A Look At The New Toronto Light Festival

*Guest Post by Raphaela Mandel*

The Toronto Light Festival has officially kicked off in our city and I’m super pumped! Located in the Distillery Historic District, the festival (which runs January 27th – March 12th) features 21 light art installations created by local and international artists. The brand new fest is all about bringing light and magic to our dark, cold winter nights in Toronto. Oh, and it’s free. Yup, we said it: FREE!

The inspiration behind it all? Creator and executive director, Mathew Rosenblatt, told us he was inspired by Burning Man and other highly-recognized light art festivals around the globe, including the Amsterdam Light Festival. He said the goal of the Toronto Light Festival is to ultimately bring people out of the dark and into the light so they can explore the city in a way never done before…

I had a chance to check out the fest on opening night and was left speechless. It was pure magic. The lights brightened up every corner of the Distillery. The installations were downright amazing. All of them — literally every single piece made me smile like I was five years old. I just couldn’t get enough!

As this is the inaugural Toronto Light Festival, I thought I’d pull together this mini guide to help you get the most out of your experience…

What To Do: The Toronto Light Festival

You’ll want to spend the majority of your time exploring and interacting with the 21 light art installations throughout the Distillery Historic District. I have a few favourite pieces on my must-see list: The Angels of Freedom by the OGE Group from Israel is one. The semi-interactive installation looks kind of like the angel emoji with major Instagram potential! And share on social you must: for each selfie taken under the halo and hashtagged #MillStLights, Mill Street Brewery will donate a dollar to the Daily Bread Food Bank!

Another must-see installation is A Dream of Pastures where artists from Studio F Minus have set up an old-school stationary bike that visitors can ride to activate a soundtrack and pedal-powered shadow show. So fun!

What To Eat: Dining In The Distillery District

If you’re in the Distillery District and craving some yummy food/coffee/sweets – you’ll basically never want to leave! There are just SO many places to choose from. For casual dining with friends or family, I’d recommend the Mill Street Brewery — from spinach dip to bison meatloaf, you’re sure to find something delicious and comforting on a cold night. Got a date? Cluny Bistro is where you’ll want to head to impress him/her: the Parisian decor and French cuisine are to-die for! Got a sweet tooth? The Sweet Escape Pâtisserie and Soma Chocolatemaker are your dreams come true. Need a caffeine pick-me-up? Step inside the gorgeous Balzac’s Coffee Roasters for some fab brew…

Where To Stay: The Fairmont Royal York Hotel

Why not stretch out the festival and make it a whole weekend affair? I personally think it’s the best idea ever. The Fairmont Royal York Hotel offers a special Toronto Light Festival Package that includes a stay in one of their Fairmont Luxury Rooms, two festive cocktails (the Fairmont Firefly at EPIC Lounge), two dessert vouchers for Cluny Bistro (the dreamy French resto I mentioned above), two private guided walking tours and a Toronto Light Festival welcome amenity! How perfect is that?! We had a fabulous staycation and were treated with the utmost hospitality. I just love this beautiful, historic hotel…

Staying at The Fairmont Royal York Hotel was the perfect way to end our festival experience. Confession: the beds were so comfy that it was difficult getting up in the morning! But I had more exploring and feasting to do, so I eventually peeled myself out.

Hope you guys get a chance to enjoy the Toronto Light Festival before it wraps up on March 12th – it’s definitely a unique and fun night out! Here’s a little video from our friend Arienne to give you a sneak peek of the magic that awaits…

Oh, and one more thing: I was very excited to learn that The Toronto Light Festival has also set up a Go Fund Me for The Yonge Street Mission. As donations are made, two light cannons at the fest will move their beams closer together and when the $10,000 goal is reached the beams of light will cross to signify the community coming together as one. How amazing is that?! A free festival we can all enjoy and an opportunity for us to give back to those in need. If that doesn’t brighten up a gloomy, winter’s day we don’t know what will…

A huge thanks to The Fairmont Royal York Hotel for hosting us during the Toronto Light Festival. As always, reviews and opinions are our own.