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OK, now I'm confused. I thought it was something from before my time but now that you bring up the fact that it's something your kids like, it is I who feels 40. ?

Haha. It's a really, really terrible video game that went viral briefly in 2018.
 
I think the city should hold a Toronto Lineup Festival!
People will line up for hours for any useless p.o.s. imaginable.
May as well make it a 'thing'.
 
... the hundreds of people involved all need to have the proper cross-border work permits, and be available for the time needed (roadies often work with different bands).
Most comedians however, don't need much more than a microphone and stool, and will use existing sound/lighting equipment or hire a local production company for the gig.
FWIW, the Just For Laughs Toronto fest has started selling tickets for 2022 after not happening since the last one in 2019. They've finally dropped the awkward "JFL42" name (I think it was meant to signify that the festival would have a minimum of 42 separate acts?) they've been using since 2012, though their first Toronto festival was apparently in 2007.

The annual Mississauga Waterfront Festival has apparently ended after 25 years, while Field Trip Toronto Music and Arts Festival will return (I'm not sure 'Ultimutts Stunt Dog Show' would fit into either of those categories of music or art).
 
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Nuit Blanche returns later this year for October 1st to sunrise on the 2nd:


I find Nuit Blanche is a shell of it's former self. It has become so spread out with half baked exhibits compared to its early years.

I recall years where most of the exhibits were interactive, interpretive and actually made you think. The last few years before Covid were meh, they had murals and things of that nature spread out across the city but nothing worth seeing.

I will wait and see but like I said, it is not worth seeing anymore in my opinion. It is nothing more than a place for underaged kids to get high and drunk.
 
I find Nuit Blanche is a shell of it's former self. It has become so spread out with half baked exhibits compared to its early years.

I recall years where most of the exhibits were interactive, interpretive and actually made you think. The last few years before Covid were meh, they had murals and things of that nature spread out across the city but nothing worth seeing.

I will wait and see but like I said, it is not worth seeing anymore in my opinion. It is nothing more than a place for underaged kids to get high and drunk.
^
This right here is exactly what killed it. The art became an afterthought to the mindless street party.
 
^
This right here is exactly what killed it. The art became an afterthought to the mindless street party.

The last few times I went you could smell the weed wafting down the street. There were also people with beers in hand walking down the street.

Nuit Blanche is not about the art, it is an all night street party. I have no interest in staying up until 3 am watching people get high. I am 34, not 17.
 
I'll never forget about ten years ago going to Taste of the Danforth and, as usual, it was horribly packed, hot, and any food that was available on the street was marked up 300% over the normal price.
Then I saw a huge line, which someone in passing said was for a free slice of pizza. With my usual cynicism, I walked around to the front of the line first, and there I saw five women under a tent wearing McCain's aprons busily microwaving frozen mini pizzas and handing them out one by one with a free coupon to buy a box to all the 200 people in line.

That is Nuit Blanche, but with art instead.
 
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Nuit Blanche became a drunkaplooza in recent years. With fights and out of control drunken idiots taking over the streets. i remember some exhibits got damaged by the drunken fools.
 
So...today I went and had a look-see (and some nibbles) at Smorgasburg Toronto


Its an open-air market of mostly street-food type offerings that are very diverse, from around the world. There are also a couple of vendors selling beverages, and one selling Hot Sauce in addition to those from whom you can buy lunch or snack.

Its running in the parking lot at the foot of Yonge Street. Its running 11am-6pm on Saturdays through Sept 10th.

***

Before I get to my own review of the offerings I and my friends tried, I'll link to a few others.

Toronto Life's take/rec's can be found below:


Daily Hive has its take here:


***

So, lets start out here, I and 2 friends arrived shortly after noon today. There is no admission fee, but all the vendors charge for their product give or take the odd free sample.

It was busy, as in quite, busy. By the time we left, it was far too busy. So my first suggestion would be for those interested to arrive before noon if you wish to avoid really long lines at the more popular vendors.

The three of us surveyed all the vendors first to see what was on offer, and then go three ways to buy different things and come back and share. (note, you may wish to bring your own cutlery/extra plates or containers for just this sort of thing)

I settled on the Peking Duck Confit Bao w/ slaw, hoisin/soy, some pickled veg and sesame seed with some thai-seasoned chips on the side from Chau whose website can be found here:


One friend settled on the Babi and Co., an Indonesian place and brought back a Satay skewer over rice, and a fried pork belly.

Their FB can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/babiandco/

While the other friend went to Afro-Beat Kitchen and fetched a Steak Skewer and Jollof Rice.

Their Insta can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/afrobeatkitchen/?hl=en

The consensus view was that the rice was the single most interesting thing in terms of not being part of typical culinary repertoire.
The Duck Bao was quite good; and the Fried Pork Belly decent, though maybe just a bit chewy; the Satay was decent too.

