CITY EVENING, WHITE NIGHT

The White Nights are a kind of all-night arts festival held in many cities in the summer. The original festival is the White Nights Festival held in Saint Petersburg, Russia. This is famous for spectacular fireworks and Scarlet Sails, a massive show celebrating the end of school year. Other festivals following this lead have arisen, using names such as White Night, Light Nights or Nuit Blanche, see that article for examples around the world.

Melbourne held its inaugural White Night festival on 23 February 2013. An estimated crowd of more than 300,000 people attended. The second, on 22 February 2014 drew an estimated 500,000 people. The third White Night in 2015, expanded the festival to more venues and locations. Art institutions such as the National Gallery of Victoria and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image featured free exhibitions and films for the public to attend, with about 500,000 people attending. The fourth White Night, held on 20th February 2016 attracted an estimated 580,000 people.

Cool conditions and fewer spectacular projections than on previous years combined to dampen the public response to this year's White Night.​ The lack of projections along Flinders Street, for which White Night had become known, drew fewer people along the thoroughfare, and for many the sight of the ornate Forum Theatre facade without illumination - a past highlight - was disappointing. The Royal Exhibition Buildings, State Library and the Arts Centre, however, provided spectacular light shows.

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,
and also part of the Scenic Weekends meme,
and also part of the Saturday Show Off meme,
and also part of the Saturday Silhouettes meme.

Last year's illumination of the Flinders Street Station:

This year's illuminations at the Arts Centre:

This year's illumination of the Exhibition Buildings:

This year's illuminations inside the State Library:

And here are a couple of videos from the Exhibition Building and State Library illuminations: