White Night will bring city to life once again

GEELONG will shine bright once again following the announcement that White Night will return to the CBD this year.

The return of the well-established brand on November 6 is set to give locals and businesses a major boost as it joins a growing list of events on the region’s social calendar.

Tourism Greater Geelong and the Bellarine deputy executive director Tracy Carter said returning events are critical for Geelong.

“We are excited to have a large event like White Night back, I think it introduced a lot of Geelong to a cultural event with music and art installations,” she said.

“There is a lot of upsides in terms of what locals are able to experience.”

During its debut in 2018, White Night Geelong attracted 70,000 attendees and delivered an economic impact of $6.1 million to the region.

Following last year’s cancellation, the event is now in its third year running and will provide an even more crucial role for local businesses and creatives to showcase their talents while giving local tourism operators a much-needed boost.

“White Night has a real loyal following, particularly from Melburnians, so I would think that we would see a good amount of visitation from there,” she said.

“What we have seen at some events is a real hunger after feeling like we have missed out on a year.

“The community in general is keen to get back out and experience things again, along with being safe and responsible.”

Colourful projections and installations will bring the city’s streets, laneways, parks and foreshore to life while exploring the theme ‘everything on the land is reflected in the sky’.

The vibrant and inclusive celebration of community will create an immersive experience through illumination, music, performance, art, food and interactive works from local, national and international artists.

“We are already well renowned for some sporting events so it is really nice to see that being balanced with arts and cultural events, rounding out our identity and events landscape,” Ms Carter said.

The program will capitalise on Geelong’s unique status as a UNESCO City of Design while promoting the city’s cultural, musical and cooking credentials.

Member for Geelong Christine Couzens said she was excited to see the event return to Geelong.

“This will be a fantastic night, attracting thousands of visitors and giving us the chance to showcase Geelong as a major events destination,” she said.

Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula said events such as White Night were what made Victoria “the creative state”.

“White Night is one of the great spectacles that delivers significant benefits to our regional communities,” he said.

Supported by the state’s primary tourism and events body, Visit Victoria, White Night 2021 will be led by internationally acclaimed artist Joseph O’Farrel as creative director.

An expression of interest is now open to artists in the categories of installation, visual art, lighting, audio-visual, projection, film, music and performance.