White night in need of a White Knight

It is probably the most significant addition to the city’s cultural calendar since the founding of Brighton Festival in 1967.

So there was widespread concern when it became clear there would be no White Night in 2012 after four fantastic years.

It costs a lot of money to put on scores of free events and that simply is not there this year.

An application to cash-strapped Arts Council England for £50,000 was unsurprisingly rejected while a three-year Interreg grant for cross-Europe co-operation came to an end. No money is available from the council.

The cost of staging White Night on a comparable scale to that of past years is about £100,000 although a workable festival could probably be produced for half that sum.

It seems clear that previous sources of funding will not be available any time soon and may never return.

But there are other potential grants available and the outlook from the private sector is even brighter. An event attracting 50,000 people to the city is an attractive proposition for companies wishing to spread their name about a bit.

Wonderful Last year, its value in advertising and publicity was estimated to be more than £1 million, not a bad night’s work.

It is possible that one company might back the lot but more likely that several will shoulder the responsibility.

The main theme has been to do something different in the middle of the night and this has been achieved with ease. Established attractions such as the Sea Life Centre have opened late while specially created venues for the occasion have staged all sorts of weird and wonderful shows.

Venues for the arts have ranged from the Royal Pavilion to a laundrette. Each year has had a different theme – Love, Fortune, Illumination and Utopia.

There have been 57 new works of art commissioned over the years. One called And the Birds Fall From the Sky is currently on a worldwide tour.

There have been several consistent and constant themes in successive White Nights. One has been to create an autumn extravaganza to counter the Brighton Festival in May.

Another has been to attract international visitors while also reaching out to many people in the city who normally show little interest in the arts.

Events are staged mainly in the city centre so that they are available to those on foot. So far the weather has been kind but about half the events each year are held indoors just in case it rains.

White Night has also been an attempt to reclaim the streets for culture from the drunken yobs and yobettes who tend to take over the city.

This has been a big success apart from a minor incident last year in which young people who were mainly off their heads gathered in the Pavilion Gardens.

Unfortunately there seems to be some confusion among businesses about the aspirations of White Night. Some are stating the main idea is to get people into bars and restaurants.

While businesses will benefit from White Night ranging from bus companies to coffee shops, the emphasis is on people enjoying innovative culture rather than getting drunk in bars.

White Night, which started in France, has been pioneered in Britain by Brighton and Hove. The city has struck up a good friendship with Amiens including an exchange of artistes.

Brighton and Hove Arts Commission, which started it in 2008, now needs a break to see how the event can continue in future years with new funding and without compromising its ideals.

It can take encouragement from the example of the Children’s Festival. This was staged every April until it hit the same problems. Following a pause, it was decided to stage the event every two years and last month’s revamped festival was a triumph.

White Night is something special. It must not be allowed to fade away or become a drinking festival with a few added free attractions.

Brighton Festival, now nearing its end this spring, is the prime example of how vital the arts are to the city. White Night should become the annual autumn highlight rather than falling down a black hole.