Nuit Blanche returns to Toronto next month with some major changes

As sure a sign of fall as the leaves changing colour and jack-o-lanterns popping up on porches, Toronto's iconic all-night art festival, Nuit Blanche, is set to return this October.

From 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 straight through to 7 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, the streets of downtown Toronto will be transformed into a guerilla art gallery with original works surrounding this year's theme of "Bridging Distance."

Featuring dozens of works from nearly 150 international and local artists, the festival is an essential annual event, putting Toronto's arts and cultural prowess on display for the city's residents and visitors.

This year, the waterfront will be a focal point of the festival, featuring a brand-new event hub that'll house pop-up performances, interactive experiences and exhibitions.

Amphipoda Songs by Carolina Fusilier. Rendering by Adrian Kent via City of Toronto.

Expanding beyond the traditional bounds of Toronto's city streets and buildings, Lake Ontario will also serve as a setting for the festival, with Oaxaca-based artist, Carolina Fusilier's Amphipoda Songs, which features floating sculptures, lights and soundscapes that pay rememberance to extinct species.

Back on solid land, performances and art works can be found in every corner of the city, from Coalescing Towards, a longform movement performance by Milan-based choreographer Michele Rizzo and Toronto Dance Theatre, to Toronto artist Kara Springer's fraction of another sun, which features light boxes activated by breath.

The landscape of the festival metamorphosizes over the course of the night, with exhibitions opening, closing or changing as time progresses, making it the perfect night to spend an all-nighter exploring the city.

Now in its 18th year, Nuit Blanche has featured 1690 art installations by an estimated 6000 artists and generated over $500 million in economic impact for Toronto.