If you couldn’t make it to Nuit Blanche last Saturday, don’t worry: we braved the cold to test out the downtown route for you! Here’s what you missed, until we see you there next year!
For its 23rd edition, Nuit Blanche transported thousands of festival-goers across the city to more than a hundred exclusive cultural activities, including art, poetry, dance, games, cinema, and much more.
What a night! Without further ado, here are our favorites from the evening.
As soon as you arrive at the event site at Place des Arts, one thing becomes clear: we could easily stay here and be completely satisfied, between the funky DJ sets at Station Rogers and the colorful installations of Montréal en lumière!
Note that you still have until March 7 to discover the outdoor site of Montréal en lumière. The program offers activities for all ages: writing and craft workshops, mesmerizing projections, DJ sets, the Loto-Québec skating trail, the continuation of the Frèloca Duel Gourmand culinary competition, and much more. A great outing to punctuate spring break!
Now, back to business… After admiring the light installations from the top of the Ferris wheel at the main site, head to the Nuit de la poésie (Poetry Night).
The Salon urbain at Place des Arts features poetry readings mixed with dance improvisations. The evening, inaugurated by Innu poet Joséphine Bacon, elder in residence at UQAM, welcomed 25 poets from all walks of life, including France Théoret, Dominique Fortier, Camille Readman Prud’homme, and Isabelle Miron.
What a journey awaits us! Poems that denounce, poems that are sensual and vivid, poems that are painful, poems that envelop… Diversity is the watchword. One after another, the artists take their audience on a journey with their voices. Only a few whispers punctuate the silence of an attentive audience.
Between readings, trios of musicians take to the stage, sharing it in turn. These musicians—violinists, cellists, saxophonists, and guitarists—are accompanied by dancers Pénélope Desjardins and Rafa Tremblay-van Zuiden from the UQAM Dance Department. The musicians listened as they improvised, their music mirroring their movements. After a good dose of contemplation, it was time to party! Next step: a collaboration between the Momenta contemporary art biennial, the Musée d’art contemporain (MAC) and Place Ville-Marie (PVM)!
First, we take a quick look at the Soirée à -20 at the Esplanade PVM. A few skaters glide across the ice while enjoying techno music from the Collectif GABA. A real ice dance floor!
Then we headed to Cathcart for a dance party organized by Ausgang Plaza and hosted by dancers from the collectives Le Maquis and Forward Movements. An energy of sharing took hold. One by one, dancers and non-dancers entered the cyphers to groove to the sound of Afro music.
Just a stone’s throw away, in PVM, there’s a completely different atmosphere, but one that’s just as enjoyable! The MAC and Momenta present In Praise of the Missing Image. Through powerful works that highlight censored images, erased narratives, and invisible figures, the seven artists in this exhibition give voice to the silences of history and the gray areas of our collective memory, opening the door to new voices. Visitors take their time in the room—calm, far from the bustling night outside. They may leave the exhibition with food for thought on the social, political, ethical, and aesthetic issues that shape our contemporary societies.
Alongside this exhibition, there are creative workshops called Memories in Motion. The MAC’s team of mediators encourages festival-goers to explore various artistic techniques, including drawing and watercolor, based on the mural River Water by artist Niap.
There’s no doubt that whether you wanted to dance the night away or recharge your batteries through art, Nuit Blanche had something for everyone. Will you be joining us for the 24th edition?