Not sure how to get to White Night Bendigo 2018 and what to expect when you’re there?
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Here’s what you need to know about our city’s first White Night, on from 7pm on Saturday September 1 to 2am on Sunday.
So what exactly is White Night?
It's a one-night-only festival that uses art, music, colour, interactive events and lighting to transform a city.
Melbourne has hosted White Night since 2013, and it was in Ballarat for the first time last year.
This is the first time Bendigo has hosted a White Night event.
Where is it in Bendigo?
The White Night action will focus on View Street, between Rowan Street and Pall Mall; Pall Mall, between View and Bull streets; Bull Street, between Pall Mall and Bendigo Town Hall; and Rosalind Park.
Road closures
All road closures will be in place from 4pm on Saturday to 3am on Sunday.
There will be a mix of full road closures and local access only roads.
The full road closures include:
- View Street, from Barnard Street to Pall Mall
- Rowan Street, from Forest Street to view Street
- MacKenzie Street, from Forest Street to View Street
- High Street, from Forest Street to View Street
- Pall Mall, from Mitchell Street to Mundy Street
- Bath Lane, from Edward Street to Mitchell Street
- Hargreaves Street, from Mitchell Street to Mundy Street
- Mitchell Street, from Pall Mall to Queen Street
- Williamson Street, from Queen Street to Pall Mall
- Sidney Myer Place
- Lyttleton Terrace, from Williamson Street to Mundy Street
- St Andrews Avenue, from Market Street to Lyttleton Terrace
- Bull Street
- Mundy Street, from Lyttleton Terrace to Hargreaves Street
- Park Road, from Pall Mall to Farmer Lane
Parking and public transport
Keep the road closures above in mind if you’re planning on driving into the city on Saturday.
But City of Greater Bendigo Mayor Margaret O’Rourke is encouraging people to take advantage of public transport instead.
Extra coach and bus services will run throughout the night.
V/Line train services will run to the normal timetable on top of extra coach services running from Bendigo to Melbourne every hour from 11pm until 3am, stopping at major hubs.
Coaches will run to and from Seymour (via Heathcote), Maryborough (direct) and Echuca (via Rochester and Elmore). They will depart each town at 5pm, 7pm and 9pm, leaving Bendigo again at 10pm, midnight and 2am.
Bendigo bus services will run to the normal timetable until 8pm.
Starting from 6pm, five White Night buses will run to the bus hubs at Williamson Street every half hour until 3am. The buses will run from Eaglehawk, Epsom via Lake Weeroona and White Hills, Kangaroo Flat via Golden Square, Kangaroo Flat, and Strathdale via Kennington and La Trobe University.
Bendigo Tramways will run shuttle trams from the Central Deborah Gold Mine, Bendigo Joss House, Tysons Reef and Lake Weroona every 10 to 15 minutes between 6pm to 3am. There will be parking available at these stops.
The trams cost $3 a person, with children under five free.
Park and Ride options allow people to park their car and catch an express bus to the Williamson Street bus hub. These leave from Bendigo Racecourse; Lansell Square in Kangaroo Flat; and La Trobe University in Flora Hill.
Weather
You’ll want to dress warm and be prepared for any showers.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting a maximum of 12 for Bendigo on Saturday – and a low of 2 degrees. Similarly, Sunday’s minimum temperature is 2 degrees.
But don’t worry – City of Greater Bendigo tourism and major events manager Terry Karamaloudis said it would take severe weather conditions for White Night to be called off.
We suggest layering up and dressing for comfort.
Is White Night child-friendly?
The majority of the White Night Bendigo program is appropriate for all ages.
For families who need a break from the action elsewhere, Hargreaves Mall will transform into a Kid Zone.
The area will feature inflatable fun and activities include a giant car slide, a gauntlet run and a bungee run.
The Kid Zone is free.
Food and drink
There will be a mix of restaurants, cafes, bars and food trucks open on the night.
White Night organisers recommend people book in advance for restaurants so they don’t miss out.
There are 19 restaurants and cafes in the central business district planning to stay open late for White Night.
You can see the full list of participating restaurants, cafes and bars here.
The food trucks on offer include: Chata Polska; T-Rex Bar-B-Que; Spud Bros Spiral Spuds; Get Pressed Event Catering; El Chivi; Curry Up Now; Coon Toastie Truck; Salt and Pepa Food Truck; and City to Surf Mobile Cafe.
