Under the Night Time Economy Diversification Fund, Kilkenny County Council is pleased to announce a dedicated call for “Café Lates,” a pilot grant initiative designed to foster a vibrant and diverse night-time café culture. Under Call 1, we are inviting local cafés located in Kilkenny city to apply for funding to introduce engaging cultural programming after 6 p.m. on the two dates outlined below:

• Thursday, 17th April
• Thursday, 29th May

The successful applicants must commit to extending their opening hours by at least two hours after 6 p.m. and enhancing their night-time offering on both dates.

As one of nine pilot cities nationwide actively shaping Ireland’s night-time economy, Kilkenny County Council is committed to enhancing the city’s after-6 p.m. offerings. “Café Lates” is a direct response to our night-time economy public consultation that aims to:

• Diversify Nightlife: Expand evening options, offering an enhanced experience for residents, workers, and visitors alike.
• Stimulate the Economy: Increase dwell time in the city, encourage additional footfall, and increase revenue streams for cafés during evening hours.

The types of programming we envisage and encourage include live performances from local bands, intimate acoustic and DJ sets, spoken word and poetry, comedy, book clubs, workshops and tastings, and themed nights. We also encourage programming that appeals to a youth audience, creating a welcoming and inclusive space for all.

Who Can Apply: Cafés located in Kilkenny City that can host events and are interested in piloting evening and night-time events. Successful applicants must organise events that will extend their opening hours by at least two hours after 6 p.m. on both Thursday, 17th April and Thursday, 29th May.

Timeline of the Scheme: Call 1 opened on Monday, 24th February, and the closing date for applications is 5 p.m. on Friday, 28th March. Successful applicants will be notified in early April. All funds must be drawn down within two weeks of the event completion.

To Apply for Funding: To apply for funding, download the guidelines and application form below:

Kilkenny County Council Cafe Lates Guidelines.pdf (size 236.5 KB)

Kilkenny County Council Cafe Lates Application Form.docx (size 53.9 KB)


Completed applications must be submitted by email to Conor Sweeney, Night Time Economy Advisor, Kilkenny County Council

E-mail: ntefund@kilkennycoco.ie

Phone: 0567794355

Features of the pilot scheme:

• The minimum grant award is €350 and the maximum grant award is €750 (ex VAT). This is a competitive funding call with a limited budget. It may not be possible to offer funding to all applicants and it may also not be possible to offer the full amount requested to any individual applicant.
• A minimum of 10% of your approved funding must be spent on marketing/promotion
• Working with new partners is encouraged to attract new audiences and inspire new uses of existing spaces in the community for late night artists and cultural communities.
• Grant payments will be made on the basis of paid invoices and receipts submitted and only for the proposed expenditure submitted on the original application form. Cash payments to suppliers are not permitted.
• All successful Grantees are also required to carry out a participant/ visitor survey.
• This data will help Kilkenny County Council evaluate the success of the pilot and will assist in gaining valuable insights into who is attending these events, the number of attendees and their overall experience of the events/initiative.
• All successful Grantees will be required to fill out an evaluation questionnaire in relation to this scheme when drawing down funds. This will allow the Kilkenny County Council to evaluate the effectiveness of the funding and also to gain learnings from the pilot
• Programmes must be advertised locally through various channels to ensure maximum visibility. Kilkenny County Council and the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media’s support must be acknowledged in public advertising. Logos will be provided to successful applicants