The announcement that the all-night arts festival will return to the city’s streets, laneways and public spaces next March has them planning a new project for the second coming of the international arts event.

The indigenous artists collective had their work featured in the Melbourne and Ballarat events earlier this year, and hope to be involved in both White Night festivals again next February-March.

”A lot of work goes in to it,” said Ted Laxton.

“It will take a few months to get it all together from story board to what you see on the building.

“We’ll work out what we are going to do and how we are going to go about it and how to make each show different.”

Visit Ballarat chair Sarah Beaumont said the state government’s announcement of a second year of White Night for the city was the result of strong collaboration between the City of Ballarat, Visit Ballarat, Committee for Ballarat and the region’s cultural institutions.

“This is a result of all the collaboration going on, with everyone working together to see this great event return,” she said.

White Night Ballarat will run from 7pm on March 17 until 7am on March 18.

White Night Ballarat 2017 drew tens of thousands of people to the city marvelling at light shows, performances, visual arts and more from local and national artists.

“Our city has had huge success in relation to large-scale events, and the 40,000-strong crowd at White Night 2017 and the social and economic benefits reaped from its popularity confirmed this,” said Ballarat mayor Samantha McIntosh.,

”The City of Ballarat is proud to lobby for, secure and implement key events on behalf of its community and we look forward to being put back on the world stage when White Night returns to Ballarat in 2018.”

Big-event producer David Atkins will return as White Night artistic director for the Melbourne event on February 17 and the Ballarat event a month later.

Economic analysis from the 2017 event found more than 40,000 people flocked to the city, including about 8500 from outside Ballarat, to witness the event which generated about $3 million for the local economy.

Local artists, performers and organisations can register their interest in participating in White Night Ballarat 2018 from September 11.