While Melbourne’s recently concluded White Night event was a success on all fronts for many, reports are indicating that the future of the all-night CBD event may not be as bright as some think. According to Fairfax, reduced attendance figures and non-concrete funding means a 2016 event is not a lock.
As The Age reports, attendance figures for White Night 2015 were somewhere between 450,000 to 500,000 people, who flooded into the CBD to see some of Melbourne’s most iconic buildings cast in a extravagant projections, as well as entertainment including music, art, and food. This is compared to over 550,000 in 2014.
Meanwhile, the new Labor government is reportedly refusing to commit to further funding for the citywide celebration, which ran from 7pm Saturday to 7am Sunday. When asked on Sunday, Premier Daniel Andrews would not commit to funding the event beyond the previous government’s initial three-year allocation.
“I think this event’s got a big future and we’ll have more to say about it soon,” he told reporters on Sunday, saying that he would be looking “very closely” at the event’s funding. “Perhaps people should be very clear about the fact that I was there and I enjoyed it and it was a great event.”
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However, opposition Tourism and Major Events Minister Heidi Victoria was adamant, “This is just a media stunt from Daniel Andrews. It is unthinkable that he won’t fund what has become an iconic Melbourne event.” The event was first launched by former Liberal premier Ted Baillieu’s government back in 2012.
In addition to the attendance decline, some felt that efforts to spread the festival out contributed to a less exciting atmosphere than in previous years. The changes, which sought to keep foot traffic constantly moving, came following widespread criticism about overcrowding and long queues during the event’s first two years.
Andrew Walsh, White Night’s artistic director, told Fairfax that the night was a success, highlighting measures to prevent bottlenecks and congestion as contributing to a successful 2015 for the event. “We did a lot of work on the pedestrian movement plan, to take the heat out of those intersections,” Walsh said.
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As for the smaller attendance, Walsh said the size of the crowd was ideal. “Walking around the city, that 450,000 to 500,000… was comfortable. Unless we make the precinct another chunk bigger, then that’s an ideal number.” He said he agreed with the sentiment that this year’s festival was less “intense”.
“It started off a bit slower,” he said. “It was much more even, it didn’t peak like it did in previous years. Having the City Loop open, that helped move people around. I think all of that… worked really well.” It’s important to note that Melbourne experienced temperatures of up to 37 degrees on Saturday, which may have affected crowd numbers.
Mr Walsh said he would leave the future of the event up to the politicians, but one group with few complaints was Victoria Police, who reported overall satisfaction with the crowd’s behaviour. Officers arrested 12 people for being drunk, three for theft, one for possessing a weapon, and made one public order arrest.
According to a Victoria Police spokeswoman, among those arrested were four teenagers at Flinders Street Station, who were allegedly throwing eggs at people. Despite this, cleaning crews said that the amount of litter was not unusual for such a big event and less than what is left following New Year’s Eve.
