Art, music, modernity, revelry all nuit long

September 07, 2008|Denise Balkissoon and Nancy Won, Globe Correspondents

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One of Toronto's most notable landmarks is the 43-year-old modernist City Hall (100 Queen St. West). For Nuit Blanche, the 960 windows of its two asymmetrical towers will come to life with nearly a thousand flashing light bulbs for Stereoscope by Berlin's Project Blinkenlights. The installation will morph and flicker into graphic animations all night, and since interaction is both a highlight of the art fest and a Blinkenlights mandate, viewers can participate in the fun with controllers and smartphones in the public square at the foot of the building.

A short walk east along Queen Street takes you to Yonge Street, where loads of exhibits are scheduled in and around the Eaton Centre shopping complex and Ryerson University. A few steps off Yonge, across from Massey Hall, you can fuel up on diner classics at the 24-hour spot, Fran's, (200 Victoria St.). The subway runs underneath Yonge, so it's easy to bounce around. Up where Yonge meets Bloor Street, the Toronto Reference Library (789 Yonge St.) is the setting for the performance piece Circus of Dreams , which promises stilt walkers and fire eaters, plus midnight storytelling inside the building's yawning atrium.

University of Toronto

The beautiful grounds and historic buildings of the university have always been a central part of the festivities. Start at University College (15 King's College Circle), located in the campus's prestigious main circle, which will host Vehicle , a massive group project of multiple installations. A highlight is Meet, a piece involving 30 rally cars illuminating each other with their headlights in the leafy Victorian quad.

Next, walk up Tower Road, at the top of King's College Circle, where the 80-foot-long streetscape from local director Atom Egoyan's "Adoration" will be installed. Scenes projected through the windows offer an immersive and voyeuristic experience.

Feeling inspired? Your canvas awaits. At nearby Bata Shoe Museum (327 Bloor St. West) take part in a giant Paint By Numbers drawing of feet, of course. If you need to decompress, Massimo Pizza & Pasta (302 College St.) is a late-night hangout open until 4.

Denise Balkissoon can be reached at balkissoon@gmail.com, Nancy Won at nancy@nancywon.com.