A White Night Itinerary: Ten Things Not to Miss

Make sure you enjoy a good long sleep when you get home from work on Friday. Why? Because you won't be getting another wink until the sun comes up on Sunday. Come 7pm on Saturday, Melbourne will be pulsing with light, colour and sound. That's right nocturnal animals: White Night is back.

This year's after dark arts festival will incorporate dozens of installations and spectacular light displays, as well as live music, performances and more. Revellers can catch a movie at the openair cinema on Lonsdale Street, before taking part in a dance marathon on Collins. And of course, no White Night would ever be complete without soaking up the air conditioning at ACMI.

To help you get the most out of your moonlight adventure, we had a chat to artistic director David Atkins. In addition to giving us a behind the scenes look at how the festival comes together, he also had some tips for our walking itinerary. From fire-breathing organs to building-sized projections, here are ten things at White Night you can't afford to miss. Keep an eye out for giant inflatable rabbits too.

STOP ONE: THE PYROPHONE JUGGERNAUT

Anyone keen to avoid the hectic crowds would do well to start outside the CBD. Atkins recommends beginning your night in Carlton Gardens, and singles out The Pyrophone Juggernaut as one of the most explosive works north of the grid. Built from scrap metal and operated by a group of performance artists and musicians, the fire-breathing behemoth is billed as the world's largest hand-operated, multi-octave fire organ in the world. The Juggernaut will sail through the Melbourne Museum Plaza seven times throughout the night, with the first voyage set for 8pm.

STOP TWO: RHYTHMS OF THE NIGHT

Since you're already in the area, you should definitely make time to check out the façade at the Royal Exhibition Building. The southern side of the historic structure has previously provided the canvas for some of White Night's most impressive projections, so needless to say our expectations are pretty high. This time around, Atkins has tapped Artists in Motion, who lit up the Opera House at last year's Vivid Sydney. Rhythms of the Night promises to bind audiences together in a collective dream as it explores the four stages of sleep.

Sonic Light Bubble

STOP THREE: SONIC LIGHT BUBBLE

Atkins also draws our attention to Sonic Light Bubble, a giant inflatable bubble dotted with LEDs set to invade the Carlton Gardens after dark. The clear synthetic organism is one of a number of interactive works on this year's program that audiences will be encouraged to go up to and touch. "The idea was to get a bit more interaction and audience participation into the event," says Atkins.

STOP FOUR: LONSDALE LOUNGE CINEMA

From Carlton Gardens, we recommend heading into the city via La Trobe Street before turning south down Swanston until you hit Lonsdale. There, you can put your feet up at the Lonsdale Lounge Cinema, where they'll be showcasing Australian made short films all night long. This year the lineup will include a number of Tropfest finalists, shorts from the VCA archives, and the inaugural winner of the Made In Melbourne Film Festival's Script to Screen initiative. Mostly though, we're just in it for the comfy chairs.

STOP FIVE: REBEL ELDERS

As you continue south along Swanston Street, it'd be worth taking a quick detour down Rainbow Alley off Little Collins. That's where you'll find another one of Atkins' favourite pieces, in Andy Ferguson and Rose Turtle Ertler's Rebel Elders. Designed to break down unfair stereotypes about elderly people, the large-scale projection features senior citizens engaged in all sorts of 'youthful' activities, from highwire walking to race car driving. "It's a piece that talks about ageism and perceptions and I think those things are really important," says Atkins.

STOP SIX: SWING CITY

Dance marathons are something of a White Night tradition (even if you're not much of a dancer). Located on Collins Street between Swanston and Elizabeth, Swing City will feature pretty much every form of social dance, plus big band music from the '30s, '40s and '50s. "That section of Collins Street hasn't really been activated before," says Atkins. "You've got a 13-piece big band, ballroom dancers, jive dancers, competitions, marathon dancing..."

STOP SEVEN: HOME LESS

Another big White Night tradition is the activation of St Paul's Cathedral, which this year will play host to a projection spotlighting the plight of Melbourne's growing homeless population. Created by local artist Chase Burns, who last year lit up Swanston Street with a breathtaking work about rising sea levels, Home Less will take viewers into the dreams of a rough sleeper as she escapes the harsh realities of her waking life. "I think it's going to be a beautiful piece," says Atkins.

Bennett Foddy and AP Thomson.

STOP EIGHT: VIDEO GAME MIXTAPE

While ACMI can sometimes get a little on the crowded side, the Fed Square cinema and exhibition space is still definitely worth a visit. This year, the ACMI Lightwell will play host to a retro video game installation that takes players and spectators back to the early days of arcade culture. Video Game Mixtape will merge live gameplay, interactive game art and music by 8bit DJs. Alternatively, you can relax upstairs in Cinema 1 where they're screening a mashup of classic films from Star Wars to Saturday Night Fever.

STOP NINE: VIKTOR&ROLF – INSIDE OUT

Once you're done in the city, you'll want to make your way across the Princes Bridge, following the tram tracks down to NGV International. As in previous years, the front of the gallery will be lit up with projected images from the current exhibition. In this case, it'll focus on the 'wearable art' of Dutch fashion duo Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren. "Bringing that exhibition out onto the façade is going to be another highlight," says Atkins. If you like what you see, the gallery itself will be open all night, although you will have to pay for a ticket.

STOP TEN: UNPLUGGED

At this point you'll probably feel like another little break. Fortunately, right across the road from the NGV are the Queen Victoria Gardens, home to the pop-up MPavilion. There you'll be able to enjoy a series of performances by musicians, singer-songwriters and other creative artists, including Katherine Hymer, The New Savages, Mana Moto and Rachel Caddy. "I think MPavillion, with the Unplugged performances, will be a really nice place to chill out," says Atkins. For set times, go here.

White Night Melbourne is happening across the city on Saturday, February 18. For more weekend events, check out our handy round-up.