Nuit Blanche North returns to Downtown Huntsville this Saturday July 28th!

For one night only, the streets will come alive with an exciting program of free contemporary artistic activities, events and exhibits taking place in unconventional places in and around Huntsville’s downtown core. The fun begins at sunset and continues into the wee hours of the morning. Visitors can wander through the streets of Huntsville to discover surprising works of art in unexpected places. From street theatre, to music, to sculpture, to film and interactive exhibits, there is something for everyone, and many ways to join in the fun. Come explore, discover, debate, create and participate. All you need is a desire to stay up late and play!

So, what exactly will you see at Nuit Blanche North 2018? There are 4 Zones located at different areas across the downtown core. To find out what will be happening in each, see below.


Nuit Blanche North Zone 1: Town Hall

  1. Visions of Future’s Past
    A retro futuristic visioning of the future as told by those living in the past. 
    Multi-disciplinary artist Melissa Joakim collaborates with comic artist Lorenz Peter to create an interactive installation with live electronic music performed by their band Processor. Joakim uses projection mapping and live-generated animation to activate the Town Hall and to prime all Earthlings for the Space Cat invasion. We invite you to play along with futuristic gizmos and gadgets in the light-up arcade. This piece uses a playful and whimsical lens to ask how does our present stack up against what people of the past thought the future would be like? How far have we come? How far do we still need to go? Will the Earth have enough yarn to support the influx of our Space Cat overlords?
  2. Silver Elvis Live Mural Team
    Join Silver Elvis and his street mural team to create an original large-scale painting fusing collage, street art and black lights, accompanied by the dulcet tones of the bassoon and theramin. Over the past three years, The SilverElvis live collabrative has produced 111 murals across Ontario .
  3. RHYTHMANIA!
    The spirit and magic of rhythm transcends all ages, gender, religions, races, and cultures. Drum circles have the power to heal and empower, to foster unity and community, and to liberate our primal souls! Come and experience creative expression through drumming and rhythm. Participants will explore a variety of drums, percussion instruments, and incorporate them into an ensemble where together, truly has the power to transport the players to different places. Everyone is welcome!
  4. Gerry Lantaigne
    Walk the line beside this large-scale installation where each one of your steps turns still images into a moving tapestry of light and colour. Using a process of stroboscopic animation, the work creates an optical illusion that asks the viewer to recognize the individual moments that constitute the continuous motion of our lives.
  5. CIRCUS!
    CIRCUS! incorporates vintage images/film frames of the Ringling Circus that Elizabeth Siegfried “re-shot” from 16mm films that her grandmother took in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Siegfried’s grandmother (1882-1952) was an avid amateur photographer who, living in Rochester NY in the Kodak “heyday,” was fortunate to have firsthand access to the cutting-edge technology of still and moving photography. When Siegfried discovered ninety-two reels of film at her family’s beloved summer home near Algonquin Park, she realized that among the many reels of Oxtongue Lake and Rochester, there was also significant footage of the Ringling Circus winter home and the Ringling Circus performers, shot when her grandmother had visited Sarasota, Florida in the early 20th Century. Her grandmother also had shot footage in Rochester when the Ringling Circus performed there in 1940 and 1942.
  6. Now. So. What?
    A guided practice of mindfulness walking led by Sandy Inkster to emphasize the importance of being present, and that there isn’t anything to dwell on (past or future) when being mindful and present.  To answer the question of what happens now, it would be to model that life is impermanent, now is always changing, meditating to bring one’s awareness to now is actually what is happening.  To address those events that have and continue to challenge and define our notions in place and identity on this planet, “Now. So What?” will explore that being aware and taking time to be mindful, to meditate and be present will positively influence the way we respond to these personal and public events of significance and especially how they ripple over time.

And keep an eye out for other fun an interactive activities brought to you by Metro, Smashbox, and Painted Kids Face Painting.


