easing the blind while wagging culture in front of more than a million aesthetes – temporary and otherwise – Luminato is back for its second year. Last year, over a million people took in a huge variety of events and spectacles from a number of disciplines, including film, music, dance, theatre, and literature.

For its ten-day run, the festival takes over myriad venues, from public squares (i.e. Yonge and Dundas and Nathan Phillips) to performing arts spaces (i.e. Molson Amphitheatre and the Four Seasons Centre). Ballerinas will prance, writers will lecture, guitarists will strum, and audiences will be titillated.

Luminato's scope is vast and highlights and hidden gems abound; here are some must-sees: Don't miss the Canadian Songbook at Massey Hall, which features stellar singer-songwriters Ron Sexsmith, Luke Doucet, and Danny Michel, as well as many others, on the same stage. An exhibit of Joni Mitchell’s visual art, Green Flag Song, will mollify greenies (don't even think of putting up a parking lot). The Political Graphic Novel, a look at, um, graphic novels and their, well, political role, will prove topical. Luminato at the Distillery, a cultural feast on cobble stones, gives you an artistic excuse to wear comfortable shoes.

Open your eyes, stock up on Visine and sunglasses, and OD on culture. Many Luminato events are free of charge, so you have no excuses. Luminato runs from June 6th to June 15th.–S.T. More info...