What to expect at Nuit Blanche 2022 as it expands to Toronto

For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nuit Blanche returns in person and this year it will expand to Toronto to now include North York and Etobicoke.

“I think people are going to be super excited and excited to be back on the streets of Toronto after three years,” Dr. Julie Nagam, artistic director of Nuit Blanche, told CityNews ahead of the 16th annual all-night event.

“You get 1.2 million people coming for a one night show. You also have $443 million in economic revenue for the city entering. And art is for everyone. And transformation, wonder and awe, I think people need that more than ever.

The theme for this year’s Nuit Blanche is « The Space Between Us ». The event will take place between 7 p.m. on October 1 and 7 a.m. on October 2.

Downtown Toronto will once again be the epicenter of Nuit Blanche. Nagam said there will be a massive light show at Nathan Phillips Square. She also said Yonge Street would see much of it closed, along with a few nearby streets, like An occupation by Amrita Hepi from Australia.

“If you like karaoke, if you like dancing, you should come and see my installation,” she encouraged residents.

Hepi and five dancers will transition to a playlist of 80 songs, all of which have to do with work and work. Mixed into the playlist is a heart monitor that will see a big inflatable match the beats.

“You will see it crescendo and you will also see it fall. I’m really interested in how you can kind of appeal to an audience and make the concept come out slowly,” she said.

RELATED: Nuit Blanche Toronto 2020 goes virtual, spans multiple days with online streams

Nagam said the City of Toronto has received comments from residents who say Nuit Blanche is too downtown-focused. So for the first time in North York, Mel Lastman Square will be transformed with exhibits.

At the Aga Khan Museum there will also be exhibits such as Color of the year by Meera Sethi. He will see non-toxic inks in a large pool to raise awareness of the fashion industry and pollution.

“You can’t control the water, you can’t control the wind when textile dyes are poured into rivers, lakes and oceans. You don’t know where this is going to take you,” she told CityNews.

« Every minute, every hour will be different »

At Humber College’s Lakeshore campus in south Etobicoke, there will also be plenty to see.

“We have some really nice fabric installation artists there. We have a few people from Australia doing a marine canopy,” Nagam said.

“There is also a human weaving project where there will be over 30 people weaving across the field.”

Scarborough will also be back for the third time. One of the Scarborough Civic Centre’s exhibits, Tailings Pool, will see a large pool of water that examines how natural resources are consumed.

Nagam said Nuit Blanche organizers wanted to let people participate a lot or a little this year, encouraging people to pace themselves accordingly.

« It’s definitely a long night, it’s a 12 hour period and we’re all going to be drinking tea and coffee probably just to stay awake, » she said.

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