The fourth annual Nuit Blanche is here. And though its main focus is to bring a 12-hour phantasmagoria of contemporary art to the forefront of the otherwise plebeian Torontonian's consciousness, the whole starving artist thing does not have to funnel down into the masses. In other words, unless Nuit Blanche is itself an interactive project, whereby the viewers somehow become artist stereotypes; staying up all night, snacking on cigarettes and convenience store coffee until some cachet yielding-curator comes up and makes them stars, then Toronto has to cater to the evening. And believe me with tons of bars in the downtown core licensed to stay open until 4am and restaurants prepped to keep proffering up the goodness into the wee hours, you might have to bring a pair of sunglasses to venture into the White Night, but you will not have to pack a lunch pail. Here's where to go:

Sin and Redemption, open until 2am.
In close proximity to OCAD and Yonge and Dundas Square sits Sin and Redemption, a dimly lit mid-scale watering hole that barely elides the status of college-kid pub. After dizzying yourself at the installation at the Toronto Eaton Centre by gazing into a massive mirror hovering high above you, head to this OCAD haunt for a little bit of grounding nourishment and a tad more dizzying – this time in liquid form. More…





The Rivoli, open until 4am.
In recent years the once hep block of Queen St. between University and Spadina has taken a backseat to the Parkdale portions, but The Rivoli has not suffered from this decline in popularity. That being said famous live-music venue with an even more famous patio will play host to a dance performance installation entitled The Eros Cabaret but, more importantly, will pay host to you. More…




Shanghai Cowgirl, open until 7am.

Because Shanghai Cowgirl is already stalwart on the late-night scene when Nuit Blanche comes around it has to out-blanche the rest of the early-closers posing as late night haunts. So on Oct. 3, you can have a seat at the Jamie Oliver-approved diner until the wee-hours of the morning, order up their famous grilled cheese sandwich and even look at some art. More…



Cheval, open until 4am.

Art meets music and the love story begins… Now, just because it's Nuit Blanche it doesn't mean that you have to be freezing your butt off outside… You are a sucker for aural art and the art of movement and you just love, love, love DJ Sylvain Armand will be playing alongside DJ Andy Alias. You'll be hanging with the up and comers, the suits, the hipsters and blowing money like a rock star, but that's why you're here…
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Lakeview Restaurant, open 24hours.

The Lakeview isn't doing anything particularly special for Nuit Blanche: it isn't staying open later and it isn't supporting local artists for the day. However, the Lakeview doesn't have to do anything different because for one thing, the restaurant is already open 24-hours a day and, for another, the diner has been supporting artists since the 30's simply by being itself. More…




The Drake, open until 4am.

It is not a shocker that the Drake, being a pinnacle aspect of the revitalization of Parkdale, is always a go-to during Nuit Blanche. This year is no exception. All aspects of the multifunctional hotel are being exploited on the endless evening, from the restaurant's special prix fixe menu to the bar's extended hours to the major Sight of Sound exhibit. But the big draw this year is the pop-up outdoor café set-up in front of the hipster's hotel. More…

The Gardiner, open.

Jamie Kennedy at the The Gardiner has gone through some significant changes in the past few months – the upscale restaurant has become a casual lunchtime café. But the one thing that hasn't changed is the café's inextricable connection to art, being that it is housed in a gallery. It only makes sense then that The Gardiner will stay open on Saturday evening all night. And the Kennedy folks will be serving up any artist's favorite dish, French fries, throughout the evening on the gallery's front steps. If you have a hankering for some first class frites you better head to the Gardiner fast; they begin selling the fries at 7pm and stop when they are sold out. But if French fries don't inspire you More…

The Gladstone, open until 4am.

In the spirit of art, history, and architecture the Gladstone was built: a respectful shrine to the original building with a showcase of artist-designed rooms, bars, and art spaces. It only makes sense that the multipurpose venue is possibly the greatest place to spend the White Night. First off, all the main floor bars are open until 4am. The ballroom is housing an installation called Pimp my Art an interactive, multimedia performance-based piece where you participate by pitching your ideas for possible art projects to the artists. Rejected or not, you still get your 15 minutes. In addition to the extended hours and artful rigmarole, on the main floor the Gladstone has put together some upstairs antics, in the form of a pop-up gallery/bar. More…

If this list doesn't keep you busy from 6pm – 6am, then I'm afraid you're on your own, good luck. – E.H