To say this winter so far in Toronto has been a gloomy one would be an understatement. You’ve probably noticed that the sun has barely made an appearance for the entire month of January. Luckily, the Distillery District is stepping up to give us all a much needed pick me up with their huge open air gallery, dubbed Toronto Light Fest.
From January 27th to March 12th, the entire Distillery District will be home to a number of light-based art installations by both Canadian and international artists. The festival was conceived by the same organizers who have brought us Toronto’s most popular Christmas market for the past 7 years. They have also partnered with the people behind the Amsterdam Light Festival so all that experience is sure to come together to transform the district into something that will distract you from the fact that winter is still far from over.
Mathew Rosenblatt, the producer of Toronto Light Fest, told The Daily Hive, “We wanted to shift the negativity you hear about in January and February and let people look at the cold and the night in a different way.” He also added, “We want to encourage the idea of a staycation in Toronto. Too often people do the same things over and over again, and almost take the city for granted…and it occurred to me that I should be a tourist in my own city – and I’m loving it!”
Head over to the Distillery District any day between now and March 12th to take in 17 light installations—some interactive, some thoughtful and funny, all like nothing you’ve ever seen before—by 14 different artists. The lights will be on from sundown until 10pm from Sunday to Wednesday and 11pm from Thursday to Sunday. Yes, even if it’s -20 and snowing like crazy.
At the very least, thanks to the Distillery District, January and February just got a lot more Instagrammable. Here's a peek at the Toronto Light Festival: