Top 10 Nuit Blanche events in Winnipeg this weekend
The WAG, Princess St. Parkway, Deer + Almond, Wall to Wall mural fest and a mobile gallery from RAW
This is that weekend where Culture Days crams a year's worth of activities into one weekend, and it's also that weekend where the city comes completely alive for Nuit Blanche and everyone stays up late.
So instead of doing my typical top five, you're getting a top 10. The catch is, they're all on one night.
There are a few cute things that didn't make the list but you can stop by at some point, including: Tiny Feast doing a button-making thing until 9 p.m., a LuckyGirl vintage pop-up shop until 11 p.m. at Old Market Square, Cinematheque hosting a Queen-themed sing-along at 10 p.m. and King + Bannatyne setting up a photo booth.
Here are the one's that made the cut. Choosing was hard. There's a lot to do.
WHAT: PUBLIC ART – Wall to Wall closing event
When: Saturday, Sept. 26 from 7 p.m. till late
Where: Two locations (Outside 318 Ross Ave. and later at Deer + Almond)
Cost: FREE
This is my top pick for the whole night. Wall to Wall has been running all week and will close out Saturday with a mural painting with 12 local artists on the outside of C Space gallery in the Exchange.
There will be music, people will be painting the mural right in front of you, and best of all, there will be like 1,000 people there on bikes getting ready to set off on a gallery tour.
This is the perfect place to start off your night. Then when it wraps up around 9:30 p.m., you can head to Synonym Art Consultation's second event at Deer + Almond.
Deer + Almond is also doing a mural thing, and Synonym is helping them out, so you can go there and eat and dance and enjoy some installation art and also there will be a political event type thing on the roof.
It will be a fun thing. Mainly outdoors. Enjoy!
WHAT: TOUR – Rainbow Trout Bike Jam
When: Saturday, Sept. 26 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Where: Starts at 318 Ross Ave. (C-Space gallery)
Cost: $1 to $2 (optional donation)
The Rainbow Trout Music Festival is holding a bike jam to raise some money for their fest, and they're doing it by getting together thousands of cyclists to tour a ton of Nuit Blanche events together.
You meet up then head to different events together and don't have to think too much about where to go or how to plan the night. Plus, you're with about 1,000 of the nicest people in the city.
This starts at Wall to Wall's mural painting at 318 Ross Ave., and then heads all over downtown, the Exchange District, St. Boniface and The Forks.
Go do the thing. You'll like it, I think.
WHAT: PARTY – Nuit Blanche at the WAG
When: Saturday, Sept. 26 from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Where: Winnipeg Art Gallery at 300 Memorial Blvd.
Cost: FREE to $10
This is the big party. There will be art, live performances, dancing, movies and drinks to buy.
This year MEMETIC is doing a music and light projection thing with Olympus-themed electronic music.
Of course, the big party comes with the big lineups. These stretch for blocks and have hundreds and hundreds of people in them, so if you want to get in, you'll have to go early.
This one also doesn't include free admission to the new Olympus exhibit, but you can check it out for only $10 if you want to take a peek inside.
WHAT: INSTALLATION – Princess St. Parkway
When: Saturday, Sept. 26 from 5 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Where: Alleyway behind Deer + Almond at 85 Princess St.
Cost: FREE
I'm very excited to see what Josh Dieleman and Thea Pederson have come up with for their installation in the Princess Street alley next to Deer + Almond.
In the past few years in Winnipeg, more and more architects are repurposing alleyways and dreyways for art installations and parties, and I think this will be a good one.
The alley is adjacent to the Deer + Almond dance party/mural fest wrap, so you'll be able to grab drinks and dance or sit or whatever.
Go look. Josh makes nice things.
WHAT: GALLERY – RAW:Mobile
When: Saturday, Sept. 26 from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Where: Graham Avenue between Smith and Garry Streets
Cost: FREE
RAW:Mobile is picking up where RAW:Gallery left off when it closed earlier this year, and they're setting up just off Graham Avenue for Nuit Blanche.
The "gallery" is three large semi-trailers that will be parked between Smith and Garry facing Graham with installations by three different artists.
Eric Lesage, Caroline Monnet and Joe Kalturnyk are doing installations in each of the different trailers.
I like this one. I think you should go.
WHAT: PHOTOGRAPHY – Café Nuit: Musique et photographie
When: Saturday, Sept. 26 from 9 p.m. to midnight
Where: Café Postal at 202 Provencher Blvd.
Cost: FREE
If you're looking for a more low-key way to spend Nuit Blanche, Café Postale will be open late with music and a photography exhibit.
Postale is a really sweet tiny little café, and it's a nice spot to stop by if you want to try an amazing cocktail in a more laid back atmosphere. And of course check out some art.
WHAT: FILM – WNDX Festival of Moving Image's Dempsey + Millan launch
When: Saturday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Cinematheque at 100 Arthur St.
Cost: FREE
WNDX Festival of Moving Image is doing a whole bunch of fantastic things for the whole weekend, and this is one of them.
Shawna Dempsey of Mentoring Artists for Women's Art and Lori Millan are doing a screening/performance combo of a number of Millan and Dempsey's films, specifically looking at "lesbian life, love, and friendship; women's bodies and desires, their appetites, their contradictions [and] their power."
I think it will be worth seeing.
WHAT: MUSIC – Brainery Bash at the U of W
When: Saturday, Sept. 26 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Where: University of Winnipeg front lawn at 515 Portage Ave.
Cost: FREE
This will be a nice, albeit brief, party downtown.
The University of Winnipeg is doing their Brainery Bash again this year with pop-up performances, collaborative art projects, games and short films from their film department.
There will be some art projected on buildings and a whole bunch of students. It's free and will be a super accessible way to start the night if you want to stop by.
WHAT: KIDS – Mini Nuit Blanche
When: Saturday, Sept. 26 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Cost: FREE
If you have little kids who you aren't sure will fit into the whole Nuit Blanche thing but you still want to get them out and doing the art thing, try the Children's Museum.
They're opening their doors for free so your kids can play and contribute to a really big collaborative art project. CUTE!
WHAT: INTERACTIVE – TENTative at Upper Fort Garry
When: Saturday, Sept. 26 from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Where: Upper Fort Garry at 130 Main St.
Cost: FREE
This is a stop-in-for-five-minutes type thing but still worth checking out if you have time.
There's going to be an outdoor video installation in the new Upper Fort Garry park at Main Street and Broadway all night.
Three cameras and microphones are being set up to take in images and project them on the inside and outside of a tent.
Pre-recorded and live video/sounds will play together, and I sort of imagine it like that cool room at the Planetarium. It'll probably be a bit more grown up than that.