What to know
- Nuit Blanche runs from 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, until 7 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, with more than 70 art projects and activations across Toronto.
- Several downtown streets will be closed from Friday through Sunday, including Queen Street West between Bay Street and University Avenue.
- TTC subway service will run overnight on Lines 1 and 2, with trains every 15 minutes starting at 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
- Several TTC routes will be diverted or close earlier than usual, while GO Transit will operate on its regular schedule.
- Temperatures are expected to reach 18 C on Saturday, with a low of 9 C overnight and a 40 per cent chance of showers Sunday.
For an entire night this weekend, Toronto is about to become a giant art hub, as Nuit Blanche celebrates its 20th edition.
The beloved festival is back, bringing dozens of art projects and installations across the city’s streets and public spaces. To help you make the most of this night, Now Toronto has compiled a guide for navigating the event.
What to expect
Every fall, Nuit Blanche keeps Torontonians awake for a free night of contemporary art celebration. The event transforms the city’s landscapes and celebrates its cultural scene by bringing a series of art projects across some of its beloved public spaces.
This year, Nuit Blanche is celebrating its 20th anniversary, bringing its Tomorrow’s Memories theme to life by revisiting the artists, locations, and communities that have coloured the festival through its history.
There are over 70 projects and activations to see this year, exploring storytelling, history, and memories of the event.
Some of this year’s most anticipated works include:
- Brandon Vickerd’s UFO at 130-132 Queen St. W., which transforms the street into the scene of a UFO crash.
- Kelly Mark’s Everything and Nothing at 60 Queen St. W., which portrays a back-and-forth conversation between a man and a woman about everything and nothing at the same time.
- Hiba Abdallah’s Everything I Wanted To Tell You at 100 Queen St. W., which gathers stories, memories and conversations of Scarborough residents that reflect the neighbourhood’s culture.
- Rhonda Weppler and Trevor Mahovsky’s Museum of Lost Things at 60 Queen St. W., which features memories attached to certain objects that belong in a museum.
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Time and location
Nuit Blanche is running from 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3 to 7 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 4.
Art projects will be on display across multiple locations around the city, from streets to public spaces, to cultural institutions.
Attendees can find an interactive map with all available installations and their locations at the city’s website.
Road closures
With the festival taking place across the city, and installations taking over unexpected corners and major streets, multiple road closures will be in place to accommodate Nuit Blanche.
Drivers can expect closures to begin on Friday, Oct. 2, at 12 p.m. and remain in place until Sunday, Oct. 4, at around 12 p.m.
Complete closures will be in effect along:
- Queen St. W. between Bay St. and University Ave.
- Bay St. between Hagerman St. and Richmond St. W.
- Elizabeth St. between Foster Plast and Hagerman St.
- Hagerman St. between Elizabeth St. and Bay St.
- Albert St. between James St. and Bay St.
Local traffic only will be permitted at:
- York St. between Richmond St. W. and Queen St. W.
- Bay St. between Dundas St. W. and Foster Place
- All of Foster Place
Residents are advised to plan ahead for trips and allocate extra time for travel in the downtown area.
How to get around
The TTC is also adjusting its service to keep the city moving all night during Nuit Blanche.
According to the agency, there will be no planned subway closures, and service will be extended on the subway and select routes.
Line 1 Yonge-University and Line 2 Bloor-Danforth service will be extended beyond its usual 2 a.m. closure. The subway will run every 15 minutes starting at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, until regular service resumes at 8 a.m. Subway stations will remain open all night.
However, those taking other subway and LRT lines should note that closures will continue. Line 4 Sheppard will close at about 2 a.m., while Line 5 Eglinton and Line 6 Finch West service will end at 1 a.m.
Due to road closures, the 19 Bay bus will be diverting from 12 p.m. on Friday to 12 p.m. on Sunday:
- Northbound buses will run west on Richmond St. W., north on University Ave., east on Dundas St. W., and then north on Bay St.
- Southbound buses will run west on Dundas St. W., south on University Ave., east on Adelaide St. W. and south on Bay St.
The 501 Queen streetcar and 301 Queen bus will also be detouring due to construction work. Both routes are diverted both ways via Shaw St. and King St. W. to Queen and Roncesvalles, with the normal path running west to Humber Loop.
GO Transit lines will operate regularly this weekend, with no additional late-night service running during the event.
Event goers can also choose to bike to the event, but should note that bikes must be walked in road closure areas or public squares.
Weather
Fall seems to have arrived in the city, with cooler weather expected to hit this weekend.
Forecasts indicate it will be mainly sunny on Saturday, with a high of 18ºC during the day. Clear skies are expected at night, with a low of 9ºC.
A mix of sun and cloud is expected on Sunday, with a 40 per cent chance of showers and a high of 20ºC during the day. There might be cloudy periods at night, with a 30 per cent chance of showers and a low of 9ºC.
