From synchronised swimming to live music, fashion to tattoos, illuminations and projections, White Night
Melbourne 2014 will thrill and captivate when it returns to the city on Saturday 22 February. From dusk to dawn on a single summer’s night, Melbourne’s city streets, laneways, landmarks and cultural
institutions will again be transformed into a cultural playground for White Night Melbourne.
In 2014, the major event will expand significantly to include 11 precincts, ranging from the National Gallery of Victoria on St Kilda Road, to the State Library of Victoria, Melbourne City Baths and the Melbourne Museum. In a major expansion from the 2013 programme, 8 city blocks will be given over to White Night Melbourne in 2014, from Southbank Boulevard to Victoria Street, and from Elizabeth Street to Russell Street.
The first event of its kind in Australia, White Night Melbourne is a State Government of Victoria initiative created by the Victorian Major Events Company. It celebrates the city’s music, art, theatre, sport, fashion, film, design and performance.
Premier of Victoria Dr Denis Napthine said from the National Gallery of Victoria in the south to the City Baths in the north, White Night Melbourne will transform the heart of the city into a night of discovery, cultural exploration and urban adventure.
“Melbourne is renowned for its culture and creativity,” Dr Napthine said. “White Night Melbourne gives our residents and visitors a chance to explore and engage with our city in a new and exciting way. We aim to challenge people’s perceptions and get them to notice what they see and know in a totally new light.”
Inspired by Nuit Blanche in Paris, Melbourne joins an international network of 23 major cities – from New York to Florence, Tel-Aviv to Toronto – in hosting similar all-night events. Over 12 hours from 7pm to 7am, visitors can participate in exhibitions, street performances, fashion, lighting installations, film screenings, multimedia projections, concerts, dance and interactive events in venues, public spaces and cultural institutions throughout the city.
Held for the first time in February 2013, the inaugural event proved a spectacular success, transforming Melbourne’s streets into a hive of activity as people of all ages flocked to celebrate the city’s creative strengths.
White Night Melbourne Operations Director Bryn Skilbeck said the city would suspend the everyday as the
streetscape was transformed into a wonderland of sights and sounds.
“This year’s larger precinct offers more for people coming from interstate, and overseas, as well as locally. Visitors can also take advantage of late-night public transport to soak up the atmosphere and explore the city by night.”
Many of Melbourne’s world-renowned cultural institutions – including Arts Centre Melbourne, Australian Centre
for the Moving Image, Melbourne Museum, National Gallery of Victoria and the State Library of Victoria – will
again open their doors all night, boasting special programming and exhibitions. Public spaces, including Federation Square, Melbourne City Baths, Flinders Street Station and Bourke Street Mall, will come to life with performances and activities.
White Night Melbourne 2014
February 22, 7pm–7am
Photography: John Gollings
