The White Nights Festival is an annual summer festival in Saint Petersburg celebrating its near-midnight sun phenomena due to its location near the Arctic Circle; each year between around April 21 and August 21, the skies only reach twilight and never reach complete darkness. Organised by the Saint Petersburg City Administration, the festival begins on June 12 with the "Stars of the White Nights" at Mariinsky Theatre and ends on July 2. However, some performances connected to the festival take place before and after the official dates.