This year’s Nuit Blanche, held September 23-30, took the form of an interactive art playground of light, energy, and music called Impulse + Loop. Set up on 96 Street at the future site of Kinistinâw Park (between 102A Avenue and 103 Avenue), Impulse + Loop consisted of six booths that people could sit in and row (Loop) and 15 large seesaws that glowed and emitted a sound (Impulse).

The playground, which appeals to both children and adults, made its debut at Montreal’s Luminotherapie festival in 2015.

Nuit Blanche began in Paris in 2002 and since then has spread to cities across the world. Edmonton’s first Nuit Blanche, held in 2015, was an all-night contemporary art event held in and around Churchill Square. It featured more than 30 artworks that attracted over 50,000 attendees. Because of reduced funding, this year’s Edmonton Nuit Blanche was a much smaller version presented in conjunction with Edmonton’s first Design Week.

Photos by Paula E. Kirman