NightShift Blog

Goodnight, Sweet Night\Shift… Goodnight

As the clocks (aimlessly) roll forward again, there is sad news to share. After five amazing years of taking over nooks, crannies, businesses and empty spaces in downtown Kitchener with pop-up art, weird live performances and random programming on the … Continued

Thank you 2017 Night\Shifters!

FIVE YEARS IS a long time. So, first off, thanks to everyone who helped me get around to writing this thank you, on the heels of five festivals that I didn’t know I had in me six years ago.

How to do Night\Shift 2017

An exhausted (yet extremely pleased) festival director’s guide to catching every shred of Downtown Kitchener’s 5th annual placehacking festival.

NIGHT\SHIFT artist chat: Ian Newton \\ Selectively Selective

We’re excited to present conversations with Night\Shift 2017 participating artists. Go behind the scenes with Ian Newton, aka Spool Oops. \\ \\ \\ YOU MAY KNOW IAN NEWTON BETTER AS HIS ALIASES. The visionary visual artist, musician and cultural … Continued

Support weird: #NightShift17 crowdfunder

Let’s not beat around the bush. We like you. You like us. How about supporting downtown Kitchener’s best autumn art crawl? The crowdfunding campaign with the coolest perks is now up and runs until November 30.

#NightShift17 is for (music) lovers

Three nights of weird & wonderful live music are upon us. Ready your ears.

NIGHT\SHIFT artist chat: Susan Coolen \\ P.U.D.D.L.E.S

We’re excited to present conversations with Night\Shift 2017 participating artists. Go behind the scenes with three-time festival contributor Susan Coolen. \\ \\ \\ SUSAN COOLEN IS NO STRANGER TO NIGHT\SHIFT. The multi-disciplinary artist presented psychedelic, 1960s-styled circles in … Continued

NIGHT\SHIFT 2017 artist lineup revealed

GET AMPED UP FOR downtown Kitchener’s free fall festival of pop-up art, performance and placehacking! We’re pleased to announce the 2017 featured artists and programming for #NightShift17… \\\ 1 \\ Night\Shift 2017 collage party In partnership with Open Sesame‘s exhibition … Continued

NIGHT\SHIFT artist chat \\ Torin Langen

We’re excited to lead up to Night\Shift 2017 on November 2-4 with a series of artist chats. Go behind the scenes! \\ \\ \\ TORIN LANGEN KNOWS FEAR. The filmmaker spends his time invoking skin-crawling terror in music videos and movies as … Continued

Night\Shift 2017 lineup launch + volunteer social = Thu Sept 14th @ Goudies Lane

If you’re into reanimating alleyways, kick-ass live music, meeting new (and old) pals and helping out your friendly neighbourhood placehacking festival, save this date! On Thursday, September 14th from 6:30-9:30pm at Goudies Lane in downtown Kitchener (between Queen and Ontario … Continued

Night\Shift 2017 festival call for proposals

The submission window for the fifth annual instalment of Night\Shift Placehacking Festival is now closed. The festival’s main event will happen on Saturday, November 4th, 2017 (the evening of the fall time change), from 7pm-2am, with lead-up programming on November 2nd & 3rd. Night\Shift is … Continued

Thank you for placehacking DTK!

Whew. What a ride. And whether you strapped in for all of Night\Shift 2016 or just caught a whiff of its vapour trails, I hope you saw or heard or happened upon an experience that helped you to peel back … Continued

Experimental music lover’s guide to #NightShift16

Although 2016 is the first time Night\Shift was produced without a guiding theme, strange songsmiths are certainly a recurring layer of this week’s festival landscape. Here’s what to pour into your ears over the coming five evenings (& when/where), plus … Continued

Night\Shift is no longer one night only

Four years deep, following lower-key attempts to add extra days of placehacking to the festival, #NightShift16 has spread out to include more nights (and days) of programming. Night\Shift 2016’s main event on Saturday, November 5th will feature an array of … Continued

Get the free Night\Shift 2016 map app!

