2026 Theme

Tomorrow’s Memories

Nuit Blanche Toronto marks its 20th anniversary by reflecting on two decades of art and artists transforming the city. Through collaboration with thousands of artists locally and globally, from the new to the established, Nuit Blanche has altered Toronto’s streets, cultural spaces and audiences in an all-night celebration of art.

Many temporary artworks created for Nuit Blanche no longer exist, living on only in personal and collective memory and experience. Some artists are no longer with us while others are now household names. Some venues have shuttered, while others have moved or transformed, and new spaces have emerged. Art and creativity endure in Toronto, adapting to the everchanging landscape, yet much has changed in twenty years.

Tomorrow’s Memories looks back to the artists, curators, communities and places that defined Nuit Blanche and hold its histories. But this is not just about the past, it’s a way to look at the present and a provocation for the future. Past Nuit Blanche artworks will be revisited, re-visioned and recontextualized while artists can also propose new works that consider personal and collective memory and histories as a tool for storytelling, reflection and dreaming of possible futures. Proposals may also explore ideas around memory itself, nostalgia and ephemerality.

This milestone edition offers both a reckoning and a reimagining, reflecting on not only where it has been, but on where it is now and where it might be going next.