Drizzle makes White Night crowd fizzle, displays still sizzle

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Drizzle makes White Night crowd fizzle, displays still sizzle

By Paul Sakkal

Crowd numbers at the final night of White Night were dampened by rain - but those who braved the wet enjoyed an absorbing display of acts.

The weather gods had been kind for the first two nights of the event, but around 2mm of rain on Saturday night caused many to stay home.

Songcloud was one of the installations at White Night

Songcloud was one of the installations at White Night

Some acts were slightly delayed due to the inclement weather.

It meant the total crowd for the three nights was unlikely to surpass last year's 700,000, which event organisers hoped to top.

Organisers estimated 375,000 people attended over Thursday and Friday. They had hoped for Saturday's attendance to be significantly higher than previous nights.

Many CBD roads were closed to vehicles and AFL wasn't played in Melbourne on a Saturday for the first time this season, meaning revellers were free to roam the city.

While not the most engaging event of the night, around a hundred onlookers were impressed by the vivid images of Harry and Hermione beamed onto the Old Treasury Building as part of a Harry Potter installation.

In a stage buried deep underneath the spire of the Arts Centre - one of the few indoor locations of the festival - Superdrone featured artists playing drone music.

The show was an homage to music containing only one note, an ancient type of sound associated with music as varied as the didgeridoos of Australia's Indigenous peoples to the techno music of Detroit, USA.

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One act involved a small orchestra - including a cello, clarinet, drums and organ - and a synthesiser playing electronic sounds. The group played a 30 minute-plus piece of ambient music that undulated throughout and culminated in a spine-tingling crescendo.

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At some of the city's top diners, punters feasted on specially-made toasties, with each restaurant giving the staple its own spin.

At Grossi Florentino, $60 truffle and prosciutto toasties were on the menu, while at Elektra - George Calombaris' latest restaurant - moussaka toasties were in order.

Patrons enjoyed performances at the Spiritual Realm at Carlton Gardens, Physical Realm at Birrarung Marr, and the Sensory Realm at Treasury Gardens.

Kat Andrews, 27, said she enjoyed this year’s event more than previous instalments because the roads were less congested by foot-traffic.

“Having it over three nights spread it out nicely, I think,” she said.

“There were some pretty interesting acts like Superdrone tonight and the Heliosphere which I saw on Friday … all the different sections of the event were really well thought-out."

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