Lauded as the hottest art party of the year, the Power Plant’s annual Power Ball fundraiser certainly lived up to expectations last night. Complete with wall-projected animations, Kobos hanging on trees, an old fashioned swing and a pre-party hosted by the much-hyped Soho House, almost 2,000 partygoers danced into the wee hours while carving off pieces of Marc Thuet’s bison on a spit. Some of our favourite duos—The Society’s Ashleigh Dempster and Amanda Blakely, designer Philip Sparks and NOW’s Andrew Sardone, Knot PR’s Amy Burstyn-Fritz and Tatiana Read, designer Jeremy Laing and Frank Griggs, and eTalk’s Tanya Kim and CP24’s Melissa Grelo—flitted around the scene. There was a mock television talk show (which we took part in) with a dancing robot sharing hosting duties. There was a performance by Dragonette. There were ladies dressed as sailors and men dressed as women. There were, always, many types of cocktails a-flowing (shout-out to Grey Goose, who created a timely Diamond Jubilee mix at the pre-party). Surely, more highlights will come to us throughout the day, but we can’t be asked to recount them all, given how late we were up.
Read more »
All posts under ‘Power Ball’
Inside last night’s Power Ball: Kobos on trees, a mock television talk show, a bison on a spit, a performance by Dragonette (and much much much more)
Go inside last night’s Power Ball and peep all the Jeremy Laing–wearing lovelies!

Photography by Jan Stasiuk
What’s the one event that’s sure to draw throngs of artists, social busybodies and high rollers alike? The annual Power Ball, held in support of the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, is the one stop on Toronto’s gala circuit that you really don’t want to miss.
The theme of this year’s fest was The 13th Floor, described by the organizers as, “A place you’ve never been before. A party untouched by time and cloaked in intrigue. Hidden surprises, altered realities, a playground for the imagination.” And what a playground it was. Held in the labyrinthine lakefront gallery, the party was attended by more than 1,700 people in what felt like 13 different rooms, each with its own theme and soundtrack.
Read more »
Power Ballin’: Dressing for the year’s biggest art party with designer Jeremy Laing

Photography by Lewis Mirrett
Heralded as the art party of the year by those who know (you don’t ball till you Power Ball, I’ve been told), the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery’s annual fundraising bash, Power Ball, has upped the ante this year by adding Toronto’s very own golden designing boy Jeremy Laing to its committee of cool-kid co-chairs. Alongside Jessica Rose (others on the committee include Gabe Gonda and Trinity Jackman), Laing was charged with conceiving this year’s theme, Thirteenth Floor (“It’s the 13th Power Ball, so we decided to embrace the odd and unlucky,” he says). His other task was to program artists, DJs and events for the night. “We landed some great projects for the party, including an installation and performance by New York–based Karen Azoulay, as well as a party room installation by Assume Vivid Astro Focus, an internationally regarded art collective based in France, Brazil and New York,” says Laing. “Think massive digital projections, custom lasers, huge inflatables and a limited-edition party mask with refractive lenses to be handed out at the stroke of midnight.”
Also in Laing’s co-chair description: Dressing this first-time Power Baller (yours truly) in one of his designs. Along with my boy Lewis Mirrett, I stopped by Laing’s studio yesterday for a bit of a pre-party dress-up. My first time being “dressed” for a party, I only had to try on a few numbers before I knew which was to be mine (for one night only).
What did I choose? Peep the dress-up session after the jump! »
This year’s Power Ball takes place next Thursday, on June 16. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit powerplant.org.
Read more »
Party pics: Voguing at Toronto’s wildest art party–the Power Ball
Selling out is déclassé among art types, until it comes to fundraisers. And a whole week before Power Ball 12, the city’s wildest (read: only wild) art party was most emphatically sold out. Which meant everyone wanted to be there last Thursday night. Which, in turn, made the night feel like the sum of all Fears of Missing Out (FOMO).



