Toronto events

For the first time, the V.I.P. area of Power Ball was outside, situated near the Natrel pond. Sponsored by Soho House and Grey Goose, the space was inspired by an English picnic and styled with rustic elements. Loading pallets acted as banquette seating and cocktail tables.

V.I.P. guests helped themselves to freshly shucked oysters.

Guests filled the bilevel V.I.P. area, which overlooked Lake Ontario and the stage where Dragonette performed.

Dragonette performed onstage for the 450 V.I.P. attendees.

In the patio area of the main party, Marc Thuet (pictured, left) doused a roasting bison with bourbon. Throughout the night, guests had the opportunity to watch the chef prepare and serve the bison from seats on the patio.

Once the party was under way, guests helped themselves to roasted bison on the patio. Channeling a backyard-barbeque birthday party, piñatas hung from the trees and picnic tables lined the area.

Outside, guests doodled on a Land Rover covered in vellum.

On the patio of the main party, Hugo Boss took over the high-traffic tent with a three-dimensional display of its latest runway show. Sleek, branded 3-D glasses lined a cocktail table.

Kobo sponsored the event again this year. Selecting novels and quotes that matched the quarter-life-crisis theme, the brand dangled its e-readers from a tree in the main area. The nearby swing read, "Take a moment to breathe ..."

Guests were free to swing in the main party area, under a tree full of Kobo e-readers.

The Power Plant created a time-lapse video of flowers slowly decaying in honour of its 25th year. A still from the film served as the imagery for the event's invitation; at the party, the video looped behind a bar covered in flowers. The flowers slowly wilted as the evening wore on.

Guests danced under Philippe Blanchard's stalactite- and stalagmite-like sculptures, which flashed and changed colour when lit by LED strobe lights at the the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery's Power Ball.

Artist Sarah Febbraro developed a talk show that had guests discussing their anxieties about their own quarter-life crises. She transformed the gallery's famous smokestack into a rocket ship for the installation.

Artist Marisa Hoicka created a performance piece. Guests looked through windows and peepholes and could communicate with her via a computer.

The Enwave Theatre was a quieter area of the party, where guests could sit on beanbag chairs and watch B-list movies from the '90s in honour of Power Plant's 25th year.

Guests posed for photos in front of a Photostar booth.

Guests helped themselves to candy stuffed in birthday party grab bags.

Glittering tinsel wrapped the exterior pillars and colourful lines led the way into the Art Gallery of Ontario for its annual Massive Party fund-raiser on Thursday evening.

To enter the party, guests walked between giant Styrofoam letters that spelled out "Future" and "Art." Although the theme focused on six inspiring words, organizers centered the social media push around the concept of "future."

AusCan Media Productions projected tweets that filled in the blank after the hashtag #TheFutureOfArtIs onto the iconic spiral staircase in Walker Court.

Kobo created a photo area in the centre of Walker Court. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven, the space had a modern Victorian feel, with picture frames, windows, and lanterns hanging from a truss structure. To complete the theme, a model wearing all black posed with a stuffed raven.

Sponsorship of the photo area was subtle, with framed Kobo e-readers hanging on two sides of the truss structure.

In Baillie Court, glittering tinsel hung from the ceiling and giant Styrofoam letters spelled out "light," "sound," "object," "past," "present," and "future"—the six words that comprised this year's theme.

Artist Cesar Forero choreographed a performance with elaborately costumed dancers and singers. The piece was designed to explore the relationship between people and land.

Artist Justin Broadbent created a glowing basketball court in the Weston Family Learning Centre. It was designed to feel like a high school basketball game, with cheerleaders and coaches lining the court.

Balloons linked one basketball hoop to the other. The playful court was supposed to represent a game of good versus good.

An interactive Twitter installation took up a seminar room of the Weston Family Learning Centre. Tweets were projected onto screens and the largest screen was interactive. As guests approached the screen, bubbles moved to form silhouettes.

As the vodka sponsor of the film festival, Skyy hosted the “Official Unofficial” launch party for TIFF on September 5. The brand set up bars and branded tropes in an alley near John and Adelaide streets, dubbing it the "Blue Alley." Dance troupe Urbanesque performed on a staircase that served as the backdrop to the event. Susan Murray International handled decor, sound, lighting, and entertainment.

Organizers for TIFF's Opening Night Gala used projections inside a corridor of the Air Canada Centre to stream a live feed from the red carpet outside. The tactic kept guests engaged and on the lookout for their favourite celebrities.