Nuit Blanche North Zone 2 – Main Street

  1. 8pm- PyRomeo
    A high-energy demonstration showcasing a wealth of talent and hilarity. A master of death defying circus stunts and a truly charismatic character, audiences of all ages will fall in love with PyRomeo!
  2. 9pm- Isabella Hoops
    A circus performer based out of Toronto, Ontario Canada who has always possessed a passion for entertaining people. Her charm, flirtatious energy and her quirky humour is unforgettable. Bella doesn’t just hula-hoop; she brings her own style of dance and rhythm to the hoop to create an extraordinary and memorable show. Bella Hoops has a wide variety of performing experience: from cabarets, to festivals, on the street, in schools and kids birthday parties.
  3. 10pm- Kobbler Jay
    Using his seasoned arsenal of tricks and fresh wit, Kobbler Jay has captivated, delighted, and charmed audiences in over a dozen countries. The classic “Kobbler Jay” show is thoroughly entertaining for all ages. Children are spellbound by his stunts, teenagers get a kick out of his saucy wit, and adults can appreciate his humour. His comedy can be described as “off the wall” yet appropriate to the audience.
  4. Good Enough Live Karaoke
    We play, YOU sing! If you’ve ever had a secret desire to sing onstage with a band, Good Enough Live Karaoke will unleash your inner rockstar and make it happen. A five-piece band featuring guitar, bass, keyboards and drums, Good Enough’s repertoire of over 300 songs spans genres and eras. From Aerosmith and Nirvana to Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, the Tragically Hip, White Stripes and everything in betweenIt’s as easy as scanning the song list, picking a song you love and daring to get on stage with us. Lyrics are provided on an iPad on a music stand. And we will cue you in and sing back up when necessary.
  5. Celebrating Inclusion Through the Arts
    Community Living Huntsville brings a series of celebratory performances and hands on arts activities aimed at spreading awareness about perceptions and language associated with disabilities. Enjoy a high energy performance by an integrated dance squad made of local community members with mixed abilities, a large scale visual installation depicting the shift from segregation and congregation of people with disabilities to full inclusive community lives, and walk the path to inclusion through an evolving yarn bomb arch way. A showcase for the incredible magic that can happen when everyone is included.
  6. Feel the Rush
    Seeking adventure and thrill? Unleash your inner athlete and get your adrenaline pumping with our extreme sports exhibit! Understand the physics of a 360 flip, learn about sports injuries, and train like a professional competitor.
  7. HARPPPP
    EEGDynamixx in association with BEnt. brings you HARPPP: an interactive sound installation for receiving and transmitting messages through the earth energy grid. Building on his continuing explorations of his NETTT formations, artist Rob Gill uses an array of vertical copper pipes to create an intricate grid which is in part a satire of, in part a serious aprehension of the actual HAARP(High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program) installation near Anchorage Alaska. Come walk through the web and strum the wires whose sound will be recorded, and mixed together into a collective soundscape, created live and incorporating conversations from years past, to be transmitted along the earth energy grid. If alien spaceships land and say hello then we know it has worked.
  8. Mimes on Main
    Celebration is the reward that, as individuals and as society, we use to punctuate and frame our lives. Mimes on Main will gather the personal celebrations of visitors to Nuit Blanche and create short silent pieces inspired by what they hear. Want to be part of the fun? Visit the tent and get Mimed up with white make up.
  9. What will I change?
    An interactive fibre arts installation encouraging visitors to consider issues such as climate change, #metoo, gun control and others.  Fibre artists Teri Howell and Mary Spring will operate sewing machines, fabric squares and fabric markers and encourage visitors to contribute thoughts, words or poems about how they might respond to issues in their community and world today by changing something about themselves and how they interact with the world around them.  Visitors write this on a fabric square and work with the artists to sew their square onto a long piece of webbing which would become a community prayer flag to be hung in the community.

And keep an eye out for some incredible walkabout performers including Darling Pink and Silver Elvis, and an interactive Hoop Zone. Plus – catch the North Fire Show on at the Town Docks at 11pm!


Nuit Blanche North Zone 3: River Mill Park

  1. 9pm- Lemon Bucket Orkestra
    A guerilla-punk-balkan-folk-brass band massive like no other. Tracing their genesis back to the streets of Toronto, the original quartet of busking troubadours quickly amassed a battalion of like-minded musical souls and the full-blown, dozen plus strong Orkestra was born. The multi award winning ensemble has been heralded as a groundbreaking, genre-bending phenomenon by the Canadian and international media alike and over the past 8 years they have performed on streets and stages around the world, leaving a trail of new friends and dedicated fans in their wake.
  2. 8pm & 10:30pm- Ouroboros
    A band with an unconventional make-up and an undeniable entertainment factor. With an arsenal of horns, drums and vocals, these award-winning musicians deliver a dynamic new spin on world and jazz traditions. From carnival-esque originals to Klezmer party jams, the band explores folk influences around the globe with a thrilling improvisational synergy.
  3. 8:30pm & 10pm- Reverberations
    Reverberations is a piece about examining and harnessing the ripples of an experience to take back personal power. The aerial performance is accompanied and influenced by live improvised percussion. The physical sequence is set but how it is performed will change based on audience input. No matter the story or moment that we choose to work with, the resulting performance will build towards a conclusion of hope and optimism, finding strength and positivity in the ripples. The performer will become the reverberation of experience.
  4. A-maze-ing Answers
    Walk a labyrinth of lights in River Mill Park and ponder questions of the future. Visitors are invited to write or draw an answer to the prompt of “So What Now” and venture forth into the labyrinth with it. Once they reach the centre, they place their answer into a crystal bowl at the same time picking an answer someone else made to ponder and reflect upon as you venture out of the labyrinth.
  5. What Do I see Here?
    Maverick artist Sandy McClennan will shoot super 8 motion picture film during Nuit Blanche North set-up, evening and night, to process the film on-site, culminating in a screening of the original piece at 11:30pm. The piece continues McClennan’s compulsion to reproduce docu-drama evidence of the world around him, via photography, motion pictures, audio, installation and performance.
  6. 16mm Film Scratch
    Through a process that uses hands on physical augmentation of 16mm film, come explore painting or scratching onto film stock and be part of a collaborative animated film. This workshop will explore techniques of such as direct ink/paint, letraset, scratching, stamping, sanding and hole punching with either found stock film and clear and black film.
  7. What Remains
    what remains is an audience-driven participatory performance installation that uses movement, sound, personal histories, sidewalk chalk, and sparklers to map the impact of encounter – between performers, audience, and the space itself.
  8. Moving Sounds
    Moving Sounds is a curated program of sound art works -­‐ curated by New Adventures in Sound Art’s Artistic Director Darren Copeland -­‐ that audience members will manipulate live via a sensor-­‐based system in order to move the sounds around the listening space.   The sound art works that the audience members will manipulate electronically have been selected from NAISA’s past programming.  The works on the program will be Donika Rudi’s Emotion Machine, Debashis Sinha’s Redo Speaking Song, Pierre-­‐Luc Senécal’s Urban Gardens, Adam Basanta’s ecologie materielle, Ambrose Field’s Frozen Voyagers and Vanessa Sorce-­‐Lévesque’s Bora.


