NOCTURNAL BEATS: DUBLIN AFTER DARK

02 September 2026

Live music. Club culture. Cabaret. Drag. Dance floors. Outdoor parties. 

This September, Dublin Fringe Festival and Dublin City Council’s Night-Time Economy Advisor come together for Nocturnal Beats — a late-night trail through the artists, venues, promoters and audiences who bring Dublin to life after dark. 

Supported by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, Nocturnal Beats brings together some of the most exciting night-time events across Dublin Fringe Festival 2026. From outdoor street parties and live music to drag, cabaret, wrestling, club nights and immersive performance, it’s an invitation to experience the city differently after dark. 

“Club culture is an important part of Dublin’s cultural life.” 

“Sometimes what it needs is the support, space and respect to allow it to flourish. That’s what we’re trying to do here – support the artists, promoters and venues who make Dublin such an interesting city after dark.” 

— Ray O’Donoghue, Dublin City Night-Time Economy Advisor 

Follow Nocturnal Beats for live music, great nights out and the best of Dublin nightlife. This September, Make the City Yours.

EXPLORE NOCTURNAL BEATS 

big fat slut
BIG FAT SLUT: DUBLIN FRINGE x NOCTURNAL BEATS EDITION 
 

Friday 18 September | 8pm till late
WIGWAM | FREE + TICKETED 
Part of Culture Night Late 

A major free outdoor street party on Parliament Street and one of the highlights of Culture Night Late.

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A yellow illustrated figure on a dark background smokes a cigarette, with a purple trail curling from it.
Lesbian Death Bed 

KING 
4 September | 9pm 
Project Arts Centre | €25 / €23 concession 

A late-night collision of drag kings, dancers, DJs and queer performance. Stay on after the show as the party continues late into the night. 

[EXPLORE+BOOK]

Two performers on a stage floor in a wrestling-style pose, surrounded by scattered cups and props.
CLASH AT THE QUAYS! III: Oh, You Didn’t Know?!

Ahmed, With Love. 
6 September | 7pm–late 
Button Factory | From €27.50 

Live music meets professional wrestling in a one-night-only spectacle of music, mayhem and larger-than-life performance. 

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An abstract split image with a purple-veiled figure above and green-tinted close-up body details below.
Elysian Transmutation 

Eluna & Kid Kuba 
7 & 10 September | 7pm 
The Grand Social – The Ballroom | €18 / €16 concession 

Step into an immersive visual and musical world blending alternative hip hop, ethereal R&B and underground performance. 

[EXPLORE + BOOK]

Two performers in bright red and green cabaret-style outfits pose on grass holding cabbages, with a large building in the background.
Cabáiste Cabaret 

Cabáiste Cabaret 
10 September | 8.30pm 
Drop Dead Twice | €20 / €18 concession 

Burlesque, drag, dance, singing and a céilí collide in a cabaret trí mheán na Gaeilge. Whether you’re fluent or haven’t spoken Irish since school, everyone’s welcome. 

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A person with long red hair wearing a metallic green costume and headpiece dances. A second person wearing a leather harness and heart shaped nipple covers sings into a microphone. Two other individuals are seen dancing in the corners of the image.
HO’CIAL CLUB 

Red Umbrella Éireann 
11 September | 8pm–late 
DV8 Bar & Venue | €20 / €18 concession 

Pole, drag and cabaret performers come together for a night celebrating sex worker resistance, creativity and joy. 

[EXPLORE + BOOK]

Foxgluv
Foxgluv: The Dublin Fringe Edition 

12 September | 3pm–late 
Lucky’s, Meath Street | FREE + UNTICKETED 

Eight hours of music taking you from laid-back outdoor afternoon sets all the way through to a late-night party indoors. 

FREE + UNTICKETED 

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A performer stands on a dimly lit stage under warm orange and pink lighting, wearing a sash, high heels, and a long fur-like stole. With arms raised and head tilted back, the performer poses dramatically beneath suspended fish and hanging sculptural objects, creating a surreal, theatrical scene. A "FREE" badge appears in the bottom left corner.
Miss Powder Vacuum 2026

Bill Harris 
18 September | 7.30pm 
The Douglas Hyde Gallery of Contemporary Art | FREE, booking required 

Inspired by the legacy of Alternative Miss Ireland, contestants of all shapes, sizes and species battle it out through live performance, music and spectacle for the coveted title of Miss Powder Vacuum 2026. 

[EXPLORE + BOOK]

PROJECT FRINGE: AFTER DARK 

Project Arts Centre 

Stay out late at Project Arts Centre with three nights of club culture presented through Project Fringe, the collaboration between Dublin Fringe Festival and Project Arts Centre. 

A stylized, block-print style illustration of a purple figure wearing a crown, dark trousers, and high heels, sitting and holding a top hat against an orange background.
Lesbian Death Bed Club Night 

4 September | 10.30pm–late | €15 / €10 concession 

Keep the opening-night energy going with the official Lesbian Death Bed Club Night. 

[EXPLORE + BOOK]

A person with blonde hair, bangs, and glasses wearing headphones and a sparkly black top, operating Pioneer DJ equipment in front of a colorful, abstract neon background.
GIITA 

11 September | 10pm–late | FREE + UNTICKETED 

A free late-night takeover at Project Arts Centre. 

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A person wearing sunglasses and a blue patterned vest DJing at an outdoor night venue, with a hanging disco ball on the right and a wooden structure in the background.
The Sweet Spot: Fringe Edition with DJ BLKCNVS 

19 September | 10pm–late | FREE + UNTICKETED 

Close out your Saturday night with a special Dublin Fringe Festival edition of The Sweet Spot. 

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Nocturnal Beats runs as part of Dublin Fringe Festival 2026, 5–20 September. 

Presented by Dublin Fringe Festival and Dublin City Council’s Night-Time Economy Advisor, with support from the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. 

Make the City Yours.