Culture Night is almost here! And for the occasion, we have something special in mind...

To join in the fun, please go straight to the form below and book your place on the Hot Press Covers Culture Night Tour – which will be held at the Hot Press offices in 100 Capel Street. Now, for more details, read on...

The cover of Hot Press is a national institution. To be on it is a prized objective for the musicians, film stars, celebrities and others, with everyone from The Script's Danny O'Donoghue and Imelda May telling us that appearing on the front of the magazine fulfilled a lifelong ambition.

The Hot Press Cover has also captured moments of drama and despair. The deaths of icons like Philip Lynott, Kurt Cobain, Dermot Morgan, Rory Gallagher, Leonard Cohen and Gerry Ryan were marked with covers, and special issues, that reflected the sombre nature of each occasion.

From the first issue – with Rory Gallagher on the front, in advance of his appearance at the Macroom Festival – onwards, all of Irish life can be found there.

In recent years, many Irish artists who have gone on to enjoy international acclaim have marked their first step towards glory with a Hot Press cover, including the likes of Picture This, Kodaline and Hozier.

And it is not just the cover images: every front cover has its own distinctive headlines that cumulatively deliver an ongoing story on what mattered to Irish people – and to young Irish people in particular – over the 40 years that Hot Press has been in action.

Between the cover stars, the musicians and bands, the photographs, the typography, the different design approaches and even the changing look of the Hot Press logo, the covers of Hot Press offer an extraordinary insight into Irish culture and Irish life.

The Hot Press Covers Exhibition

Following the success of our 2017 Hot Press Covers Exhibition at the National Photographic Archive - which was to celebrate our fortieth anniversary - for Culture Night, we're mounting a special boutique exhibition of some of the most iconic covers in our offices on Capel Street. These will include signed covers of everyone from Gerry Adams to U2 and will be the first showing of the covers signed by Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Robert Smith of the Cure and more.

Come see a display of the collection, reaching through the decades. The Hot Press Covers Exhibition will be open for TWO guided tours on Culture Night, one at 6pm and one at 7pm. Because space is very limited they must be booked in advance (for free) below.

Michael D Higgins launching the original Hot Press Covers Exhibition at the National Photographic Archive