Les Rues des Refusés (literally "streets of rejects") is back for another year at (or, more appropriately, during) Nuit Blanche 2011. Launched by Stephanie Avery in 2008, the goal of these renegade exhibits is to "to promote art without being restricted by curated themes, limited placements, corporate interests, or city bylaws." This year there are over 40 exhibits, events and performances listed the LRDR Event Guide.

Although it might be fair to say that Les Rues des Refusés gets less and less "renegade" each year — Food Truck Eats, for example, is on the 2011 list — I'm not sure that's a bad thing. Given the droves of people who come out for Nuit Blanche, it remains great to see these unofficial exhibits scattered across the city.

Here are five to look out for:

The Renegade Parade
Departing a minute later than last year at 10:03 p.m. from the ROM crystal, the 5th edition of the renegade parade is probably the best way to experience Nuit Blanche if you have little interest in putting together a rigid strategy to get to every exhibit or if you'd just plain like to party. As always, look for costumes and a rolling soundsystem to keep everyone awake and engaged as the caravan roams the city. Last year's parade got shut down early, so organizers have secured an as-of-now secret location to ensure that this year's event goes all night (this latter part will cost you $10, which goes toward parade expenses).

Art Battle at the Spoke Club
Although an art battle is already planned at the AGO as part of official Nuit Blanche programming, this one sounds like it'll be more exciting. Held at the Spoke Club on King West, there'll be five one-on-one Art Battle-organized matches, with resulting paintings being auctioned off at the end of the night. Paintings that fail to meet the minimum bid, so reads the event description, "may be destroyed."

K-Town at XPACE Art Space
Karaoke! Singing in front of your friends is already uncomfortable and fun, but K-Town takes it step further by offering up video and animated treatments by artists that will accompany songs of their choosing. Expect it to be like karaoke itself: funny, exhilarating and social. If for whatever reason you can't make in during Nuit Blanche, it'll also run a week later on the 7th. Starts at 8pm.

Morpheous
If Nuit Blanche is a little too vanilla for your tastes, this bondage extravaganza might be what you've been waiting for. With over 80 performers, Morpheous claims status as the "largest public bondage art event in the world." I'll take their word for it. Walk through the demonstrations and be amazed by the power of the rope! Located at 442-A Dufferin Street in Zone C.

The Shittiest Show on Earth: Something Sweaty This Way Comes
Sometimes you just can't improve on the organizer's own description of an event. That would be true here. Take it away t-1000 collective: "'Something Sweaty This Way Comes' is simultaneously a huge potential fire hazard and a tasteless, erotic homage to the circus, sexual perversion and degeneracy. It is our fourth epic installation with visual, audio and performance components and continues our artistic mandate and cultural mission to provide a nocturnal oasis and alternative to the originally interesting but rapidly disintegrating and poorly curated cultural disaster known as Nuit Blanche." Sweaty Betty's, 13 Ossington Ave. Runs from 8:00pm to 2:30pm. No children allowed!

Bonus:

Caution: Art (part 2)
Returning for a third year, Stephanie Avery (founder of Le Rues des Refusés) once again takes Nuit Blanche to its natural conclusion: to see (all of) the the city and its objects as "found art." Look out for for caution tape placed around putatively ordinary objects, which when designated as art, become urban readymades worthy of further contemplation. Various locations. Keep your eyes out!

For the complete 2011 Event Guide, go here.