White Nights worldwide

In 2013, 23 cities worldwide each will hold a “White Night,” an all-night celebration of free art, music, theater and other festivities, such as fireworks. Paris’ Nuit Blanche, in 2002, was the first such event. Each city chooses an overall theme for the evening. Restaurants, museums and shops stay open late, and museum admissions often are free.

This year’s events began Jan. 28 in Bologna, Italy. Melbourne hosted Australia’s first White Night event on Feb. 23. The majority take place in countries in the fall, including Singapore on three dates (Sept. 24, 25 & 31) and Jerusalem on Oct. 6, ending with La Paz, Bolivia, on Oct. 26.

For a list of cities hosting White Night events and the dates, visit whitenightmelbourne.com.au/international. (Choose a city from the list and, in Google or another search engine, type the city name and “White Night 2013.” Some of the cities have sites listing their White Night events and participating museums; for those that do not, try the city’s official tourism site for a calendar of events.)