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'Epic' White Night Celebration Dazzles Massive Crowd In Melbourne

There were giant rabbits, jellyfish and sea dragons in the city.
White Night 2017 attracted a crowd of almost 600,000 to Melbourne.
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White Night 2017 attracted a crowd of almost 600,000 to Melbourne.

Hundreds of thousands of people have turned out to enjoy Melbourne's fifth annual White Night, with the the centre of the city transformed into kaleidoscopic canvasses for a spectacular light show.

The Victorian Government said almost 600,000 people took to the streets of Melbourne on Saturday night for the dazzling event, which saw giant rabbits and jellyfish move in to the Alexandra Gardens, sea dragons swimming under the State Library dome and a flame-throwing musical instrument straight over the plaza at Melbourne Museum.

You've done good #Melbourne... you've done real good. #whitenightmelb #melbmoment

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Streets, parks, laneways and cultural landmarks exploded into life for the light-based artistic event as part of the city's biggest arts festival.

The large-scale event was helmed by Melbourne-born choreographer and producer David Atkins, who was responsible for the ceremonies at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Creative Industries Minister Martin Foley said the event was a big success.

"White Night Melbourne was an epic celebration that showcased our creative community and cityscape in a whole new light," he said.

"It is an event that is not only great for audiences, it also boosts our economy and international profile."

The show will now move to regional Victoria, with White Night Ballarat scheduled for early March.

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