Pride, Protest, and a Really Good Party: Galway's Queer Club Night Cultúr/Riot
A space for queer people to to express themselves and connect with their community, the night has become a core cultural event in Galway with an ethos rooted in wellbeing, solidarity and the right to feel free.
This Pride Week, we caught up with Ciara to chat all things Cultúr/Riot.
Left: Ciara May, Right: Cultúr/Riot
Hi Ciara. What made you start a club night in Galway?
I love Galway! It's a very special place. I've been tempted to move away, to go to London or Bristol where I've lived before, because there are more options in nightlife and things like that, and the queer event scene is pretty bad in Galway. But I decided not that long ago that I would stay here, and I would try to put my efforts into making Galway more like the places that I would leave to go to. I want to invest in Galway, and try to make it the best it can be.
What sets Cultúr/Riot apart from other club nights?
So, Cultúr/Riot is a queer night that centres FINTA. That's female, intersex, non-binary, trans and agender. My performers are often queer women, and we don't play chart music. Before, I felt there was a lack of queer nights not just for the FINTA community but also for people who don't want to listen to pop! When I go out, I want to listen to electronic music and some funkier genres. And a lot of queer women are the same.
In my experience, a lot of gay bars are aimed at gay men, and they mostly play the charts, and their performers are often drag queens. And that's great too, don't get me wrong – we all have different taste, it would be boring otherwise! But it is important to have different options for different folks. The more queer spaces the better, it's all a win for the Galway community.
Why did you choose the name Cultúr/Riot?
Cultúr/Riot came from two things. Cultúr, because I wanted to legitimise it in the eyes of the arts community. Queer club culture is a legitimate and powerful art form. It can be seen as "just a party", just getting drunk and dancing. But it literally saves lives. It's so important for people to have a safe space to feel welcome, to feel free. And also, it's a cultural event with just as much value as going to the opera, or any other art form.
The Riot side of it, that's because Pride is a protest. Stonewall was a riot. Queer history is really rooted in uprising, protesting and fighting tooth and nail for our rights. And although things are better, we still don't have all the rights we should. So yes, we're here to have a party, a really good party, and to have a safe space. But we're also not forgetting that our existence is resistance. And queerness, it's so much about solidarity. Solidarity with each other, with oppressed people everywhere, with Palestine for example.
Your club night has Welfare Stewards – tell me a bit about them.
Wellness and safety are really important to me. I want everyone to feel safe and comfortable. I've taken a lot of inspiration from Berlin queer clubs, and I've attended training seminars to learn more about it.
The reason I brought in Welfare Stewards is that a big issue in nightclubs is if something happens, the port of call is to go to a security guard. But security guards generally aren't hired to handle these things, and they're often not from a demographic that may have experienced the same issue.
Welfare stewards, on the other hand, are specifically trained in things like spiking and de-escalation. They are proactively keeping an eye on the crowd and checking in with anyone who seems uncomfortable. And they're empathetic and understanding.
Some other things we have are sensory accessories, electrolytes, coloured wristbands that indicate whether you consent to being in photographs, and a clear code of conduct on the door at every event.
Queer club culture is a legitimate and powerful art form.
How has local funding helped to support Cultúr/Riot?
Cultúr/Riot wouldn't exist without funding! I've been supported by the Night–Time Economy Initiative, a strategy from the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport. I went to a meeting where Kate Howard (Night-Time Economy Advisor) was asking independent promoters and organisers in Galway what she could do to help. I mentioned in passing that I wanted to start a queer night because there wasn't one, and she jumped on it and was just so incredibly supportive from the beginning.
I don't get paid, so the funding helps to break even on nights where there's no profit. It's kept me out of debt! And it means I can pay my Welfare Stewards.
What's your favourite thing about the night itself?
For me, it's seeing the effect that this space has on people. I've had some really lovely feedback. One that stands out came from someone that doesn't go out and socialise very often. They are neurodivergent, and would usually be overstimulated in a club night setting. And they said to me, “I've just realised I've never been out and closed my eyes while I was dancing before.” They felt so comfortable and safe that they were able to let go, to not feel the need to be so vigilant.
Another person told me they had never kissed their girlfriend in a club before Cultúr/Riot, out of fear of people making comments or someone filming them. How comfortable everyone is, that's my favourite part.
What's next for you and Cultúr/Riot?
In March I launched a project called Notions, with the idea of helping people to support each other in the cultural community. I had an open session where if anyone was interested in launching a new space or event, they could pitch it to the crowd and see if other likeminded people were interested. I've seen events already happen off the back of that, which is really cool.
As part of Notions I'll be running some training sessions, like the basics of production, how to run an event, sound engineering, marketing etc. I'd like to do a session on teaching drag queens how to prep their music, because they often have 101 jobs to do and they have to be their own DJ as well!
How will you wrap up Pride Week this Saturday?
We're having a Pride party at The Space, which used to be Halo. It kind of feels like our home now. Last year was amazing!
The night will start at 10.30pm and go on til 2.30am. We've got some great DJ's lined up like Tadhg K, who runs Dublin Modular, a fantastic event and another queer utopia. Kelly Bongo too, a titan on the Galway DJ scene. We also might have a surprise feature from Ryan Conway, who runs Squeeze, a really cool queer club night.
What I love about our Pride party is that the Galway Pride Committee come, and they get to finally let their hair – their mullets!– down after all their incredible work during the week. They deserve to just let loose and have fun. It makes me really happy to see that.
You can buy tickets for Cultúr/Riot, this Saturday 8th August at The Space, on the door.
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