A festival classic, the Nuit Blanche Ferris Wheel was back for another season.

Panorama of Ferris Wheel – Nuit Blanche on CleVR.com

Watch the video below to see why it’s a festival favourite to many.

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For the first year ever, Concordia University launched an official partnership with Nuit Blanche.

The VAV Gallery, located in Concordia’s Visual Arts Building, was among one of the Nuit Blanche locations.

Under the banner of CRYSTALINE: the cinematic and the handmade, interactive animation by artists and students were on display. A number of handmade cinema exhibits, video and even live performances were presented.

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If you were at the Places des Festivals during Nuit Blanche, it was impossible for you to miss the 3D face that was looming over Place des Arts.

Participants at Nuit Blanche were invited to enter the “vidéomaton” and watch as their face was projected giant-sized in real-time on the giant 3D masque almost 3 storeys high.

The best part about this activity? It was as fun to do as it was entertaining to watch. Watch the video below to see what we mean.

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The entire evening of Nuit Blanche, the ice slide was opened for all to ride. This activity is a personal favorite and fun free activity for kids of any age.

The only draw back – we waited in line for an hour and a half, to get the chance to ride it! Fortunately the ice slide is open not just on Nuit Blanche, but also from February 20 to March 2 for the 2014 edition of Montréal en lumière.

Still, if you didn’t get the chance to ride it, watch the video below to get a glimpse of Natasha`s experience on the slide.

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Don’t ask us how they got a Haitian tap-tap in downtown Montreal, but it was indeed there for all to admire. In case you didn’t know, taptaps are joyfully-colored buses or pick-up trucks that serve as share taxis in Haiti.

During Nuit Blanche, this vintage Haitian bus was transformed in to a Haiti kiosk and rum bar, where snacks and drinks were served all evening (for an additional fee).

FUN FACT: Tap-tap’s literal meaning is “quick quick”

Tap-Tap Haiti

A real Haitian food truck serving traditional Haitian cocktails

Take a tour inside a Tap Tap Haiti!

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The SensoriuM was a multimedia performance that was presented during Nuit Blanche as part of Art Souterrain.

The aim of this exhibition was to start a discussion about the importance of phosphorous in our daily lives. Through participatory dance, food tastings, and live interactions between the dancers and public, an audio-visual story about phosphorous was told.

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Andréanne Pâquet a graduate in Anthropology at the University of Montreal and professional photographer, Éric

A section of the “Our Veil” exhibition.

Piché, teamed up to present the exhibition titled, “Our Veil,” as part of Nuit Blanche’s Art Souterrain.

The exhibition showcased portraits of a number of different women wearing veils and featured an accompanying description of the women portrayed.

Pâquet explains the purpose of this exhibition was to deconstruct media-conveyed stereotypes of women who wear a veil and instead display a realistic and diversified portrait of these women.

Listen to the sound clip below (in French) for a better understanding of what Pâquet hopes this exhibition will bring to the public.

Artist, Andréanne Pâquet, at her exhibition during Nuit Blanche

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At the Place des Festivals during Nuit Blanche, the Amarula Animation Team did their best to light up the winter evening with a touch of South African ambiance.

On the menu: An African themed Tam-Tam dance and firedance performance (see below).

After or during the show if you needed to “cool off” Amarula coffee and shots poured out in a chocolate cone were served at the Amarula bar, right next door.

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Alexis O’Hara is an interdisciplinary artist from Montreal whose work comprises elements of cabaret, pop music, spoken-word, stand-up comedy, vocals, electronics, photography, and sound installation.

During Nuit Blanche, she presented an installation titled “Speaker Box Igloo” as part of Art Souterrain. This installation made out of recycled materials was described as “an immersive interactive audio environment that evokes one of the most ancient incarnations of the human habitat.”

Click here to hear our exclusive interview with O’Hara and learn more about why she decided to showcase this installation at Art Souterrain.

You can also watch the video below to see and hear the Igloo in action.

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All the eventful Nuit Blanche action no doubt left Montrealers hungry. Thankfully, the “Terasse gourmande” could be found at the heart of the Place des Festivals.

No time for photos! Jennifer takes a bit of her chiken sandwich from L’Atelier d’Argentine, while it’s still hot.

Natasha about to dive in to a sausage sandwich from L’Atelier d’Argentine Kiosk.

Some food options included The Flavours of Haiti Kiosk, The SAQ Bistro and more.

We decided to make a stop at the Atelier d’Argentine kiosk for food.
We each enjoyed a sandwich (as did many others).

Bonne appetit!

Afterwards, while walking around we saw a ton of people roasting marshmallows and sausages over fire pits across the steps outside Place des Arts.

Visitors were able to purchase a bag of five marshmallows for a whopping $2.50.

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Les Étoiles du métro is a program devoted to promoting new musical talent and making the daily commute of thousands of transit users more pleasant.

The 2014 Étoiles du métro bands performed at several metro stops throughout the evening of Nuit Blanche. The group “Duo Notre Dame” performed at the Place des Arts metro.

Play the sound clip below to get the chance to hear the talented musicians.

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