Juliana ADDISON (Wendouree) (19:02): My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, and the action I seek is for the minister to visit my electorate of Wendouree for White Night Ballarat on 1 June.

White Night is coming back to Ballarat to light up our city in 2024, and everyone is invited. After five dark years White Night returns to Ballarat to illuminate our city.

In 2017 Ballarat made history as the first regional Australian White Night, and what an incredible night that was, for Ballarat after dark had never looked so extraordinary. Once again White Night will transform Ballarat into a city of light through installations, lighting, exhibitions, street performances, film, music, dance and interactive events.

The event is a vibrant and inclusive celebration of immersive art and community participation for everyone to enjoy. Importantly, White Night is family friendly, open to all ages and free to attend, but it is probably best to bring the little ones earlier in the night. No registration is required to attend, and everyone can just show up and have fun.

When White Night was held in Ballarat previously in 2017, 2018 and 2019, it transformed our city and attracted record crowds. Revellers of all ages were spellbound by the illuminations on our heritage buildings, streetscapes and laneways as well as by great live entertainment. Ballarat loves White Night and the boost it brings to the local economy. When White Night was last held in Ballarat, in 2019, it attracted more than 40,000 visitors and generated $2.8 million in economic impact for the region.

White Night not only lights up Ballarat but provides an important opportunity to showcase our city’s world-class hospitality venues, including Hotel Vera, Itinerant Spirits, Meigas, the Provincial, Hop Temple, Pancho, Roy Hammond, the Sporting Globe, Underbar, Kilderkin Distillery, Mitchell Harris, Black Vault, Babae, the Goods Shed, Ragazzone, Grainery Lane, Renard and the Gravy Spot.

I warmly invite everyone in this chamber and across Victoria to organise a trip to Ballarat with family and friends for the first weekend in June. Rain, hail or shine, this event will proceed, unless it is deemed unsafe to do so. Come to Ballarat for the weekend. Visit Sovereign Hill, the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat Wildlife Park, the Eureka Centre, Lake Wendouree, our botanic gardens and our city’s distilleries.

White Night will commence at 6 pm and conclude at midnight. There will be lots of live music throughout the night on the Evening Star and Last Chance stages. For more information visit whitenight.com.au.

The Ballarat community looks forward to warmly welcoming visitors to our beautiful city on the first day of winter. Remember to rug up, and get ready to enjoy an extraordinary night out in Victoria’s best regional city. I look forward to the minister’s response.

You can take a look at more of my speeches to Parliament here.