Nuit Blanche returning to Ottawa this September

The French company Transe Express presenting Mobile Homme – an aerial performance of drummers and acrobats suspended above the crowd. (Nuit Blanche Ottawa/release)

After over a decade of absence from the capital, nighttime art festival Nuit Blanche is coming back to Ottawa this September.

Event organizers say Night Blanche Ottawa will take over the ByWard Market on Saturday, Sept. 26.

“For this new edition, the ByWard Market will be transformed into a vast, free, immersive nighttime art experience, bringing together local, national, and international artists,” Les Forains, hosts of Nuit Blanche Ottawa, said in a statement.

The all-night event will be free, and organizers says it will transform “the streets, squares, and iconic locations of the capital into artistic and civic playgrounds, fostering direct engagement between artists and the public from dusk until sunrise.”

Nuit Blanche’s were previously held in Ottawa from 2012 to 2015.

The theme of this year’s event is “Where Innovation Meets Art,” organizers say.

Applications to participate are now open, and those wishing to apply have until Feb. 19 to indicate their interest. Beginning on Feb. 26, shortlisted applicants will be asked to submit a detailed project proposal.

The event was first announced in early October, with no official date. To promote the event, Les Forains hosted an aerial show in the ByWard Market on Oct. 17.

Other Canadian cities including Montreal and Toronto also host yearly Nuit Blanche events, and Montreal’s 23rd Nuit Blanche is set to take place on Feb. 28.

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