Over all we were pleased. We also sampled from a non-alcohol vendor, Gruvi who was pitching wine and beer-like product. The pseudo-red wine got a thumbs down overall; but the Rose which was sparkling was well received.

Their website is here: https://www.getgruvi.com/

We also tried the hot sauce vendor who was doing free samples; some of the sauces were decent, interesting and punchy, but not enough to make us want to buy them to take home.

***

We were, originally thinking we'd do a second round and if the amount of food was too much just pack it to go (we brought containers); but by then the crowds were just a bit nuts ( The average wait in line was over 20M); and one vendor announced at 12:45 or so that the wait for more food would be an hour.

Between that and the full summer sun beating down on us, we decided to decamp for a shaded patio and a pint.

Overall, I think the food experience is worthwhile; but I have to say both some of the) vendors and the event organizers seemed a bit less prepared that one would expect/hope for. Lines were a bit chaotic at times and many vendors were really struggling to keep pace. Seats or standing tables were at a premium, and the absence of shade seemed unwise.

I think its a good idea, but there's some room for fine-tuning.
 
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Nuit Blanche Toronto returns on October 1 and expands to include Etobicoke, downtown, North York and Scarborough


Nuit Blanche, Toronto’s free all-night celebration of contemporary art, returns this fall for its 16th edition from sunset on October 1 to sunrise on October 2. Toronto’s biggest celebration of contemporary art will include works by more than 150 local, national and international artists and, for the first time, present exhibition areas across Toronto. This year’s Nuit Blanche will mark the finale of ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art.

Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson (Scarborough Centre), Chair of the Economic and Community Development Committee, was joined by Nuit Blanche Artistic Director Dr. Julie Nagam, Afrofuturist artist Adeyemi Adegbesan, multidisciplinary artist Meera Sethi and Vice-President of External Affairs and Professional Learning at Humber College Kelly Jackson to announce Nuit Blanche 2022 at Assembly Hall.

Curatorial theme
Led by Dr. Julie Nagam, Nuit Blanche’s curatorial theme from 2020 to 2022, The Space between Us, invites artists to build bridges between cultures, communities and the environment, transforming Toronto with stories about their connection to place.

Art work presented as part of this year’s Nuit Blanche will bridge the international, national and local, exploring shared experiences through the lens of Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) communities globally while amplifying Toronto’s local voices internationally.

City-wide expansion – new exhibition areas
This year will be the most expansive Nuit Blanche to date, with exhibition areas city-wide. Nuit Blanche will return to the downtown core and Scarborough with support from Exhibition Sponsor Scarborough Town Centre. New exhibition areas in North York and Etobicoke, supported by Exhibition Sponsor Humber College, will extend the event’s footprint city-wide for the first time.

Art projects will be clustered in easy-to-navigate exhibition areas making exploring the event more convenient for audiences. Additionally, art projects will be presented in various neighbourhoods, including Don Mills, East Danforth, Bloor-Yorkville, Sterling Road and Fort York.

Augmented Reality (AR) Artworks
Continued for 2022, AR Artworks will feature 10 new commissions alongside remounts of the inaugural 2020 works. Created by more than 30 artists, these projects weave a playful exchange between public art and discovery through unique AR experiences.

Artists
Nuit Blanche 2022 will feature more Indigenous, Black and artists of colour than ever with local, national and international representation. Select artists announced for Nuit Blanche 2022 include Yung Yemi (www.yungyemi.com), Meera Sethi (www.meerasethi.com), Shelley Niro (www.shelleyniro.ca/), Rah Eleh (www.rah-eleh.com) and Cheryl L’Hirondelle (www.cheryllhirondelle.com) and many more. A complete list of artists and projects is available at www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/nuitblanche/all-art-projects.

City-produced exhibitions
More than 50 commissioned art projects will be presented as part of City-produced exhibitions in Etobicoke, downtown, North York and Scarborough.

Partner-produced and special projects
Created by individual artists, producers and organizations, and cultural and educational institutions, the partner-produced Independent Projects portion of Nuit Blanche features 50 projects celebrating the diversity of Toronto’s art communities.

Twenty major institutions across Toronto will feature art projects and exhibitions free to the public throughout Nuit Blanche. Participating institutions include:401 Richmond, Aga Khan Museum, Art Gallery of York University, Artscape Launchpad, Artscape Weston Common in partnership with Urban Arts, Artscape Wychwood Barns, ArtworxTO, Toronto History Museums, Bata Shoe Museum, Centennial College School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design Story Arts Centre, East End Arts, Harbourfront Centre, Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, Museum Of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Toronto, Onsite Gallery at OCAD University, Pride Toronto, The Bentway, The Drake Hotel, The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery and TO Live.
 

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