Plan your own nocturnal adventure at the 2016 Night\Shift Placehacking Festival by pocketing this free app for Apple of Android devices, created and launched by Bunjee App. \ \\ \\\ \\\\

Peeking Into the DTKreAXE Keyhole

Behind the scenes of turning old acoustic guitars into something else entirely \\ by Emily Shelton AS THE DAYS GET colder, night falls sooner. And as the evening when the clocks roll back gets closer, the deadline for readying contributions to Night\Shift approaches quicker … Continued

Remixing The Guitar \\ #DTKreAXE

Small teams from 10 tech companies based in Waterloo Region were given well-used guitars and simple instructions to reimagine them using whatever ideas, materials or themes they wanted to. Using their creative capacities and technical know-how (and cranking both up … Continued

2016 Festival \\ Call for Contributors

The NIGHT\SHIFT 2016 call for proposals is now closed. The festival organization is currently accepting submissions for artistic contributions to NIGHT\SHIFT 2016. This year’s festival will take place in select downtown Kitchener locations and culminate in a free, multi-venue main event … Continued

Be a placehacker \\ volunteer for Night\Shift

Night\Shift Placehacking Festival is downtown Kitchener’s free, walkable celebration of pop-up art, performance and participatory creativity, featuring contributions by local creators, entrepreneurs, organizations and citizens. The festival’s fourth annual instalment happens November 1st to 5th, 2016. Night\Shift if seeking various VOLUNTEER contributors as … Continued

The Making of a Sound-Activated Infiniti Mirror

How a four-foot-square mirror by Mike Robertson and Bernie Rohde’s sound-activated LEDs were forged to make a dancing, endless drop into the abyss at #NightShift15… Charlena Russell + Infinity Mirror = !!!The fabulous Charlena Russell pours her voice into the dancing abyss … Continued

Download the Night\Shift explorer’s map app!

\\ Plan your own nocturnal adventure at the Night\Shift: Halloween! festival with our free 2015 festival explorer’s map app, free to download for Apple of Android devices. The app was created and launched by Bunjee App, a startup based in the … Continued

Help Night\Shift Pay Artists to Placehack

Give to the 2015 festival’s crowdfund & take home fantastic perks! NIGHT\SHIFT Placehacking Festival celebrates local community, creativity, ingenuity and exploration. Thousands bundle up to wander downtown Kitchener after dark on the evening of the autumn time change, searching for surprises in its … Continued

Bright Whispers: Tales of Homecoming

Many of us who are proud to call ourselves Canadians come from different backgrounds, speak different languages, and have our own traditions. However, as immigrants, we all have something in common: a story to tell. Our stories represent a series … Continued

2015 Festival \\ Call for Contributors

The NIGHT\SHIFT 2015 call for proposals is now closed. We are no longer accepting proposals for performances & installations at NIGHT\SHIFT 2015, which will take place over Halloween weekend this fall – October 30th, 31st & Nov 1st! Details about the application process are … Continued

Make Night\Shift Happen: Become a Sponsor

For a little more than two years now, I’ve been making Kitchener’s Night\Shift nocturnal adventure festival as a volunteer. I do it because I want to help encourage and challenge the people of Waterloo Region to recognize their collaborative potential. … Continued

Volunteer for Night\Shift 2015!

It takes a entire community’s creativity (and a whole lotta prep work) to remix a downtown core. We need your help to bring the third annual festival to life. Take a look at our volunteer needs and let us know how you … Continued

Night\Shift 2014 in Review

Downtown Kitchener’s 2nd annual communal nocturnal adventure festival on Saturday, November 1st 2014 was an act of spectacular creativity. Local artists, organizers, small businesses, community builders, cultural institutions and social networks imagined possibilities just below the surface of their familiar built environment. Festival … Continued

N\S14’s Hot Drinks Taste-Off!

Five downtown cafes. Five hot drinks. Who’s bragging rights? Perhaps the most delicious piece of downtown Kitchener’s second annual Night\Shift festival of communal nocturnal adventure on Saturday, November 1st 2014, was the inaugural Hot Drinks Taste-Off. To help fuel festival explorers through 40+ indoor … Continued

Flavours of #niteshift14 Itinerary

The festival’s walkability means you’ll be hoofing it enough to justify eating and drinking whatever the hell you want! The inaugural Hot Drinks Taste-Off passports are almost sold out, but that $9 investment remains far and away your best bet … Continued

Family-friendly #niteshift14 Itinerary

Proof that helping remix downtown Kitchener on Saturday, November 1st is totally, gleefully doable with the kids in tow. Start by giving your ghoulish Halloween gourd one last chance to spook the community by bringing it to the Jack-o-lantern flash … Continued

