Sector. I will continue to work with the industry as we continue to navigate our way through this particularly challenging period.”
Minister Martin
- Late Night Culture Pilot Programme
This Pilot is being rolled out by the Arts Council and funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media. Applications will be accepted from arts centres in receipt of Arts Council Art Centre Funding or Arts Grant Funding (arts centres). The arts centres will be encouraged to create new late night programming through innovative new partnerships between local authorities, festivals, producers, other commercial and non-commercial venues and artists – particularly those operating later into the evening. Twelve pilot projects will be selected for participation in the programme. The selection process of the 12 pilot projects will be led by the Arts Council, and each application will undergo a rigorous assessment. The pilots will also be selected on geographic location to ensure that there is a spread of projects across the country.
The Late Night Culture Programme Pilot intends to further extend and diversify the offering for later night activity and provide opportunities for new and exciting work, encouraging new audiences into existing cultural facilities. It will also seek to identify and address any challenges which venues may associate with staying open late. Each pilot will be required to undertake research and evaluation to identify the challenges and opportunities in relation to staying open later.
The Late Night Culture Pilot Programme aims to:
- support innovative and additional approaches to night-time arts activities;
- encourage new partnerships between local authorities, arts centres, festivals, producers, other commercial and non-commercial venues and artists – particularly those operating later into the evening;
- enhance, diversify and expand audience engagement;
- seek to identify and overcome challenges to venues and cultural spaces associated with opening late;
- advocate for a place based approach that will build on the existing arts sector in each town or city; and
- support any additional NTE interventions which may be in place (i.e. pilot NTE advisors).
Examples of possible models:
- A series of electronic arts events in different venues in conjunction with the NTE adviser and local promoters.
- An arts centre establishing a series of events in conjunction with a local promoter where an earlier event in the evening in the arts centre is linked to a later event in another venue. The pilot runs for a set number of weeks;
- A gallery promoting a series of visual arts / music events from 23:00 onwards;
- An arts centre providing admin and overhead support to a local promoter staging late night music events in informal venues;
Who can apply?
The lead partner must be an arts centre currently in receipt of Arts Council Art Centre Funding or Arts Grant Funding (arts centres). Partners might include local promoters, local authority night-time advisers, other arts centres, other commercial and non-commercial venues, festivals, producers and artists.
Funding?
Up to €60k will be available for the lead arts centre for programming.
Further details on the Late Night Culture Pilot Programme supported by the Arts Council can be found here – Late-Night Events (Pilot Programme) | The Arts Council | An Chomhairle Ealaíon. The Scheme is now open and deadline for applications is 24th August 2023.
- Noise Mitigation Grant Scheme
The Noise Mitigation Grant Scheme (NMGS) is in support of a recommendation in the Report of the Night-Time Economy Taskforce, https://assets.gov.ie/198233/43608ada-27d4-4bb4-ad16-f1ea0f3ec1d0.pdf
The funding will support venue owners to take pro-active steps to implement noise mitigation measures to better control and reduce sound emissions. The scheme is targeted at late night venues, such as nightclubs, late bars and late night venues that are in need of noise mitigation measures. This includes soundproofing to reduce noise levels coming from late night entertainment in the premises, including (but not limited to) music of all genres, dance, and live performance in venues that are open late. Nightclubs, late night bars, late night live performance venues and other suitable late night businesses may apply.
This scheme will operate with a limited fund of €2 million and will fund 70% of the cost of the capital works carried out. Applicants are required to fund the remaining 30% of the works. A maximum allowable grant of €70,000 will be funded. Any costs exceeding this maximum amount will have to be met by the Grantee.
The following works are eligible for funding, including but not limited to:
- Installation/Replacement of noise cancelling systems
- Improvement/replacement of window and door seals
- Replacement of existing doors and windows
- Sound insulation of walls, ceilings and floors
- Replacement of DSPs and/or loudspeaker systems for improved control of loudspeakers
- Construction of acoustic absorbers
- Construction/installation of outdoor noise barriers
- Installation of facilities/structures that assist in crowd management and/or stewarding
The Noise Mitigation Grant Scheme has been developed in consultation with representatives from the Night-Time Economy sector, members of the Taskforce Implementation Group, the Association of Acoustic Consultants of Ireland, the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
The guidelines can be found here. The Scheme will open for applications at 4pm on the 18th July 2023. It will remain open until the fund is exhausted.
There’ll be live music from PrYmary Colours, dance workshops from Allessandra Zevedo, street art with artists including Novice, Gareth Joyce, ESTR, enchanting story telling with Hog & Dice and Senem Donatan Mohan plus live tattooing, henna and fortune telling!
Moore Street Market supported by Dublin City Council through the Office of City Recovery. Summer nights @Moore street cultural Programme supporting the Night-Time Economy is funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht , Sport & Media.
Traders can join Dublin’s newest oldest market here. For more details go to www.moorestreetmarkets.com
