Nuit Blanche

  Once again, our plans to visit a specific destination became side-tracked by an unexpected, and delightful, find. While on our way to Mont Royal, we happened upon a HUGE street festival called "Nuit Blanche" ("White Night") that easily turned a three kilometer stretch of road into a pedestrian mall. The original concept of "Nuit Blanche" was created in 1984 in Nantes, France, by Jean Blaise, founder of the Research Center for Cultural Development. His idea was to create a night-time arts festival that turned the streets into "de facto" art galleries free to all. The concept quickly grew into a carnival type venue that included not only art, but also crafts, food vendors, local shops, games, and activities for kids. "Nuit Blanche" has also spread around the globe to over 120 countries (e.g. Barcelona, Bogata, St. Petersburg, Buenos Aires, Naples, Cairo, Havana; just to name a few). Montreal hosts this festival at least twice per year (mid-winter and late-summer) and has turned it into a three day event each time. We had a great time walking the full length of the venue and seeing all that was happening.

The streets literally became a canvas for art.

There were plenty of food vendors selling wares from around the world.

You could buy clothing...

...or watches...

...or get your hair braided.

There were pet supplies for your dog...

...or cat.

Afterwards, you could work off some of those extra calories by spinning...

...or get a foot massage.

Kids could ride tea cups...

...practice their architectural skills...

...go for a slide...

...or climb a mountain.

Of course, there were characters of all kinds present...

...even zombies got into the act (although We were not entirely sure who, or what, the other character was).