This is the first year i've done the Luminato Festival - a lot of art installations, food and Cirque Du Soleil.

Last weekend i searched out a Luminato art piece (i intended to get more, but the reports called for rain). This one is called, amazingly, RedBall.

On Friday, i checked out a bunch more. This is long wave, at the 'Allen Lambert Galleria, Brookfield Place' (formerly Canada Trust Tower)

I quite liked this one.

In a reflection at the back of the galleria.

From outside.

The Luminato Box - every day is supposedly different.

I also took photos of downtown towers and reflections.

These look like Charle Pachter's The Painted Flag - not an official exhibit, just in The Exchange Tower.

Broken Arrow, which supposedly interacted with bluetooth devices and such, with audio chirps and so on - i thought i could hear dome.

RedBall again - this time at Ryerson. Not another one - it's been moving around the city.

After this, i went to see Shadow Notes, a photography exhibit at Yonge & Dundas Square, by "Danny Clinch and Ralph Gibson, two photographers obsessed with music, and the photos of Andy Summers, a musician obsessed with photography."

After the movie i saw Friday night, i walked back to my car and took a few photos.

Saturday was another hunt for artworks. This is Tony Oursler's installation (and not actually in Grange Park - apparently there were others i couldn't find). Hmm, i dunno.

Random guy.

Passed by some poppies. I wonder if you can harvest them?

RedBall again, this time on Queen near Portland.

Then it was down to Queen's Quay for food and circus. There's a wetland on the Waterfront? lol.

You can get pretty close to the water.

Set up for Cirque Du Soleil - apparently i was 90 minutes early...

But i was on time for 1000 Tastes of Toronto - "Join the city's top chefs as they prepare gourmet street food for only $5." This is the west end, just when it opened.

And it was already getting crowded.

My first sample - from Lai Wah Heen, one of the city's top Chinese restaurants, some dim sum. Chicken, shrimp and pork. Not big on shrimp, but, hey, it's Lai Wah Heen...

The far end - people are just signing styrofoam plates?

Looking back - you can't see how far it goes.

My second sample - a full meal really, from Dhaba. Rice, chick pea stew, salad, samosas, chicken. Not only did it fill me, it was kinda spicy. Okay, really spicy.

As i sat, i looked back, and saw the wavy boardwalk. Surprised you couldn't see any ducks, as they were floating around and begging for food.

Oh wait, here's the duck, lol. That's minced duck in crepes, with roast duck on top, from Ultra.

Lai Wah Heen's booth.

This is a bison burger, with blue cheese aioli, and (pinkish) pickled onions, on and organic english muffin. I liked the condiments, the burger was a little too lean. I think burgers work better when they're juicy. Also, i wasn't hungry anymore, lol.

The Harbourfront Centre venue for Cirque Du Soleil.

Piper - not sure if he was really playing.

They called their performances 'interactions', so i was thinking something buskery, but this was a full-on 45 minute show. Unfortunately, i didn't have the best location.

These guys boated their way over.

The bulrush heads just walked through the pond.

The boat guys did - do you call this acrobatics?

She was carted out just to observe, lol.

Apparently janitors, ha ha.

But actually acrobatics.

Pretty impressive, considering everything was wet.

The guys at Ultra, cutting up Daffy.

My final food was 3 skewers from On The Move (a catering company). I didn't remember to take a pic until halfway through, ha ha. I got them fresh off the grill, and it came with lemon and tzatziki sauce. The lemon was awesome on it.

That was all i could hack on Saturday - i wasn't expecting the Cirque show to last so long (or take 20 minutes to start, ha ha).

On Sunday, i went back to TO to see the other Cirque performance. I stopped at Shadow Notes again to get some photos (i thought i'd find a decent selection online, but nope).

Photos by Andy Summers (ex of The Police).

Photos by Danny Clinch.

Photos by Ralph Gibson - i really like his work.

It was back down to Tastes of Toronto for lunch! This was a Alsatian/French style smoked bacon & gruyere sandwich -it was delicious (the lattice chips aren't really my thing).

Here's a chef from Auberge Du Pommier, another one of Toronto's famous restaurants, handing out the sandwiches.

The caterers at Mariposa cruises were handing out blackened angus roast beef sandwiches (forgot to take a photo, lol).

The homemade gnocchi from 'Local Kitchen and Wine Bar'.

That's coconut curry chicken with mint and coriander, basmati rice, and chick peas curry, from Indus Junction.

I was kinda of full, and it was time for the Cirque show, so i made my way to the Music Garden. Random Cirque people on stilts.

These peope were somehow part of this thing - they were shouting at them.

Anyway, that wasn't the main event - it was over here.

Starting off with some acrobatics.

The guy on the right actually bent one of those bars!

This was the 'clumsy' idiot on roller blade & roller skate - he kept falling and recovering just in time at the edge of the stage, lol.

Yes, he's sitting on an audience member, lol.

They randomly pulled some kids on stage onto the sofa.

Then a couple came up with bells and chimes.

Someone brought up these giant brass balls.

Hilarious!

The one on the left built the stand, while the other one annoyed him.

Like grabbing his leg...

Okay, i leave you alone..

So, the stand is built...

Then the other one 'accidentally' knocks pieces out.

More pieces are gone.

You can see the bent bar of the dome.

He was rolling on the platform, and juggling.

And one last bit was added.

Then it was on to trampoline - this was a lot like in Corteo - amazing.

She was hiding under the bed.

It was a kind of a love story...

Ah, love prevails...

The stage for the evening finale (which i couldn't make).

The crowds along Queen's Quay were crazy. Some of the booths had such long line ups, it was crazy!

I started eating before i remembered to take a photo. Luckily, i had a shot that happened to catch what i ate, so i shopped it in, lol. The upper right is 'prosciutto sushi with risotto, avocado, red pepper and carrot. One of the others is supposed to be pork tenderloin on crusts with Dijon and caramelized onion - and a compite with fresh berries and mango.