Grand stretch in the evening beckons

It is a case of lights out and clocks forward this weekend as summer time officially commences and Earth Hour is marked.

Summer time officially begins at 1am on Sunday and members of the public are reminded to remember to put their clocks and watches forward by one hour at that time.

Individual households and businesses are also being urged to turn off lights for one hour from 8.30pm tomorrow evening to mark Earth Hour, an a global event aimed at raising awareness towards the need to take action on climate change.

Last year, 400 cities in 126 countries participated in the event with lights being switched off at major landmarks such as Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building and Sydney Opera House.

In Ireland, Leinster House, the Custom House and the Four Courts are among the buildings which will go dark for Earth Hour.

On the music front, country singer Taylor Swift is performing at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast this evening and at the O2 in Dublin on Sunday. Former X-Factor winner Shane Ward will be at the Olympia tomorrow and Sunday. The critically-acclaimed four-piece Deerhunter are at the Button Factory in Dublin tonight while hotly-tipped UK act The Vaccines will be onstage at the Academy this evening and at the Róisín Dubh on Galway on Sunday.

The Ballymun Youth Action Project Community Festival takes place tomorrow with Aslan frontman Christy Dignam among those playing a free lunchtime concert at the Plaza. The Poetry Now 2011 festival continues at the Pavilion Theatre in Dún Laoghaire.

On the sporting front, the Republic of Ireland take on Macedonia at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin at 7.45pm tomorrow evening. Parking restrictions will be in place around the area prior to kick-off and motorists are warned to expect delays. There will be extra capacity on the Dart and those attending the match are advised to take public transport if possible.

Racing will be on at Navan tomorow and at Leopardstown Racecourse on Sunday and for those who like to take a punt it's also worth noting that tomorro's lotto jackpot is heading towards €14 million after no one won the top prize in the mid-week draw.Met Éireann forecasts a warm weekend with dry, settled weather and temperatures which will reach up to 14 degrees in some areas.

Met Éireann forecasts a warm weekend with dry, settled weather and temperatures which will reach up to 14 degrees in some areas.