Night Vale Fever

We’re very excited about the brand new Dublin Podcast Festival, which takes place in venues across the city from September 19 to 29, not only because of the sterling line-up which features our fave podcast of the moment, My Dad Wrote a Porno at Vicar Street (alas it’s sold out), but because it’s bringing the cult queer podcast Welcome to Night Vale to the National Concert Hall on September 28. 

Created by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, Welcome To The Nightvale is a unique blend of romance, horror, politics and surrealist comedy that masquerades as a local community radio program hosted by Cecil Palmer (played by Cecil Baldwin, pictured), longtime resident of the fictional small desert town, who tells local news stories. But it’s not like the usual community radio. Night Vale is a close-knit town where very creepy things happen and some very, shall we say eccentric characters roam the night. 

In the first episode an unknown scientist turns up in town, and Cecil promptly falls in love with him. Their relationship is at the heart of Welcome to Night Vale, although it’s not an issue, it just happens to be. The live show is a night of murder and mayhem, live radio theatre with nods to everyone from Orson Wells to David Lynch to Katy Perry, as only the denizens of Night Vale would have it. 

Find out more about the Dublin Podcast Festival at www. dublinpodcastfestival.ie