White Night festival organisers have urged people to consider going to the festival after midnight to avoid the huge crowds expected in Melbourne.

White Night Melbourne runs from 7:00pm to 7:00am in the centre of Melbourne and features visual art, illuminations, music, food and performances.

Last year the event attracted more than 500,000 people, and artistic director Andrew Walsh said he expected similar a number to attend the event in 2015.

"We had a very large crowd last year and if the weather's good it's going to be very similar this year," Mr Walsh said.

"We're encouraging people to come in later, consider their journey and what they need. The thing runs all night so you could come at 3:00am and you'll see exactly the same thing as you'll see at seven," Mr Walsh said.

"So it's all night and it's free, so come later."

Mr Walsh said the festival had expanded to reduce crowding in the central city precinct.

"We've redesigned the precinct this year, so there are no projections in that Flinders Street intersection to take some of the crowd pressure off," he said.

"There's a big site at the north of the city around the Royal Exhibition Buildings and Melbourne Museum, which as a projection work."

Extra public transport scheduled

Melburnians had also been advised to use public transport to get around during the night, with more than a dozen major events being staged across the city.

A number of roads in the CBD will be closed for White Night, including Flinders Street, Collins Street, Bourke St and parts of St Kilda Road.

Victoria's Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said tram, train and bus services would be running all night.

"There's a massive amount of events on in Melbourne this weekend so it's very important for people to plan their visit into the centre of Melbourne carefully," Ms Allan said.

"Look at the public transport that's on offer, public transport that has been increased and extended to cover the all night activities around White Night."

Last year, the State Government was criticised for overcrowding and long delays on public transport during the event.

Increasing the pressure on the city's transport infrastructure over the weekend, the World Cup Cricket match between South Africa and India will be played at the MCG on Sunday, as well as an FFA League match between Perth Glory and Melbourne City.

Crowds are also expected to attend Lunar New Year celebrations and the Soundwave Music Festival over the weekend and a Guy Sebastian concert on Saturday.

Soundwave organisers organised shuttle buses from North Melbourne and Footscray stations, after the Government said festival organisers failed to complete an application for extra public transport services.

Public Transport Victoria's CEO Mark Wild has urged crowds to be mindful of fellow passengers over the bumper weekend.

"With larger than normal crowds expected, I would ask everyone to be mindful of their own safety and that of fellow travellers, particularly on train platforms and to be patient when boarding and alighting services," he said.

"Additional customer service staff will be on the system to assist customers and provide advice on the best options to get them to and from where they need to go."