← All events
film · Saturday 26 September 2026 · 8:00pm 
Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense at Mermaid Arts Centre
At Mermaid Arts Centre · Main Street, Bray, Co. Wicklow
At Mermaid Arts Centre · Main Street, Bray, Co. Wicklow
Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray breaks from its usual Monday cinema slot for a Saturday night screening of Stop Making Sense on 26 September 2026, a one-off outside the regular weekly programme. Jonathan Demme’s concert film captures Talking Heads performing at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December 1983 and is widely regarded as one of the great concert films. This screening presents a full restoration made for the film’s 40th anniversary, on the big screen with the venue’s cinema sound system rather than the smaller Monday-night format.
Stop Making Sense follows the band’s set from David Byrne’s solo opening number through to the full group performance, built around a stripped-back stage design and famously energetic choreography rather than conventional concert filming. The 88-minute film carries a PG certificate and is shown in English. Because it plays on a Saturday rather than the usual Monday, it draws a slightly different crowd than the regular arthouse strand, mixing regular Mermaid cinema-goers with music fans coming specifically for the film. Doors and seating work the same as any other screening in the main auditorium, with standard cinema seats rather than a standing gig setup.
Mermaid Arts Centre is on Main Street in Bray, a short walk from Bray Daly DART station and close to Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann stops in the town centre. A Saturday evening screening leaves plenty of DART services back to Dublin afterwards.
Bray’s seafront and town-centre restaurants are a short walk from the Mermaid, making this an easy one to build a Saturday evening around before or after the film. There is more to see in Bray and across Co. Wicklow.
Heading to Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray? Wicklow has plenty more to see. Read the Bray area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.
In town for Mermaid Arts Centre? These Wicklow tours book out in summer.