Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 19/06/2026 21:32:00

In the cobbled heart of Temple Bar, on Curved Street, the Button Factory is one of Dublin's most respected independent music and arts venues. Originally opened in 1996 as the Temple Bar Music Centre, conceived as a cultural hub for Irish music, it was renamed in 2007 in a nod to the building's former life as a button factory, and has since spent nearly three decades as a key space for live performance, club nights and album launches in the city centre. The main room is a state-of-the-art black-box space with a capacity of around 550, capable of hosting the highest calibre of live bands and DJs as well as corporate events and conferences. Its flexible, stripped-back design allows it to morph, in the words of one local guide, from heavy-rock club to grand discotheque to suit whatever act is on stage, while modern sound and lighting systems and full wheelchair accessibility keep it equipped for serious touring productions. Around the main auditorium, the venue offers a clutch of additional spaces. The intimate upstairs Curveball room holds between 80 and 150 for smaller gigs, listening parties and after-shows, while bars including the long-running Crowbar serve craft beers, whiskeys and pre-show drinks. For private hire, the building can flex to accommodate anywhere from 50 to 900 guests, underlining its versatility as an events space. The programming is deliberately eclectic, spanning rock, metal, electronica, hip hop, dance and indie, and the venue has hosted a remarkable spread of international and homegrown talent over the years, from GZA and Mobb Deep to Idles, Deafheaven and a host of rising Irish acts. That commitment to quality and breadth was recognised in 2025 when it was named Dublin Live Music Venue of the Year by IMRO. Independent since its inception and proud of it, the Button Factory has become a fixture of Dublin's music scene, nurturing emerging artists alongside established names while keeping its roots firmly in Temple Bar. Its mix of a serious main room, intimate side spaces and a genuinely diverse calendar is exactly what marks it out as a dedicated live-music venue rather than simply another city-centre bar.