One of the best parts of our upcoming 1 Yorkville project is its proximity to the ROM. We could spend hours exploring the collection of diamonds and gems (we can dream we’re Elizabeth Taylor, right?), checking out the dinosaurs, and viewing the special collections, like the Mesopotamia exhibit that’s on right now.
We’ve always wondered if the movie Night at the Museum has any truth to it – do the dinosaurs come to life once the lights are off and all the visitors are ushered out? Our childhood imaginations would like to think yes, our adult sensibilities say no. But the ROM is bringing the museum to life in a different way through its Friday Night Live events, which turn the museum into a late-night party full of special performances, food vendors, and of course beverages.
Every year the museum holds a series of 8 Friday night events, each with a different theme like fashion, wildlife, or culture. This past Friday was the fifth event this season, and the theme was Let’s Dance! After arriving at the museum and buying ROM Bucks, the museum’s currency that lets you purchase food and drinks at different stations around the museum, it was time for us to explore. We checked out a three-piece jazz band in the gems exhibit; saw an opera singer from Opera Atelier perform in one of the galleries; and had a glass of wine with the dinosaurs.
It wouldn’t be an event without delicious eats, so we also grabbed some food from Hot Bunzz, Gourmet Gringos and The Saucy Perogi, some of Toronto’s best pop-up food shops. The upper galleries closed at 9:30 and everyone congregated in the main hall – after hundreds had gathered, we saw beat boxers, a DJ, and other performers on the main stage.
Being at the museum in this setting really brings it to life and allows you to enjoy the culture without feeling like a kid on a school field trip. It’s a great way to introduce the culture and history of the museum to a younger audience, while also giving exposure to some of Toronto’s best chefs and performers.
This Friday’s theme is Get Wild, and it coincides with the launch of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year photo exhibit. Tickets are sold out online, but you can get tickets at the door for $12. Get there early (it starts at 7): when we arrived at 8pm the line was already around the block!