On September 6, the Drake Hotel hosted a TIFF launch party of its own, dubbing the event the Drake "Overdrive." As part of an ongoing installation, organizers projected a music video from performance artist Peaches onto translucent screens set up in the first-floor windows of the hotel. The feed was visible both inside and outside the venue.

Outside the hotel, sponsor Sailor Jerry rum parked a silver bus that had a tattoo parlor inside. Tattoo artists were on hand to give guests permanent souvenirs.

Target Canada took over the Templar Hotel from September 6 to 8, creating a branded environment. A red carpet and a silver bus marked with the Target bull's-eye logo parked outside drew attention from passersby.

Jeffry Roick of McNabb Roick Events outfitted Target's space with modern red and white furniture, branded artwork, and the retailer’s bull's-eye logo. Media and film industry pros were invited to stay at the all-red and white hotel, or just unwind in the lobby (pictured). There was also a temporary Filmmakers’ Lounge in the penthouse suite.

Club Nikki Beach hosted events on the rooftop patio of the Spoke Club this year from September 6 to 11. The space was open from 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. each day, regularly serving as the site of film parties. The club tapped Andrew Richard Designs co-owner Andrew Bockner to design the space. Bockner gave the venue what he called an “easy breezy” look, with patio furniture, white draping, tropical plants, and warm lighting for the evening functions.

Members-only club Soho House opened its first Toronto location at Bishop’s Block just in time for this year's TIFF festivities. The four-storey club was packed with film parties nightly, including events for Looper, Anna Karenina, and The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Partner Grey Goose vodka hosted the open bars, serving custom cocktails.

The Mint Agency put together a private dinner and party for the cast of Spring Breakers on September 7 at Brassaii. Sand, seashells, orchids, and fishbowls ran down the centre of the table.

After dinner, the party began. Decor fit the spring break theme of the film, with models in hot tubs and beach balls throughout the space.

Servers dressed in bikinis passed popsicles in glasses of sparkling wine during the party.

Amfar hosted a so-called "cultivation event" at the new Shangri-La Hotel on September 7. "Rather than have a straight fund-raiser, we really wanted to start strengthening our ties in the Toronto community," said Gregory Boroff, Amfar’s vice president of development. Jeffry Roick of McNabb Roick Events created a bold look for the cocktail party, with bright, monochromatic lounge areas inspired by a painting by artist Françoise Nielly. Sponsor Navillus Gallery supplied artwork from Nielly and other artists to spruce up the lounges.

Lauryn Hill performed at the Diesel and OneXOne concert fund-raiser at Kool Haus on September 8. This was the second year that OneXOne hosted a concert, targeting a younger demographic for its young philanthropists group, One Up. Chandeliers added glamour to the stage.

At the party for The Perks of Being a Wallflower on Saturday night, the Mint Agency took cues from sponsor Vitaminwater's colourful bottles to transform the all-white Edition/Richmond Gallery into a candy-coloured lounge.

Guests could play with a life-size Lite Brite wall made with illuminated Vitaminwater bottles

Real flowers and moss decorated the step-and-repeat outside the Edition/Richmond Gallery.

Guests were invited to doodle on an all-white car, parked inside a custom-built patio area. The Mint Agency team built a 28- by 20-foot fence to surround the outdoor area.

Colourful uplighting played off the Vitaminwater bottle imagery that hung in the venue, which contrasted with the white furnishings.

From September 7 to 10, AMC Networks took over the Storys Building and gave it the temporary name AMC Storys. To bring the brand to life in the venue, images from AMC television shows lined the walls. Produced in partnership with A-List Communications and Icon Legacy Hospitality, the venue hosted multiple film parties and events daily, including gifting suits and the Ginger and Rosa premiere party. Virgin Mobiles’ Virgin Arts and Cinema Centre was another partner, parking a branded Virgin Mobile bus outside and the structure.

Virgin Mobile created a lounge inside AMC Storys, bringing in a branded device charging station, photo booth, and candy dispenser. Within the space, the Virgin Arts and Cinema Centre hosted parties for films The Iceman and At Any Price.

Forget Me Not Flowers created a show-stopping floral display in the centre of the Windsor Arms for the annual InStyle and Hollywood Foreign Press Association Party on September 11. Roses, dahlias, and votive candles dangled from tree branches that sprouted up over a lounge area.