Nuit Blanche North returned to Huntsville for its sixth year after a one-year hiatus and it was well worth the wait.
The popular street festival draws hundreds to Main Street and River Mill Park for an eclectic mix of performance art, music, and interactive activities.
This year’s event, inspired by the theme “On This Day”, began with a lantern parade in the style of a New Orleans Jazz funeral march, led by The Heavyweights Brass Band and the Boxcar Boys. Being in honour of the 100th anniversary of Tom Thomson’s death, the lanterns were paper sculpture canoes – three trapper-sized ones created by local artist Patricia Astley and dozens of smaller community-decorated canoes – which were launched into the Muskoka River at the end of the parade. An aerial arts performance by Theatre Arcturus followed to kick off the evening’s festivities.
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- Hundreds of people packed downtown Huntsville for the sixth Nuit Blanche North (Photo: Liz Rice)
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- Nuit Blanche North began with a parade, but not just any parade – a New Orleans-style funeral march that transported canoes carrying the spirit of Tom Thomson and canoeists past to the Muskoka River
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- Trapper-sized canoe lanterns were created by local paper sculptor Patricia Astley
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- Following the parade, Theatre Arcturus kicked off Nuit Blanche North performances at the Town Docks
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- Members of the audience lit sparklers to see off the spirit of Tom Thomson as canoes were launched into the river
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- Trapper-size paper sculpture canoes, created by local artist Patricia Astley, were accompanied by smaller canoes made by the community
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- The Heavyweights Brass Band and The Boxcar Boys led the parade with joyous music
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- The canoe representing Tom Thomson came complete with his paint box
And festive it was. Four zones in the downtown core – at Town Hall, on Main Street, in River Mill Park and at the Town Docks – provided an abundance of entertainment for all ages.
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- Hula hoops are always fun
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- Kids young and old could create their own sunshine…
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- …but first artist Carolyne Wagland asked them to think happy thoughts
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- Annie Cotnoir poses with a sculpture at The Feast (Photo: Liz Rice)
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- Mary-Anne Hildebrandt, Eileen Hildebrandt and Sherry Searle show off their Smashbox lips (Photo: Liz Rice)Mary-Anne Hildebrandt, Eileen Hildebrandt and Sherry Searle show off their Smashbox lips
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- Rudi Stade (right) adds his mark to a community art piece
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- Coco (right) watches artist Helena Renwick paint her in costume
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- Many in the crowd paused to create a watercolour landscape
Nuit Blanche North is organized by the Huntsville Festival of the Arts and Edge of the Woods Theatre under the direction of Dan Watson. This year’s festival featured more than 20 local artists, actors and organizations, along with many more from afar.
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- Betty Hildebrandt from Pembroke isn’t sure what to make of this ostrich-riding busker (Photo: Pete Searle)
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- (From left) John, Mahikan and Michelle came dressed for the occasion
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- All were invited to write messages, dreams and memories to adorn an installation in River Mill Park
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- Festival-goers could have intricate henna art applied to their hands
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- Suzanne Riverin enlisted local actors to recreate George Seurat’s iconic painting “Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte”
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- Mimes danced with willing festival-goers on Main Street
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- This stilt-walker was hard to miss (Photo: Liz Rice)
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- A spray paint artist creates a large-scale Muskoka-themed piece
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- Sherry Peddie helped festival-goers create a huge paper chain to link their lives together
The evening ended with The Red Eye Pyro Show featuring four illuminating acts and, for the hardy partiers, an adult-only Midnight Cabaret Drag Extravaganza.
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- Renowned acrobat Aygul surprised the crowd at the Town Docks with a candlestick contortion act
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- The Fire Guy zips past the crowd on a motorized board while juggling a flaming devil stick at Nuit Blanche North 2017
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- Fire artist Billions Cobra gathered a large crowd in front of Town Hall
If you missed it, check out the video below with clips from the festival.
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