Art Night London, 2018

'What hath night to do with sleep?' asked John Milton in 1634's Comus, and we're inclined to agree. We've already brought you a list of our favourite Museum Lates. Happily, there are more after-dark shenanigans on offer this summer for nocturnal aesthetes, courtesy of Art Night London in collaboration with Hayward Gallery, supported by main sponsor international auction house Phillips.

On 7 July, as the sun starts to set, the Thames riverbank will come alive with art, as cultural institutions and renowned London landmarks fling open their doors for London's largest free contemporary arts festival.

Miao Ying, Happily Contained, 2018. Virtual reality & video

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the recently reopened Hayward Gallery has commissioned twelve new artist projects for the 2018 Art Night Trail; each project has been created by a celebrated international artist. Among the highlight projects is Italian conceptual artist Lara Favaretto's installation I poveri sono matti. This installation on display in Nine Elms comprises a gypsy caravan suspended from a crane, emitting a recording of the popular World War II-era polka, Rosamunde. The work forms part of Favaretto's continuing exploration of Gypsy culture and identity through art. The artist plans to destroy the installation following the exhibition, so this will be your last chance to catch it before it goes.

Elsewhere, pioneering video artist Yuan Goang-Ming will showcase Dwelling, in which a comfortably furnished living room explodes in slow motion. The film aims to challenge generally accepted concepts of 'home' and 'ruins', and, as with much of his work, explores a scenario in which the unthinkable encroaches on the mundane. Dwelling will be projected outdoors at the Hayward Gallery during the one-night festival.

Further exhibitors include artist and activist Liv Wynter, who recently resigned from Tate as its artist in residence. Wynter will fuse politics and art in her series of live political performances at the Garden Museum, combining poetry, music, dance and rap to explore gender, class, and activism. Suzanne Treister has also been commissioned by Art Night and Battersea Power Station to transform the hoardings around the BPS site for Art Night 2018.

Yuan Goang-Ming, Dwelling-Moment II, 2014. Courtesy the artist

Presented alongside these projects are a wealth of outdoor art installations, temporary exhibitions and gallery shows, curated by local curators, artists and cultural institutions. The Art Night Open programme 2018 is loosely inspired by this year's curatorial theme, which focuses on the local environment, importance of urban produce and the rich history of gardening, whilst also exploring philosophical questions about the political and emotional connotations of ‘home’, including residency, refuge and security.

A group of Art Night Guides will be at the ready to offer assistance as you navigate your way between such works, with a Thames Clippers boat ferrying visitors to and from exhibits until 4am.

This annual arts celebration is based on the international Nuit Blanche, or 'sleepless night', which originated in Paris in 2002 and now takes place in 30 cities worldwide.

Art, design, music, drink and dance: this soirée will be quite an affair – and, what's more, it's completely free.