The Hot Drinks Taste-Off

\\\ Only 125 Hot Drink Taste-Off passports are available – 5 x 12oz drinks for $9! Passports are officially sold out! \\\ The delicious #niteshift14 contenders: DIRTY YETI MILK The Yeti Cafe With a sweet soundtrack, healthy dishes with saucy monikers and a fabulous offbeat … Continued

The NIGHT\SHIFT 2014 Lineup Reveal…

Join us on Wednesday, September 24 at 10am at 157 King St. W. for the official release of the NIGHT\SHIFT 2014 lineup. The second annual NIGHT\SHIFT festival is ecstatic to announce its plans to animate 40 indoor and outdoor venues … Continued

Slammin’ Jammin’ Give-a-Damnin’ Janice Lee

Janice Lee is a spark. She’s a singer-songwriter, poet, actor, storyteller and organizer whose impact on the Kitchener-Waterloo community has been enormous. Lee’s contagious energy ignites the packed rooms at the KW Poetry Slam (which she co-founded in 2011), lights … Continued

Watch Cartoons to Support Night\Shift!

Indulging in a few hours’ worth of Saturday morning cartoons and all-you-can-eat sugary cereal is a rare treat for most folks. Luckily for local kids, teens and adult-sized kids, the Registry Theatre is hosting a fabulous opportunity to fill up on … Continued

The Empty Shoes Project

On October 21st 2010, Julie Wynen’s world exploded and changed forever. She and her 11-year-old daughter Grace were t-boned by a drunk driver in a violent and brutal crash. Five days later, Julie woke up from a coma and was … Continued

The Balloon Tycoon: Q&A with Drew Ripley

Drew Ripley picked up his first balloon sculpture instruction in 1990 and has spent the last two dozen years entertaining people with deep breaths and a powerful imagination. When he says things like “a balloon is a way to have … Continued

NIGHT\SHIFT 2014 Call for Proposals

We are now accepting proposals for NIGHT\SHIFT 2014, which is taking place on November 1st! Get all the info right here.

NIGHT\SHIFT 2013 Video & NIGHT\SHIFT 2014 Announcement

The official NIGHT\SHIFT 2013 video has finally arrived! Check it out right here – then put your creativity cap on, because a NIGHT\SHIFT 2014 call for proposals is coming soon! That’s right: after all your enthusiastic feedback – and, frankly, … Continued

Thank You, Nocturnal Adventurers!

The entire NIGHT\SHIFT team would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of you, from our generous sponsors and intrepid artists to the thousands of excited visitors who braved the cold to engage in nocturnal adventuring with us on … Continued

Family Friendly Activities at Night\Shift

This is just a sampling of some of the family-friendly stuff happening at Night\Shift! You can also read through the descriptions of everything happening that night and judge for yourself what’s suitable for your own family.

13 Tips for Getting the Most Out of NIGHT\SHIFT

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 … Continued

Spotlight On: Marko Barakoski

Local artist Marko Barakoski uses recycled materials to create unique and compelling sculptures that encourage conversation about “making the places in which we live cleaner, safer and wiser.”

Spotlight On: Kim Ho and Chris Mosiadz’s “Let’s Connect”

Made up of hundreds of business cards from dozens of people and businesses in the area, Let’s Connect is an interactive outdoor installation by local designer Kim Ho and Chris Mosiadz that illustrates the dynamic, innovative spirit of Waterloo Region.

Spotlight On: Josh Martin’s Simple Pleasures Chalkboard

What simple pleasures and experiential riches are on your list?

Spotlight On: Meg Harder’s [INNER]National Parks

Here’s what artist Meg Harder’s looking forward to about NIGHT\SHIFT – and a new look at the project.

Spotlight On: Mano A Mano Radio

Check out this multi-media collaborative extravaganza The Electrifying Adventures of DJ Jeff E Jeff.

Spotlight On: The KW Poetry Slam

Don’t miss the KW Poetry Slam‘s delightful 2013 Slam Team at the Spoken Word Showcase happening at Queen Street Commons!

Spotlight On: Queen Street Yoga

Queen Street Yoga is excited about NIGHT\SHIFT! Here’s why.

Volunteer Training Sessions

If you want to be involved in this epic event, you’re in luck! We’re still accepting volunteers – just fill out this form here and attend one of our training sessions to get ready!

Night\Shift Blog

2017