In terms of drinking, the usual rules apply.
White Night Bendigo is an alcohol-free event and it is an offence within the City of Greater Bendigo to consume or carry opened alcohol in public areas.
Alcohol is permitted only within licensed venues.
Police and safety
Police will have a strong presence in and around Bendigo during White Night.
There will be a pop-up police station at the intersection of Forest and High streets to help anyone who needs assistance.
The White Night event zone has been designated as a declared area.
This gives police specific powers to use electronic wands to search people and their clothing and possessions if police suspect them of possessing weapons, or if they are behaving in a disorderly way.
Police will also have the power to request people remove a face covering if they believe it is being used to conceal identity.
No vehicles will be allowed access to the event area from 3pm on Saturday.
While we’re on the topic of safety, make sure you know where your friends and children are at all times.
Charge your mobile before heading out, so you can contact people and they can reach you.
Consider putting your contact details on a band on your child’s wrist, just in case.
Toilets, hydration station and first aid
Bendigo program highlights
VIEW STREET AREA AND ROSALIND PARK
The White Knight Messenger, a White Night icon, will be roving the streets of Bendigo. Nature-inspired lanterns by The Lanternist will illuminate Rosalind Park. The Bendigo Brass Band will perform at the rotunda within the park. A White Night favourite, Metamorphosis, will also be staged in the gardens, near Pall Mall.
Visitors to the Bendigo Trades Hall will have the opportunity to shape a story as part of Write Away Bendigo. Also at the trades hall, a live drawing performance called Envisage.
A number of events are planned for the vicinity of the Capital Theatre, including Guerilla Opera outside the venue. Inside the theatre, Henriette Kassay-Schuster will screen a three channel video capturing the nostalgia of the Coburg Drive-In, Pentridge Prison Village, and the former Kodak factory site in Melbourne. Room 264 – a film inspired by the experience of arriving in a new place, alone – will also be presented at the theatre.
Chandeliers will be installed in Dudley House. Inside the Engine Room, people will have the opportunity to interact with an installation called Head in the Clouds.
The Fortuna Villa Story will be projected onto the T & G Building at View Street.
READ MORE: After 160 years, Fortuna is finally complete
A silent disco is among the attractions to be offered as part of Bendigo Art Gallery and Visitor Centre Presents. An eight-metre tall space man will be stationed outside the art gallery, in the gardens, for Calling Occupants.
Illuminated, electronic flowers will occupy a part of the arts precinct for Enlightened Disciples. Altar to the Future, another work by Skunk Control, will be located nearby.
Musical performances will be staged on the balconies and verandahs of buildings along View Street.
CHARING CROSS AREA
Projections will illuminate the facades of buildings in the Charing Cross precinct.
A selfie station will be established near the intersection of Pall Mall and Mitchell Street.
Neon Angel Wings will be installed in front of the Bendigo Bank building.
In the Queen’s Gardens on Pall Mall, an artwork bearing the name of Bunjil will light up the night sky.
A live music stage will be established in Rosalind Park, showcasing the talents of Bendigo bands.
PALL MALL, HARGREAVES MALL AND BULL STREET AREA
The Armistice – Victoria Remembers, a tribute to service men and women, is arranged for the Soldiers Memorial Institute.
An artwork called Into the Night will adorn the entrance to the Bendigo Visitor Centre. The Secret Life of Buildings, a projection featuring iconic images from decades past, will take place on the north west facade on the post office building.
Lanterns created by Sri Lankan families in Bendigo to celebrate the festival of Vesak inspire Illumination Meditation, an installation in the Bendigo Town Hall.
Tram Queens will be stationed the intersection of Pall Mall and Williamson Street.
Shadow puppetry and its role in telling traditional Indonesian stories inspire Wayang Shadow Play, arranged for the Myer loading dock, off Williamson Street.
On Pall Mall, Airing My Laundry will bring new meaning to hanging out the washing.
A Groove Tram will host a DJ. It’s arranged for the intersection of Bull and Williamson streets.
A 14-metre tall artwork called Tara the Liberator will be exhibited in the Bendigo Town Hall.
Learn more about White Night here, or see the full program at whitenight.com.au/bendigo.
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