The concept stems from an event called Nuit Blanche in Paris, where the city is transformed into an all-night gallery. It has taken off in cities around the world including Toronto, Sao Paulo and Melbourne. 

With Ballarat often referred to as the arts hub of regional Victoria, artistic director and executive producer David Atkins said the city was a great fit for White Night following the success of Melbourne events.

“There are beautiful Victorian facades and architecture that we can project on and they’re right alongside each other so that makes Ballarat really unique,” he said. “Of course the other thing is the Ballarat cultural and artistic community, which is a really thriving community.”

Mr Atkins said the city also lent itself to the event because of its wide streets, which would handle the crowds more easily.

Councillor Belinda Coates said 50,000 people were expected to attend the event. 

“It will be quite different for Ballarat to have something on that scale that runs all night,” she said. “It is a great opportunity for CBD activation and that is a really great outcome for local businesses and economic development as well as cultural development.”

The night will follow a similar format to Melbourne with five different categories of entertainment across the city centre –  music, performance, projection/film, exhibition, and installation/visual art. But unlike Melbourne, many of the stories told through the visual and performing arts will centre around Ballarat, its history and people. 

Cr Coates said this would be one of Ballarat’s main points of difference.

“Our real strength is our local stories, everything from Aboriginal cultural history, the gold rush right through to contemporary times,” she said. 

These stories will be told through projections exploring Indigenous, colonial and European history, through film from Ballarat’s elders, through live performances from local musicians and projected paintings from celebrated Ballarat artists through to local children.

White Night takes over Ballarat next Saturday, March 4, from dusk until dawn.