The streets of Geelong will shine with light, art and sound when White Night illuminates the city in October once more.
The festival has released the program for White Night Geelong 2022, revealing a huge array of installations and performances for the event in what organisers say will be âa transformative celebration of regional Victoriaâ.
The night will feature large-scale art installations, as well as pop-up performances and stage events throughout the centre of Geelong.
Creative director Joseph OâFarrell (JOF) said he and his team knew it was important to maximise their opportunity to bring a world-class event to Geelong.
âGeelong is a Unesco City of Design, itâs got the beautiful expanse of the waterfront, itâs unique,â JOF said.
âThe precinct for White Night in Geelong is huge. In 2018 the event attracted 70,000 people and delivered an economic impact of $6.1m locally, so it was really important for us a programming team to think about all the opportunities of bringing an event like this to Geelong.
âWhite Night doesnât happen in Melbourne anymore, and itâs such a recognised brand, so we really wanted to open up the opportunity for people to get on the train from Melbourne, or come from the Bellarine.
âWeâre looking forward to catering to an intergenerational audience, and for me, the true privilege of this opportunity is to create so many memories for the different people who attend.â
JOF, who has toured the world creating art and had his work exhibited in such prestigious as the Tate Modern in London, said the theme of the event was centred around âFirst Peopleâs knowledge of astronomy and astrologyâ and the night sky.
âThe theme is âEverything on the land is reflected in the skyâ, and that was designed in consultation with the Djarra Corporation in Bendigo,â he said.
âItâs about thing about constellations, the earth and the universe out there while reflecting on the environment and the country on which weâre creating this event – the Wathaurong country in Geelong.
âSo we put that out there to the artists, to think about all those different ways in which weâre linked to the land and the imagination that comes from staring out into the great beyond.â
The program starts at 7pm, October 8 and runs through to 1am, and JOF said his team had focused on accessibility for all.
Details: whitenight.com.au/geelong/program/
