It’s that time of the year again where Melbourne gets a drastic but stunning nighttime makeover with a little help from lighting, projections, and live music. The whole city is transformed into White Night. But with so much to do in 12 hours, we’ve put together a list of the best things to check out! 

LIGHTING & PROJECTIONS

The Dresses (new!)
Even Cinderella’s godmother wouldn’t be able to dream up dresses like these. Three exquisite and incandescent dresses made up of hundreds of fibre-optic strands light up the night. And as they change colors, they tell different stories about love. Will one of them end in happily ever after?

Incubator (new!)
Make your way to the Melbourne City Baths and look into the pool as it transforms into a 30-meter breeding ground of luminescent life forms. It’s the perfect amount of cool and weird.

CMD. CRTL. Decipher (new!)
Can you manage to uncover the secrets of the Arts Centre? If you can, you’ll be rewarded with your very own 162-meter light show. All you have to do is figure out how many Melbournians does it take to change a light bulb… and 6600 metres of fibre-optics, 140 metres of neon tubing and 14,000 incandescent lamps. You know, normal math stuff. Easy right?!

The second installation involves moving content around a screen to decode secret combinations and unlock videos, audio, and lights. If you figure it out, we promise it’ll be worth the mental insanity.

Aqua Vitae
Stroll along the Yarra as you take in an incredible laser, light, and water show sponsored by Melbourne Water. Our insider tip is to watch the show from the Southbank of the Yarra between Boathouse Drive and Capital City Trail.

White Wash (new!)
Be teleported into an apocalyptic world where the ocean has taken over and the remains of buildings are the only trace of mankind’s existence. Chase Burns’ projections push viewers to reflect on the impact of climate change and the haunting possibility that they’re glimpsing into the not so distant future.

Landscaping Architecture
Start the night with color, music, and the promise of every possibility with vivid and eye-catching projections on the State Library by Amanda Morgan and James Morgan. Backed up with live beats by Melbournian legend DJ JNETT from 9-11pm.

PERFORMANCES

Neon Laneway (new!)
Hosier Lane gets the White Night treatment in this mind-blowing collaboration between some of Melbourne’s hottest graffiti artists and contemporary dancers as they bring graffiti to life, and perform to the explosive sounds of Australian artist, Sam McAuliffe.

Jazz lovers must check out Grooves on Bourke. Jazz not your thing? Head up to Lonsdale Street for an eclectic mix of pop, rock, rap and everything in between at Live on Lonsdale. And if you like to dance to your music, Trip the Light is sure to be the highlight of your night.

FOOD & DRINK

Trunk Lux III: Mario
After all that exploring, be sure to check out Trunk Diner’s interactive projection featuring all your favorite childhood games. While you’re at it, rest your feet as you munch on their delicious burgers and slurp down a milkshake.

Chin Chin Wall of Art
More boozy than a foodie? Head into Chin Chin and make a beeline for Gogo cocktail bar. Enjoy a drink surrounded by Imogen Henry’s work Phantom Pony and Anna Leyland’s Woven Bones all lit up.

Admittedly, there are over 100 phenomenal events to choose from. These are our picks, but White Night has put together some amazing curated trails! We recommend the White Night Safari, Off The Ground, and Inter-activities Trails. White night sorted!

Written By:
Nadine is a media communications and psychology student at the University of Melbourne. In her spare time, you’ll typically catch her reading a good book, hitting up Melbourne’s coolest restaurants and bars, or finding her next adrenaline rush. She also can’t say no to a good scoop of gelato or pizza slice. See what she gets up to on her Instagram.