Embrace the dark at White Night Reimagined

White Night, Melbourne's winter light and art festival, returns next month with an expanded program to stimulate the tastebuds along with the other senses..

Renamed White Night Reimagined, this year's festival will feature two extra nights of art, acrobatics and light shows, and for the first time, a food program. From August 22 to 24, it is partnering with the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival on a series of culinary events across the city.

It kicks off on August 22 with the White Night Feast, a grand banquet prepared by Vue de Monde chef Hugh Allen, Annie Smithers of Du Fermier, and Melbourne's queen of desserts, Philippa Sibley, at the Royal Exhibition Building. The festival finishes on August 24 with Toasted, a city-wide toastie challenge involving 13 chefs.

In between, nine of Melbourne's best restaurants will keep the doors open late on August 23 and 24 for the Supper Series, celebrating the best of winter dining and drinking.

Head to the bar at Fitzroy's Cutler & Co for hand-rolled pasta with shaved black truffle followed by chocolate delice, or Lesa for baked camembert, crudites and pickles and a glass of wine. Bar Lourinha will serve five different tapas plus a cocktail, and at Punch Lane you'll find gnocchi with Flinders Island lamb ragout and a dessert of slow-cooked quince and white chocolate cremeux. Prices for the Supper Series start at $48 a head.

For the full program and bookings, visit melbournefoodandwine.com.au/white-night-program.