The adventure begins at 7pm on Saturday, October 4, 2025 when Toronto explores the art offerings of
Nuit Blanche Toronto, spread throughout the city and waiting for an appreciative or critical audience. The all night art party runs till dawn, people thinning out as the early hours approach, and no matter if good or bad, the hunt for interesting art is the fun part. In the photo at top an art installation sits under the Gardiner Expressway in Bentway Park as part of the 2024 event, I think it is a model of Superman's artic headquarters.
Signals of the City: Crossing Paths by Afaf Naseem
The artist behind the green figure while a visitor holds her hand
I will be heading first to Humber College Lakeshore Campus, a concentrated hub of exhibits out in the east end, then I plan to park in Exhibition Place and explore the event on my lite-bike as I explore Bentway Park, Harbourfront and into the city centre. With reduced funding there are fewer large projects and less happening at Nathan Phillips Square so have fun and see you around town.
Function by Noor Khan
Toronto's website says, "Translate the city through art. October 4 from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Join in a free all-night celebration of contemporary art that transforms Toronto’s public spaces into unexpected landscapes and animates cultural sites throughout the city. Featuring three exhibitions located in North York, Etobicoke and downtown and more than 85 works by local, national and international artists, the city becomes a living book created not just with words, but through sights, sounds, movements and shared spaces. Dive deeper into the ideas and creative processes behind the works through a series of talks and workshops – offered before and after October 4. This year’s theme, Translating the City, invites you to consider how art can translate the complexities of cities and the role we all play within them. Why not reimagine the possibilities a city can hold?"
For the Youth by Alexis Nanibush-Pamajewong
Update: In the aftermath of the 2025 show I hear a lot about Nuit Blanche was crap, too little art, too spread apart and sometimes I can relate, but overall I think that the hard work, creativity and uniqueness of the night makes the event special. Art is subjective and sometimes video installations can be a little over abundant, but there are usually a handful of really out there pieces that make the night, plus meeting people out on the street until the early morning hours is really cool.
I didn't start the night's tour until midnight and picked Humber's artistic hub because it is a cool place with it's concentrated art displays, then moved into the City Centre. I picked the late time to avoid massive earlier crowds which make viewing some pieces very difficult, however it doesn't leave enough time to see all that I wanted and I didn't even try to get to North York. By 4am some of the events weren't even running anymore (like Sankofa Square and 401 Richmond) so that was also disappointing.
Unless they get more funding, the shrinking of the event will carry on, which will be too bad. Nuit may join the decline in Toronto festivals all feeling the pinch of the purse strings and lack of support, which will be very sad. Hopefully I will see you out there during next year's event.
My lite-bike by the Eaton Centre. I made my way around the city on bicycle to cover more territory and want to say thanks to everyone that complemented me on the lights during the long night. PS my white coat had lights as well.
See more of Nuit after the jump.
