Our reporters on the ground stayed up all night to bring you the latest happenings around town, and here are their verdicts on some of the best – and worst – installations that caught their eye between sunset and daybreak.

More than 20 arrests at White Night

Debbie Cuthbertson

Easier to navigate, but less to see and do. That's my takeaway from White Night 2017. South of the river, in the Innocence Returned zone, it was a leisurely affair, with lots of people slowly wandering around the Alexandra and Queen Victoria Gardens.

My top five? In order: White Night Messenger; Axiom; the MPavilion Unplugged stage; The Medusa; and the lolling inflatable rabbits of Intrude.

The biggest disappointment was the general lack of atmosphere on the river and surrounds, at the NGV and outside the Arts Centre, as well as Federation Square.

Last year Josh Muir's projections on the NGV were a serious highlight – promoting their own exhibition inside with some Viktor & Rolf footage on the exterior just doesn't cut it.

Hannah Francis

Three top picks from the Northside events:

1. Rhythms of the Night, Royal Exhibition Building. Definitely the most epic attraction in the Flames and Fantasy section, if not the whole night. It was big, bold, scary and uplifting at the same time.

2. Nebulous, Carlton Gardens. This was understated next to the Pyrophone Juggernaut, but I could have stood gazing up at this thing for hours.

3. Morbis artis - diseases of the arts. RMIT Gallery. This was a cracking group exhibition where art met science and wonderful things happened. The oozy projections out front made your hair curl. The lines were long and when I finally got in, there was another 40-minute wait for one of the exhibits.

Cameron Woodhead

It was hard to say whether attendance was down at this year's White Night, or whether the easy crowd flow was due to improved logistics and an expanded footprint, along with staggered arrivals throughout the event. (There was plenty of evidence of early risers: all those only mildly haggard-looking parents pushing prams through the CBD at 5am.) Attendance figures will be released today.

Here are a few observations from someone who has just staggered through the entirety of Melbourne's fifth all-night party:

1. The Flinders Street projections made a welcome return. After cutting them last year, facades came to life with Fractured Fairytales, cute and colourful renderings of children's classics, retouched in a cartoon-strip style.

2. The Pyrophone Juggernaut. Part ship, part pipe organ, part flame-thrower, this sound and pyrotechnic installation featured eerie pipes and frenzied percussion. A White Night highlight.

3. Style and stamina were on display at Swing City, without doubt the slickest dance marathon yet. A team of dancers in period attire boogied all night to music from the '30s, '40s and '50s, accompanied by a brassy, big-band sound.

4. Some areas were decidedly undercooked this year, especially around Southbank. No lights festooned the Yarra's bridges; nothing floated down the river. Even the usual free music event at Hamer Hall failed to eventuate. (Thanks, Suzi Quatro!)

5. Events from previous years were recycled for 2017. Some – like Purple Rain, a hit in 2014 – might have been worth revisiting, but it's still lazy programming. And it does takes some of the wonder out of the wonderland if you've seen things before.

Emily Woods

Once darkness blanketed Melbourne CBD, White Night really hit its mark with vibrant light displays and a few quirky hot spots. My highlight was the Sea Dragon's Lair. The crowds up Swanston Street until midnight were quite unrelenting, but the streets surrounding were very easy to get around. Overall, I give my precinct 3.5 out of 5.

My highs and lows:

1. Sea Dragon's Lair, State Library. Despite hour-long queues to get in, this was an absolute treat. The mood was meditative and calming at the library, but everyone was impressed by the projected symphony of the city, the sea and the creatures that lay beneath.

2. Story Wall, RMIT. An oasis away from the hordes of people on nearby Swanston Street, there was a DJ and some pretty amazing artwork inside a courtyard off La Trobe Street.

3. Enlighten, QV: Three angels danced and posed in front of a gathering audience. Later in the evening they jumped out of the cube and into the crowd. I loved the interactive nature of this display, and it was a brilliant one for families.

4. Purple Rain, Little Lonsdale Street. A haze of purple light and sprinkles of water covered dozens of people. It wasn't much of a dance, more of a frolic through sprinklers, and it was not as exciting as I'd hoped.

5. Fingers of Light, Melbourne Central. I was expecting laser beams, as illustrated in the photos of this display, but what I got was more of a mesh of green and purple colours, accompanied by shapes. All in all, it was quite underwhelming.