Offering another reason to love summertime in the city, Luminato Festival, Toronto’s 10-day festival of creativity, is back for its 7th year. Running today through June 23rd, Luminato illuminates Toronto’s stages, streets and public spaces with arts and creativity. The multi-disciplinary festival features something for every arts lover, bringing together artists from different cultures and genres – theatre, dance, music, film, literature, visual arts, design and even magic, plus more. David Pecaut Square once again serves as the Luminato Festival Hub, with nightly free concerts and events.
We kicked off Luminato this past Saturday night at the Big Bang Bash at the ROM, which was also the unveiling of Dolls by Viktor and Rolf. In a bash that attracted the all the charity circuit regulars, guests snapped post-worthy shots of Viktor & Rolf’s shrunken down runway designs on dolls. The American Girl-esque dolls are displayed in a runway style wearing the most iconic and memorable wares from V&R’s 20-year career. The exhibit is free to the public from June 9th to 30th.
Check out some of the highlights of this year’s festival and the website for more information. In the meantime, here are some of our choice highlights…
Evening Illuminations
A series of interactive nighttime discussions from June 14-21 includes panelists like Rufus Wainwright, Mark Morris, Alexander Neef, Vincent Lam and John Mighton. Evening Illumination topics range from dance and opera to social interaction in urban settings. Talks take place at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and the Toronto Reference Library, and some are free!
Read more here.
Maestros of Magic
This year, David Ben, Artistic Director of Magicana, an organization dedicated to the exploration of magic as a performing art, has invited three world-renowned performers to perform the impossible as part of the Luminato Festival. The Maestros of Magic include Miguel Puga and his collaborative show Concerto for Piano & Pasteboards; Rafael Benatar with Compositions; and Steve Cohen in Chamber Magic.
Read more here.
A Literary Picnic
On Saturday, June 22nd, from 12 to 4pm at Trinity Bellwoods Park, you can exchange both ideas and pre-loved books with over 60 authors and other book lovers. The event is free of charge, no is registration required, and features a food truck on site.
Read more here.
The Hub at David Pecaut Square
A great set of over 30 free concerts and conversations will take place at the Hub at David Pecaut Square, a central location for Luminato events. The concert will feature talent like k-os, Serena Ryder to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
See all of The Hub’s happenings here.
