It's no secret that last fall's Nuit Blanche was a huge success, with attendance nearly double the organizer's projections. As fun as the event was, though, it almost seemed to end to soon; even when the sun was rising the streets were packed with people stumbling from installation to installation, drinking in as much as they could before the canvas of the city was flipped to another page.

I don't think we're going to have the same problem again this June, with the inaugural celebration of Luminato, Toronto's new "Festival of Arts and Creativity." Running from June 1 - 10, Luminato will challenge even the most avid art fan to participate in each and every event, no matter how much free time they have. The other day the line-up for the festival was announced, and it already looks like it's going to continue to great programming we've come to expect from recent art festivals.

I think a few events are going to set the bar pretty high for future festivals. To name just one, Book of Longing will feature Leonard Cohen reading from his most recent poetry collection over arrangements composed and performed by Philip Glass. I have a feeling this is going to be one of the best events of the festival, not only because Leonard Cohen is one of my favourite poets, but because the accompanying post-modern music will probably make it one of the most creative poetry readings this city has ever seen. If poetry isn't your thing you don't have to worry: the festival includes dance, theatre, music performances, as well as art installations all over the city. June feels like it's a long way away right now, but, from the look of Luminato's programming, it's going to be a good one. Follow the link above to have a look for yourself.

Image from the Luminato website.