The first White Night/ Nuit Blanche in Košice (2nd October 2010) presented contemporary art in unusual spaces and unconventional times. Almost 15 000 visitors came to the event. It was possible to see unique interactive installations of young and creative artists from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m. on set up routes, in various buildings, churches and parks in the city centre. Owing to the White Night organization, Košice became one of many metropolises such as Paris, Brussels, Rome, Madrid, Riga, Bucharest or Saint Petersburg where such events have been regularly taking place for many years. Nuit Blanche is a cultural project accessible to everyone and that is why all events are for free. Nuit Blanche favours contemporary art and thus fine art, video art, projections, installations, contemporary music, performances, scenic art, street art. Nuit Blanche shows public space in various forms: it takes up interest in places that are usually closed or off limits to the public, places both peripheral and prestigious, cultural institutions and sights presented in a new way. Nuit Blanche offers the cities a reflection of different forms of current urbanistic development and provision of different services and adapted organization such as signs, lights and security. Nuit Blanche supports “mild” mobility such as improvement of conditions for cyclists and people travelling by public transport or shuttle service. Nuit Blanche supports exchanges between city centre and the outskirts. Partnership cities of the Nuit Blanche Europe project try to support and develop exchanges between European cities, their artists and inhabitants by way of an annual art project created in cooperation.
