A little preparation – and knowing what you’re in for – will go a long way towards having the best possible time at NIGHT\SHIFT this weekend! A\J and the Cord Community Edition serve up some advice on what you can do to get the most out of the night:
- Dress for the weather – and for walking. Historical records show an average temperature for November 2 ranging between around 10°C and zero. Wear layers you can easily remove when you visit an indoor attraction.
- Plan ahead. Scope out everything there is to see & do on the NIGHT\SHIFT website and the Explorers’ Map (PDF, 1.1MB). You can start whenever and wherever makes sense for you. To get the full experience, try something from each category. And collect stamps from at least five sites so you can enter to win downtown prizes!
- Prepare to rethink your city. This is Kitchener in a whole new light. Kitchener has a vibrant community of visual, literary and musical artists, environmentalists and entrepreneurs, plus a compact, walkable downtown with beautiful heritage and eye-popping modern architecture.
- Stay hydrated. All that adventure will make you thirsty. Bring a water bottle or travel mug to refill. Numerous venues will be open with hot drinks and Café Pyrus will be licensed for the night.
- Take a nap. Be sure to come well-rested so you can take advantage of the time change, stay out late and fit in as much as possible!
- Try something new. Share your thoughts with Cord Community After Dark, drop into a midnight yoga class, play ping pong in the park or get in the middle of some glow-in-the-dark juggling. If you’ve never visited the K-W Art Gallery, it will be open till 3:00 AM!
- Come hungry. With the Duke Food Block open late, now is the time to eat some delicious local delicacies. There are options for everyone from hardcore carnivores to vegans and every variation in between.
- Think “intervention.” NIGHT\SHIFT itself is an intervention in the normal routine, and many of the artists are offering up opportunities to intervene – in their performances, the downtown environment and your own preconceptions. Reconsider conventional takes on beauty and what makes a green space a park.
- Be sustainable. Check out solar-powered roads, water pumps for developing nations, a bicycle generator and enjoy a night of non-consumer-oriented fun. Get to NIGHT\SHIFT on two wheels and show us your bike face at the BIKE\SHIFT photo booth!
- Ask questions. The artists and volunteers are there to point you in the right direction, answer questions about installations and help you get the most out of an activity. Don’t be shy!
- Join the circus with Rich Aucoin. For those of you who have never experienced the work of experimental pop musician Aucoin, you are in for a real spectacle. Aucoin doesn’t just play music – he creates video and activities that go along with it, and throws in tons of confetti just for good measure.
- Make friends. There’s nothing like a huge outdoor art event to strike up some conversations with new friends. With so many people out and about, you’re bound to find someone who is as amazed by the art as you are. Or you can go to Let’s Connect, an installation at Goudies Lane that lets you network under the stars. You can also still volunteer for the night, which will guarantee you’ll meet loads of people!
- Keep supporting the arts in Kitchener. Art in Kitchener isn’t over on November 3. We hope NIGHT\SHIFT inspires you to keep supporting artists in Waterloo Region. Check out those indie music nights, go to our art galleries and read our local authors’ work – NIGHT\SHIFT is just a taste of all Kitchener has to offer.
