On the whole, I found this a pretty disappointing Nuit Blanche, though the art did get better as the night went on. I probably didn't plan it out all that well, as I was at Waiting for Godot as Nuit Blanche started. The show didn't finish until 10 pm. (On the whole I thought it was very well done with some inspired clowning, but it can be pretty exhausting as so little actually happens during the play.)
Then I grabbed an adequate slice of pizza nearby, so I didn't really get going until about 10:30. I saw a few things along Danforth between Coxwell and Greenwood.
Then I hit Aki Native Earth Studio in Regent Park. Then I went over to Yonge-Dundas Square. Apparently, I got there just as the music ended. Perhaps it was a much more lively scene a few hours earlier, but it was kind of desolate (and it wasn't really all that late, just after 11 pm!).
I continued on Dundas and there was a bit of a dance party on McCaul, and there were decent crowds watching a film about Toronto and the many films that have been shot here.
At this point, I went over to City Hall. I found Nathan Phillips Square to be a complete let down. There was a bit of art but it was all dispersed and there wasn't really anything to do on the main plaza. It was certainly a missed opportunity. An even bigger missed opportunity was that they didn't shut down a main street to serve as the spine of Nuit Blanche. Aside from a short section of Dundas, I don't think any roads were actually closed down for the event.
When I got to 401 Richmond, slightly after midnight, it was hopping! I guess everyone decided to just hang out there. The crowds actually were a bit too much for me, and I just went into a couple of galleries and then split. But I do hope that the city decides next year to build around the 401 Richmond hub and maybe shut down Spadina (except for the streetcars). One can dream anyway!
So then I biked over to Stackt Market (dodging some poor drivers on Bathurst), and that was generally pretty interesting and also moderately busy, though not quite as overwhelming as 401 Richmond. There were some really interesting video installations, as well as this set of skyscraper models. I think the point was these were all from movies where skyscrapers were destroyed, but I'm not really sure.
Then I went briefly over to the Bentway. There was some video art, but mostly it was disappointing how empty it was. Apparently it was busier earlier, but they didn't really do much to keep the crowds there, as opposed to previous years when I think there were food trucks and a dj.
One of the more striking pieces was along Ft. York Blvd.
It was just about 1 am at this point. I decided to stop in at St. Lawrence Market, and thought one of the video installations was pretty good. At least my bike didn't act up, and I covered a decent amount of the city in one evening. I managed to get home just after 1:30 am.
So it wasn't a complete bust, but I definitely think Nuit Blanche was more successful and was more of a civic happening in previous years. Let's see what next year brings...
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