Nuit Blanche 2025 features more than 85 art installations across Toronto. Follow our live coverage through the night with arts critic and reporter Joshua Chong and reporters Savannah Ridley and Daysha Loppie.
Updated 26 sec ago
How to eat your way through Nuit Blanche tonight
While Nuit Blanche is certainly a feast for the eyes, your taste buds need some love, too. We’ve whipped up a list of late-night eats near exhibit clusters for when you need a brief respite — and a yummy meal.
Nathan Phillips Square
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Everyside: Taphouse with a diverse menu including burgers, bowls and pizza (open until 2 a.m.)
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Top Hot Pot: Customizable DIY soup fare (open until midnight)
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Frans Restaurant: All-hours diner bites ranging from eggs benny to shepherd’s pie (open 24 hours)
Etobicoke (Humber College Area)
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Trini Gardens: A mix of traditional West Indian and Chinese cuisines (open until 11 p.m.)
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MaaWaa Shawarma: Offers handheld and platter shawarma options (open until 11 p.m.)
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Lucky Dice Restaurant and Bar: Diner fare with all-day breakfast options (open until 2 a.m.)
Mel Lastman Square
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Petit Potato: Asian fusion eats including ramen and bibimbap (open until 1 a.m.)
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Meataa 7 Authentic Charcoal BBQ: DIY traditional Chinese barbecue fare (open until 3 a.m.)
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Haru Shabu Shabu: Japanese-style DIY hotpot (open until 11 p.m.)
Kensington-Chinatown
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Rosewood: Cantonese dishes with all-you-can-eat dim sum options (open until 3 a.m.)
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House of Gourmet: A vast menu serving Chinese dishes with daily specials (open until 1 a.m.)
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Juicy Dumpling: Counter serve with affordable Shanghai-style dumplings (open until midnight)
St. Andrew’s Playground
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Rosie’s Burgers: Classic burger fare with chicken options (open until 11 p.m.)
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The Grand Indian Dining: Authentic Indian dishes with a full bar (open until 1 a.m.)
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Paris Texas: Saloon serving shareable hors d’oeuvres and entrées (open until 2 a.m.)
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Myth: Traditional Greek cuisine with a full bar (open until 2 a.m.)
Updated 12 mins ago
A vibrant downtown scene
The scene outside Union Station.
Savannah Ridley/Toronto Star
Hello Toronto! I’ll be the Star’s eyes and ears from the downtown core.
I’m starting off the evening at a bustling Union Station. As a herd of Torontonians shifts towards the waterfront, Melissa McGill’s “A Lake Story” waits to greet them on Queens Quay West.
The large-scale public artwork — a fleet of 120 canoes that come together in a choreographed performance — is led by New York-based artist McGill, who calls herself a “water storyteller.”
Updated 19 mins ago
A fascinating exhibition at 401 Richmond St. W.
Curator Katie Butler at “The Invisible String” exhibit at 401 Richmond St. W.
Daysha Loppie/Toronto Star
I’m an intern reporter covering Nuit Blanche exhibits in the west end tonight. I’ll be travelling on my vintage Raleigh cruiser bike, draped in ghost-shaped lights for more visibility.
My first stop is 401 Richmond St. W. The heritage-designated industrial building is home to dozens of art organizations and galleries, which is filling up quickly with people coming in from both entrances. Groovy music booms out of the entry point near Richmond St. W. and Spadina.
At Gagne Contemporary on the lower level of the building, curator Katie Butler is showing “The Invisible String.”
Here’s what’s cool about the exhibit: each painting is connected. Each canvas contains an element from the painting before it.
Updated 30 mins ago
At Nuit Blanche exhibit, FIFA World Cup 2026 posters range from dull to inspired
The FIFA World Cup 2026 host city posters for Toronto (left) and Boston.
Joshua Chong/Toronto Star
One of the installations at Nuit Blanche’s North York hub is a showcase featuring the 16 posters for each 2026 FIFA World Cup host city.
Don’t cancel me, but I think Toronto’s Art Deco-style poster — featuring a soccer player and a map of the region — is rather drab and uninspiring.
My favourite of the collection is by far Boston’s colourful entry, which is inspired by its Maritime roots and features a giant lobster at its centre.
Updated 40 mins ago
Nuit Blanche 2025 kicks off across Toronto
Shilpa Gupta’s light installation “We Change Each Other,” features text presented in various languages, including Arabic, English and Hindi. It perfectly encapsulates this year’s Nuit Blanche theme of “translating the city.”
Joshua Chong/Toronto Star
Good evening, Toronto! I’m here in North York at Mel Lastman Square, one of the major hubs for Nuit Blanche 2025, which has just kicked off.
