Jake Gyllenhaal and his Demolition premiere brought out big crowds for the opening night of the Toronto International Film Festival on Thursday.
“I love coming here, I love coming back to Toronto,” he told Global News on the red carpet.
“People are like ‘you should try this restaurant,’ and I’m like, ‘I know that restaurant, it’s fine, don’t worry’.”
WATCH: Jake Gyllenhaal and Naomi Watts were among the talent who kicked off TIFF 2015
Hours after his film made its international debut, the area was still buzzing with excitement.
One group of ladies credited that to the fact that, for the second year, King Street has been shut down to traffic until Sept. 13 for the TIFF celebrations.
“This pedestrian street makes a huge difference,” said Sandra Brazel. “I think it really creates a buzz.”
The most popular photo op spots were two big orange TIFF signs marking the entries to the pedestrian-only area, which drew an endless stream of people posing in front of them.
Volunteers and police officers posted at those entry points were often the ones tasked with snapping the shots.
Cst. David Wiltshire wasn’t complaining, though. “It’s fun for me to be part of it,” he said.
Elsewhere, you could see people taking selfies, many of whom were dressed up for the occasion. Sometimes even in tuxes. Others with their dogs.
Music was blasting from TIFF Bell Lightbox, being played live on the street and flowing out of packed bars and restaurants.
Adding to the festive atmosphere were tons of sponsor stations, where, if you waited long enough, you could score some free goodies.
At the Ford station, you could even star in your own commercial that gets edited and emailed to you within 24 hours.
“We have two ‘directors’ here and they will lead you through what you’re doing…it’s a little improvised, actually. So whatever they say, you just do,” explained Ford’s Megan Pope.
So even if you don’t have tickets to see a film yet, you can be sure that strolling down King St. will leave you entertained. Even if you just spend the time people-watching. Or if you’re lucky, you might just catch a glimpse of a star.
Just a couple blocks west of the street closure, Gyllenhaal and his cast members quietly took over Spanish eatery Patria for their private Demolition after-party.
READ MORE: TIFF etiquette — What to do when you spot a celebrity
While the red carpets are a sure-fire place to see a celeb, there are some places they do like to frequent. You can find some celeb spotting tips here and read our full coverage of the festival at globalnews.ca/TIFF2015.
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