A guide to Nuit Blanche 2024 in Toronto

Nuit Blanche Toronto 2024 is about to kick off, and here’s everything you need to know about this year’s iteration of the annual festival.

As sure a sign of fall as leaves changing colour or piles of pumpkins at the grocery store, Nuit Blanche, Toronto’s all-night public art festival returns this weekend, filling the city with unbelievable works of art.

While the white night is an annual go-to for plenty of Toronto residents and visitors, the road closures, TTC diversions and knowledge of where to go to see the coolest installations can make the experience more chaotic than cool.

Luckily for you, I’ve compiled everything you need to know to have a smooth, fun and utterly Instagrammable Nuit Blanche.

When?

This year’s festival is taking place from Saturday, Oct. 5 to Sunday, Oct. 6. It runs for 12 hours, from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m., but some streets may close earlier and reopen later — more on that below.

Road Closures and Travel

A festival best experienced on foot, Nuit Blanche will close down a number of city streets to make way for for spectators, performances and art works alike.

Starting the morning of Saturday, Oct. 5, eastbound lanes on Queens Quay West will be closed from Bathurst to Lower Spadina, while eastbound lanes on Queens Quay East will be closed from Yonge to Lower Sherbourne.

Dockside Drive will also be closed from Knapp Lane West to Queens Quay East, as will the Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive loop, between Colonel Sam Smith Park Road and Colonel Samuel Smith Park Drive.

All roadways will be reopened as of noon on Sunday, Oct. 6.

The TTC will also be impacted during the festival, with the 65 Parliament, 114 Queens Quay East, 509 Harbourfront and 510 Spadina on diversion starting at 7 p.m. on Saturday night and running until 8 a.m. Sunday morning.

It’s not all bad news when it comes to transit this weekend, though, because a number of TTC routes will be increasing their service overnight. Subway lines 1 and 2, alongside a selection of buses and streetcars will also continue to run all night. Visit the TTC’s website for more details.

Where?

In a departure from past years of the festival, which was recently spread out across many areas of the city, Nuit Blanche 2024 will be taking on the waterfront, with the majority of events, performances and installations happening along Queens Quay.

Three major exhibitions comprised of a variety of different works will take over Queens Quay between Stadium Road and Sherbourne Common during the festival; The Weight of Levity at the westernmost end, And The Spaces Between Us Smiled in the centre and Cat’s Cradle at the eastern end.

A number of major institutions in the city will also be participating in the festival with exhibits and installations of their own, like OCADU, the AGO, 401 Richmond, Harbourfront Centre, the ROM and the Bentway — so you’ll be able to get in on the fun even if you’re not in the centre of it all.

What you can see

From 12 hour-long dance performances to giant anthropods sculptures floating in Lake Ontario, Nuit Blanche promises to be a feast for all the senses, featuring over 80 works by local, national and international artists.

Check out our round-up of the must-see installations at this year’s festival to start building your itinerary.