“This is not a landmark”: Downtown London bustles with cheer for cultural festival Nuit Blanche 

London’s downtown core has suffered in the last few years from a bad reputation. Between the many Farhi-shuttered storefronts and an unhoused population neglected by an overloaded shelter system, it’s a sad state of affairs. London’s softest suburbanites quiver in fear at the idea of a casual stroll down Dundas, lest they be faced with the visual evidence of our failing systems. 

Nuit Blanche is the answer to our mid-sized Canadian town’s downtown void. A cultural festival pitched annually by the London Society of Architects from 2010 to 2017 and revived in 2025, this year’s theme is This is not a landmark. It seeks  to elevate downtown’s place-based norms into something more active and vibrant, and challenge the way we interact with London’s urban environment. 

Museum London, the Michael Gibson Gallery, Good Sport, Sevens Social, and TAP Centre for Creativity all opened their doors to participate in the community effort for this free event, running only on September 19th. 

These outdoor installations must remain temporary, lending these works a fleeting quality that made their presence more meaningful. With multiple community engagement based installations sprinkled over Dundas, families with children have brought bustling movement and cheer. 

Notable works from local artists include Tia Bates, whose sculpture of welded lenses whirls light upon viewers when the crank is turned. Paige Smith’s projection slide based installation invites community members to doodle and colour upon historical images of London. What resulted were luminous reimaginings of familiar landscapes, black and white images filtered through vibrant pens strokes. 

Par Nair’s textile based installation the stories we don’t tell inside Sevens Social was an emotional exploration of family, South Asian diasporic experience, and the narratives of immigrants historically silenced by coloniality.   

The Art Hive gathered disparate neighbours under a canopy to make their own art trading cards, which created an environment of lively conversation and new friends. Pencil crayons were exchanged, mini-collages were assembled, and tiny pieces of community art were traded as a memory to take home. 

The Sweet Labour Art Collective showcased Awʌ́hihteˀ, translated as Strawberry Mourning, a mixed video projection and live dance piece about land based relations, grief, and intimacy. Formed in 2010 by late two-spirit multidisciplinary artist Billy Jack Douthwright (Onkwehón:we), queer settler artist Kevin O’Connor, and disability settler dance artist Ruth Douthwright.

A large audience gathered for a concert from the London Jazz Association, including performances from the riotously energetic funk band Juice Joint, and Mark Swan’s GOOD HANG. 

Tying all of these works together is a sense of spatial navigation and familiarity with London’s abandoned public spaces, deep community engagement, movement, and an overarching sense of agency in the way the downtown core is experienced by residents. 

After the intensive construction to facilitate the pedestrianization of Dundas, having the core used for these community-based events is deeply satisfying. It vindicates all who still love the downtown core and believe it’s not so scary as it is made out to be – least of all when we’re together.