TORONTO, Ont. – The City of Toronto unveiled its Nuit Blanche lineup, Tuesday, as curators and participating artists showed off their projects at Queen’s Park.

Billed as an “all-night, free, contemporary art event,” this year’s festival will run Sept. 29, from 7:03 p.m until sunrise.

“This is one of the marquee events of our city’s cultural calendar,” Councillor Michael Thompson said.

Thompson, the chair of the city’s Economic Development Committee, said the event is also a “vital part” of the city’s economic strategy.

The seventh-annual event  includes 158 art projects created by more than 500 local, national and international artists. Nuit Blanche will divide Toronto into three zones of art installations, video booths and interactive projects.

One of the zones will include City Hall, where Museum for the End of the World will be shown. The end of times-themed installation created by Janine Marchessault and Michael Prokopow will take place all over City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square.

Another exhibit, Green Invaders, is artist Yves Caizergues’ take on the iconic video games of the 1980s.

Leading up to the event, there will be a series of free themed talks on Sept. 27, 28 and 29.

While Nuit Blanche brings international art to the city, it’s also a showcase for community-based art. Entire neighbourhoods including Parkdale, Queen West and The Distillery District will feature multiple installations by local artists.

Since 2006, the event has generated more than $100 million for Toronto.