TIFF 2012 Insider’s Guide: your essential road map to 10 days of all-consuming revelry

In other words: everything you always wanted to know about the film festival but were too Torontonian to ask By Gabrielle Johnson, Emily Landau and Kevin Naulls

The Bell Lightbox opened two years ago now, and its gravitational pull has been relentless. In the past year, the Ritz-Carlton and Shangri-La hotels—two of the most luxurious and celeb-friendly in the city—have opened their doors within blocks of the Lightbox (the latter bringing with it the much-anticipated trio of Momofuku restaurants). The Soho House, an exclusive members-only club, has finally opened a permanent Toronto location, joining King West mainstays like the Thompson Hotel, Buca and the Spoke Club. And while there’s still lots happening up in Yorkville—the patio at One will always be a stargazing nirvana—TIFF has definitely established its new epicentre. That means the 2012 festival, in the style of all things King West, promises to be bigger, brasher and more balls-out than ever before. And for TIFF, that’s really saying something. To help you take advantage of the champagne-fuelled, celebrity-stocked fun that will consume the city between September 6 and 16, we’ve compiled an insider’s guide to the festival: the top 10 restaurants, the top 10 party spots, and the top 10 red carpet looks. Because if all you remember is the movies, you probably did it wrong.