Culture

Second Annual Nuit Blanche Athens Scheduled For October


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Nuit Blanche (meaning White Night, in French) is an annual all-night arts festival which is currently active annually in nearly 120 cities from around the world, including Paris, New York, Toronto, Montreal, Brussels, Rome, Madrid, and in this year, Melbourne, Australia, and Athens, Ohio.

A Nuit Blanche includes the participation of private and public cultural institutions, with the whole town or city itself being turned into a de facto art gallery, providing space for art installations, performances (music, film, dance, performance art), ‘themed’ social gatherings and other activities.

Nuit Blanche was created in Paris in 2002 to bring contemporary art to the public.

Nuit Blanche Athens was established and co-directed by Zelma Badu-Younge and Paschal Yao Younge, in conjunction with the Ohio University Division of Dance, School of Music, and Azaguno Inc., a vibrant Multi-ethnic performance ensemble.

This second Nuit Blanche seeks to energize the fall season in Athens and consequently consolidate the town’s position as a cultural, gastronomic and festive jewel in southeast Ohio.

The Younges plan to spotlight Ohio University and Athens community artists and their varied forms of innovation and imagination, while engaging people of all ages in their own personal creative experiences.

“The festival becomes a place where our community can explore in a positive and safe way the ‘magic and the mysteries of the night’ through the arts,” according to the Younges’ press release. “Nuit Blanche Athens is poised to be a very important international-caliber festival, with possibilities for diversified programs by combining performing arts, gastronomy, and free outdoor activities. It will be a massive cultural event, offering citizens and hopefully tourists a multitude of activities, most of them free.”

The fest is also being positioned as a significant promotional tool for facilitating a new and strong business climate in Athens County, cultivating creative collaborations and relationships that connect the community.

The festival will take place from 5:03 p.m. on Oct. 4 to 3:05 a.m., Oct. 5. A Pre-Nuit for children will take place from 3:05 p.m. to 5:03 p.m. on Oct. 4.

Nuit Blanche is seeking individuals and groups to perform, teach and participate in the all-night festival. Participant applications are due before Wednesday, Sept. 10. Click here to download an application.