I’m joined by my colleagues Savannah Ridley in downtown Toronto and Daysha Loppie in the city’s west end. We’ll be providing extensive coverage this evening of the city’s dusk-to-dawn, contemporary arts festival, including short reviews of the major exhibits, interviews with artists and attendees, along with colour (and tons of photos) from the ground.
This year’s Nuit Blanche features more than 85 arts installations spread across the city. Check out the Star’s map of the festival or visit the city of Toronto’s website for a detailed guide and more information on all the exhibits.
Updated 33 mins ago
Multiple road closures planned for Nuit Blanche
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Toronto drivers should plan ahead this weekend with multiple road closures set to take effect across the city for Nuit Blanche.
Closures begin Friday morning and are expected to reopen by Sunday at noon. TTC will be diverting several routes as well as a result of the event.
Parts of downtown, including a portion of Dundas St. W., will be affected. Closures are planned in North York and Etobicoke, too.
Read more details here
Updated Oct. 3, 2025 at 12:42 p.m.
Nuit Blanche 2025: Everything to know about Toronto’s dusk-to-dawn, contemporary art extravaganza
Nuit Blanche, an all night art festival primarily takes place on the waterfront, returns this year on Oct. 4 and 5.
Steve Russell/Toronto Star file photo
Nuit Blanche, Toronto’s dusk-to-dawn contemporary art showcase, will take over the city once again this weekend for its 19th edition. This year’s showcase will feature more than 85 art installations and exhibits by local, national and international creators. Here’s everything to know ahead of the event.
When does Nuit Blanche take place?
Nuit Blanche is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, ephemeral affair, taking place from 7 p.m. on Saturday until 7 a.m. on Sunday — essentially from dusk until dawn. By midday Sunday, most installations will be disassembled.
However, a select few exhibits will have longer runs. These include the Museum of Toronto’s “The 52,” an exhibition celebrating 52 iconic Toronto women (until Dec. 20), and the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre’s “The Shape of Loss,” looking back at the Japanese Canadian fishing boats confiscated during the Second World War (until Jan. 23, 2026).
Where are the installations located?
As in previous years, there’s no one central hub for Nuit Blanche 2025. Exhibits will be spread across every corner of the city, though often grouped in clusters.
In downtown Toronto, one such cluster will be in and around Nathan Phillips Square, stretching westward along Dundas and Queen streets. Nuit Blanche’s North York hub will be centred at Mel Lastman Square, with more than a dozen exhibits around that area. In Etobicoke, meanwhile, there will be another cluster of 15 installations around Humber Polytechnic’s Lakeshore campus and the nearby Colonel Samuel Smith Park.
Unlike in previous years, there are no exhibits programmed in Scarborough for this upcoming edition of the festival. The closest events for east-end residents will likely be the trio of exhibits clustered at the Aga Khan Museum and the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, or at Nuit Blanche’s eastern hub near Danforth and Coxwell Avenues.
What is this year’s theme?
The exhibits curated for Nuit Blanche 2025 are built around the theme of “translating the city,” conceived by artistic director Laura Nanni. The theme, explains Nanni, is inspired by the multilingual nature of Toronto, whose residents collectively speak more than 200 languages.
What are some of the major exhibitions?
There are three major exhibits produced by the city at Nuit Blanche 2025. Nanni, who’s wrapping up her tenure as artistic director with this year’s edition, has curated “Collective Composition” in North York. The exhibition comprises of eight works, including a multilingual light installation (“We Change Each Other”) and a performance installation (“S’imbriquer”) that sees two people construct a giant landscape, brick by brick.
At Humber Polytechnic in Etobicoke, curator Renata Azevedo Moreira’s “From here, there, everywhere” features seven works displayed near the waterfront. Meanwhile, Charlene K. Lau assembles nine installations in downtown Toronto for her exhibition “Poetic Justice,” exploring ideas of displacement, Indigenous homelands and immigration.
What even is Nuit Blanche?
Nuit Blanche, which literally translates to “white night” or, more accurately, “sleepless night,” was established in Toronto in 2006. It was inspired by other similar all-night art festivals around the globe. Each year, the event draws hundreds of thousands of spectators. Since its inception, Nuit Blanche in Toronto has featured more than 1,800 art installations.
How can I get around?
Cyclists can make use of Bike Share Toronto’s special 24-hour pass for Nuit Blanche, offering unlimited 90-minute rides for $10. Meanwhile, the TTC will be implementing all-night subway service between Saturday and Sunday.
What is this weekend’s forecast?
The weather is looking good for this weekend. On Saturday evening, temperatures are forecast to be around 21 C, dipping down to 17 C by Sunday morning. Expect partly clouded skies throughout.
