Geelong lights up at White Night

CENTRAL Geelong lit up with colour and movement on Saturday evening, with a crowd estimated at more than 70,000 flocking to the city’s first White Night.

The event featured more than 50 projections, installations, performances, exhibitions and live music acts in the streets, laneways and parks of central Geelong between 7pm and 2am.

Two of the most popular projections were “Siren Songs”, which was shown on the sails of yachts on Corio Bay; and “The Armistice – Victoria Remembers”’ on City Hall.

People of all ages enjoyed multiple projections, performances, and installations in Johnstone Park.

Local performers and musicians featured on four stages across the precinct, including Garage Band 1 and its six-metre spaceman backdrop overlooking Gheringhap Street from the roof of the Busport carpark.

“The artists and performers in Geelong delivered an exceptional display that had audiences captivated throughout the evening,” White Night artistic director David Atkins said.

“The mood was friendly and communityfocussed, with families taking advantage of the perfect weather and actively engaging with both the program and each other.”

Geelong mayor Bruce Harwood said the Geelong community embraced the event and turned out in huge numbers.

“It’s also given tourism and our local economy a major boost, with accommodation close to capacity and our restaurants and bars doing a heavy trade.

“A delegation of Malaysian media and Air Asia staff is in town ahead of the launch of international flights to Avalon Airport, and White Night provided an incredible opportunity to showcase what our city is all about. This is sure to result in valuable positive coverage into the south-east Asian market.”