After a five-year break, the illuminating spectacular event White Night returns to light up the city of Ballarat.
Taking place as a one-night-only exclusive city takeover on Saturday 1 June 2024, White Night will transform the Ballarat landscape with illuminations, projections, interactive works, music and immersive experiences seeing laneways, buildings, streets, and heritage venues laced in light designs. Snaking around Ballarat’s iconic heritage CBD streetscape, the kaleidoscopic projections dance on the facades of the historic buildings breathing magic into the region’s cold winter air.
Under the creative and artistic direction of renowned major events organisation Accolade.art and Artistic Director and Creative Producer Andrew Walsh, White Night has a proven track record in the region as a vibrant and inclusive culmination and celebration of immersive art and community participation, accessible to all walks of life.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around the region here.
Since their first major city takeover in Melbourne in 2013, as the first city in Australia to host the popular 2002 established Parisian Nuit Blanche festival, Accolade.art now has six White Nights under their belt in partnership with Visit Victoria. On a regional scale, White Night has been rolled out across Ballarat, Bendigo, Geelong and Shepparton in previous years, with White Night Geelong 2022 setting the record with 93,000 attendees. The major event acts as a major tourism driver and a source of civic pride for its host cities.
This was the case in 2019 for White Night Ballarat. The standout event not only saw the town painted in colourful projections but also attracted 40,000 visitors to the city and generated $2.8 million in economic impact for the region.
As the annual dusk-til-dawn project program and festival continue to grow and develop, reemerging from a hiatus, 2024 is set to be a blockbuster event. Residents, locals and tourists are invited to explore the streets of Ballarat whilst also being encouraged to sink in what the city and surroundings has to offer.
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If you would like to stay in line with the art experience, a stop into the Art Gallery of Ballarat to see Nan Goldin’s prolific photographs in The Ballad of Sexual Dependency in its final days is a great option. Another must-see attraction is the stunning Ballarat Botanic Gardens. The 40-hectare garden located on the shore of Lake Wendouree is picturesque with its remarkable collection of mature trees and marble statues surrounded by colourful bedding displays. Enjoy live music as part of White Night Ballarat on two stages in the CBD with a special program fit for all music lovers.
On the hospitality front, Ballarat is dotted with excellent cafes, restaurants and bars with a number of them partaking in the White Night celebrations. Hop Temple with their rainbow umbrella laneway is always a favourite for craft beers and burgers, and bistro-esque discotheque Renard doubles as a dreamy cocktail bar and disco. Cobb’s Coffee and Fika Coffee Brewers are go-to’s for the caffeinated.
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In preparation for the town’s visitation influx, as it is positioned just 90 minutes from metropolitan Melbourne and 60 minutes from Geelong, those attending the dazzling night time experience are encouraged to book accommodation in advance.
Jump on the M8, the A300 or the V/Line and head out to Ballarat for a weekend of entertainment and city exploration on Saturday 1 June 2024 as the city explodes with lights, sounds and people for White Night. Program information will be announced in April with updates available at https://whitenight.com.au/ballarat/.
