Thousands of people have attended celebrations around the country as part of Culture Night, with around 1,500 venues having opened their doors to host free events.
This year marks the eleventh year of the festival, which became a national event in 2011.
"Culture Night is really big this year. I think it's probably the biggest Culture Night ever," Minister for Arts Heather Humphreys told RTÉ News.
"Every year, more and more counties are getting involved."
There were concerns in the days leading up to Culture Night that attendance would dwindle as a result of the Dublin Bus strike with organisers urging people to use alternative modes of transport.
Free buses originally advertised as part of the event were not in operation as a result of the strike, however GoCar, Hailo and Uber had discounts for those attending Culture Night festivities in Dublin.
Thousands expected to enjoy the free events of this year's #CultureNight https://t.co/0ZUikfsdnN
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) September 16, 2016
Some events took place in galleries and traditional artistic venues - other events were held in more unusual locations.
Artist Jacob Stack enjoyed #CultureNight at @jamartfactory pic.twitter.com/DP9JSdibTV
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) September 16, 2016
The Hurdy-Gurdy Museum of Vintage Radio is exhibiting at @BAItweets for #CultureNight pic.twitter.com/cAN7ekpO4q
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) September 16, 2016
RTÉ storm Dublin Castle for Culture Night 2016
Culture Night Countdown: Six shows you can't miss
RTÉ hosted a number of events at Dublin Castle.
These included a live broadcast of the Radio 1 arts show Arena, with readings and performances from artists including Anne Enright, Little Green Cars, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and many more.
Thousands attend free events all over the country in celebration of Culture Night https://t.co/o2ELE2ozE3 pic.twitter.com/mt0AG8uhjO
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) September 16, 2016