Nuit Blanche North Zone 4: Town Docks

  1. 8pm & 10pm- I Fear
    An improvised performance on aerial silks and cello based on audience suggestions. Throughout the evening, visitors are invited to write down something that “I fear” about the present or future and to place it on a hanging line surrounding the aerial rig. Aerial performers will take turns selecting fears from the line, reading them aloud and performing an improvised act based on the fear read with the accompaniment of a live cellist. At the end of the evening audiences will be invited to participate in a ceremony to acknowledge the remaining fears and to destroy or carry them as they see fit.
  2. 9pm- Nemesis
    Nemesis is a duo of electric violin pioneer Dr. Draw and the Canadian Beatboxing champion Scott Jackson.  The name is based on the Nemesis star theory which claims that Nemesis is a theoretical dwarf star thought to be a companion to our sun.  The sound ranges anywhere from Middle eastern influenced folk music to old school hip hop to Mongolian chant.  The goal for this band it to keep being inventive and building upon the relationship between the violin and the voice.
  3. So What Now?
    Building on his past successes at Nuit Blanche North, Marc Walter will create three monumental sculptures, each created with community members, and each inspired by a different theme: the past, the present, the future. These sculptures will take the form of giant rotating lanterns that will illuminate the water and darkness surrounding them.
  4. Slam Poetry
    Join some of Toronto’s finest poets as they take you on a journey of rhythm, rhyme and passion. Performances at 8:45pm, 9:30pm & 10:15pm
  5. Beneath the Surface
    Four large illuminated lantern puppets to represent Water, Air and Land will travel throughout Nuit Blanche North to draw consciousness to the importance of the sacred lands we live on, to honour the original keepers of the land, and encourage visitors to think more deeply about how they relate to the place they live. In order to protect the environment, we must recognize its importance.
  6. Where thee Fairy?
    Embark on scavenger hunt for Magical Fairy Homes. Throughout downtown Huntsville will be a number of enchanted miniature fairy homes. Your mission is to find all, document them through photos and drawings to show that they do exist.
  7. Muskoka Sunsets
    One of Nuit Blanche North’s most popular workshops presented by Nancy Hunter. This is a fun and easy activity for all ages that only takes about 15 or 20 minutes to complete your own masterpiece of sunsets remembered or imagined in the future. Create your own souvenir paintings of Nuit Blanche. No experience in drawing or painting, just enjoy the adventure.

Also don’t miss these Special Events!

  1. NorthFIRE
    Town Docks | 11pm
    For one hour the night sky s lit up with fire! This high energy fire show melds elegant choreography with extreme fire power.   An explosive pyro show featuring Isabella Hoops, Isabella Hoops, Pyromeo, Darling Pink & Kobbler Jay employing fire hoops, poi, staff, acrobatics, fire breathing and some exceptional pyro techniques. This all ages event has become a popular tradition at Nuit Blanche North, and this year’s show promises to be the most illuminating yet!
  2. Broadway After Dark
    Club 55 | Midnight
    Not ready to go home yet? After the kids have gone home to bed, Huntsville Theatre Company brings you musical revue from musicals on the edge including Rocky Horror, Avenue Q, Book of Mormon and Rent. Join them for a drink in our licenced cabaret space.

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