The French Alliance presents the first edition of White Night (Nuit Blanche) in Prizren, which invites us to live the city in a unique format for one night.

White Night is an annual celebration of art and free exploration of the imagination that stretches from west to dawn. The theme of this first edition of Nuit Blanche in Prizren is ‘The Open City.’

The open city is the city for all, the city of the present that has not forgotten itself when projected into the future.

In times of war when a city is declared ‘open’ this means that it is surrendering on condition that the civilians and the cultural and historical heritage of the city are protected, which otherwise would suffer the devastating consequences of a futile battle.

What is happening to cities today is similar to an alarming situation, where little by little, their identities are disappearing and are replaced by new ones. Cultural monuments are being turned into parking lots, at best, towers or other monuments that try to manipulate history.

Let’s rethink the concept of an open city in time of peace and take care of the memory and the way it lies in the urban space by installing a dialogue between the old and the new. Establishing a dialogue with the past of the city starts by paving the main road for pedestrians, to be followed by other streets of the historic center.

During one night, the streets where vehicles otherwise circulate, will be occupied by people and the local bazaar products where, in addition to tasting, we will be able to get knowledge from the producers and artisans themselves.

Artistic events that reflect the theme and the city will create a journey through a program that includes light installations and artistic interventions, performances, musical and experimental pieces as well as performances of video art works.

White Night is organized by the French Alliance between the municipality of Prizren and the Municipality of Paris, supported by the French Institute, the European Union, the French Embassy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo. Nuit Blanche is a format launched by the city of Paris.