White Night Melbourne will once again take over the CBD on February 18, with a mish-mash of cutting-edge culture, insane installations, and once-off experiences.
Highlights of the twelve-hour event will include Electric Canvas’ Fractured Fairytales, which will project images inspired by Shrek and the original Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons onto the buildings on Flinders Street; the world’s largest hand-operated fire organ, built from salvaged metal, and operated by multiple musicians; and the morphing of the LaTrobe Reading Room at the State Library into an underwater Seadragon’s Lair.
Meanwhile, Collins Street will host a 12-hour dance marathon, as Swing City brings the big-band music of the ’30s, and ’40s to Melbourne, turning the city into a giant speakeasy – and if you find yourself in Hosier Lane, be sure to look up, as a ‘sky jellyfish’, The Medusa, will be floating above you.
“I am both excited and honoured to have been granted the opportunity to guide and support the team and the artists who will deliver Melbourne’s fifth and Ballarat’s first White Night”, Artistic Director and Executive Producer David Atkins said. “In the course of one evening, over just 12 hours, White Night transforms the city into a grand canvas for works of almost every conceivable art form.”
The program was also coupled with the announcement of the very first White Night Ballarat, which will take place on March 4, and will feature Nights of Gold: a throw back to the “roaring days” of Ballarat during the gold rush; Wadawurrung Walking with Waa, a stroll through time from the Aboriginal Creation Story to the present day, and Crate Expectations, a robot made of vintage crates, which will be busting choreographed dance-moves around the city.
“The decision to bring White Night to Ballarat next year is an outstanding outcome for our city”, Mayor of Ballarat Councillor Samantha McIntosh said. “Ballarat has the history, the ambition, the creativity, the expertise and the drive to deliver an exceptional White Night event, and we are excited and honoured to be the first regional city in Australia to host the renowned event.”
White Night always packs a fantastic music program to go along with the spectacle, so stay tuned for more announcements on that front very soon, and catch some highlights below.
