illuminite toronto

There's a new interactive lights festival coming that will make Toronto shine

The Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area (DYBIA) is brightening up winter with a stunning light festival featuring interactive installations all over the neighbourhood.

The festival, called Illuminite, will run from March 1 through the 31 , and will span the entire Downtown Yonge neighbourhood with six installations that are totally free for the public to engage with.

Included in the festival is "SAM Lamp" by Sam Hardwicke, a large sculpture you can sit or stand inside of that uses seasonal affective disorder (SAD) lamp technology to help allieviate some of the symptoms of the winter blues.

Another, called "You Were Here" by Meghan Cheng will use motion tracking technology to illuminate LED butterflies as you walk by on Yonge Street.

"Digital Drapes" by MattCreative will transform all of the windows at the HNR Properties at 19-21 Dundas Square with grids of colourful LEDs that can be programmed to different designs.

"Downtown Yonge is so much more than just high-rise buildings and offices - it is also a cultural corridor," says Cheryll Diego, Downtown Yonge's Public Realm Experience Director. 

"With Illuminite, we invite friends and families, visitors and tourists to come by and stay for a while, and truly feel the heartbeat of Toronto."

At the same time, Yonge and Dundas Square will also be home to Biolumen by Radha Chaddah x RAW Design, an interactive art experience featuring changing light and sound, to make sure Downtown Toronto shines all through the winter.

Lead photo by

"Ethera" by Ariel Weiss


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