Melbourne will follow in the footsteps of many creative cities around the world with its very first White Night arts festival on Saturday February 23 2013.
The French started artistic tradition 'Nuit Blanche' (which literally means 'White Night' but has the connotation of 'All-Nighter'), which functions as an evening of free concerts, artist installations, theatre, sport, fashion, film, design and performance.
From Paris to Buenos Aires, Tel-Aviv to Toronto, The White Night festival is celebrated annually in 23 cultural hubs and has been adapted to over 120 cities over the world, with the nature of the event depending on the cultural strengths of the region.
Berlin started The Long Night of Museums in 1997 where museums and cultural institutions would open for free all night, whereas Iceland incorporated The White Night into their 3 hours of darkness where people roll around naked in the dew to wash themselves of the past year.
For Melbourne, it will be a celebration of the city's cultural diversity, wild music heart and gastronomical culture of food and wine. The White Night will run from 7pm through till 7am at Flinders Street Station in the centre of Melbourne, encouraging folks to stay up all night to indulge in the beauty of what Australian culture has to offer.
Creative Director Andrew Walsh said the layered program would feature more than 100 local and international artists, activities and acts across 35 sites throughout the city centre.
“From torchlight tours at Melbourne Museum and an illuminated sculpture park at Birrarung Marr for families, to an exhibition of curated artworks held in an underground carpark, there will be something for everyone,” Mr Walsh said.
Echoing Berlin's Night of Museums, many of Melbourne’s world-renowned cultural institutions — including Arts Centre Melbourne, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Australian Centre for Moving Image, the State Library and the Melbourne Museum — will simultaneously open late into the night, boasting special programming, exhibitions and performances.
Melbourne's raging music scene will be incorporated with The Cat Empire's Felix Riebl as White Night Melbourne’s Music Director. Flinders Street Station will be transformed into The Theatre Of Dreams, a proscenium arched music stage featuring local bands and musicians.
“I want to capture Melbourne’s wild music heart and encourage people to stay up all night and celebrate the deep blue magic spirit of this city,” Riebl said. White Night Melbourne will culminate with ‘Singing in the Sunrise’ – where musical acts and all White Night Melbourne artists will lead a procession from Flinders Street to Princes Bridge, to sing in the sunrise with attendees.
Melbourne’s passion for food and wine will also be celebrated, with dozens of dining options available, from fine dining on Southbank to a Pop-up Food Village featuring food trucks on Flinders Street. Restaurants and Bars are expected to join into the evening and extend their hours for the night.
The full program for the inaugural White Night Melbourne will be released in January 2013.
