On the first full day of the 32nd Toronto International Film Festival, there seemed to be more construction workers than celebrities in the heart of the city’s upscale Yorkville neighborhood — where stars and their fans spend much of their time and money during the 10-day gala.
Work on new retail and residential spaces makes it look as if the curtain is rising on an unfinished stage. Sure, there are shops and restaurants that aren’t undergoing renovation, but there are also lines of orange traffic pylons, yards of yellow “caution” tape, “danger overhead” signs, as well as scaffolding, cement and flat-bed trucks, and four big cranes — all in the space a few city blocks.

In past years, one celebrity-spotting hotspot was the hyper-chic Sassafraz, which was gutted by fire last December. Workers had toiled around the clock to finish rebuilding in time for the festival, but the owners admitted this week that was just a dream. “While we had hoped that might happen in time for the opening of this year’s film festival, the goal has always been to make sure that we open correctly,” Zoran and Vasko Kocovski said in a statement.
Filling the Sassafraz void is One, a bar and restaurant on the ground-level of the new boutique Hazelton Hotel. Across the street from the 70-seat patio, an optimistic crowd of celebrity spotters watched luxury vehicles make their way in and out of the driveway, and hoped someone really famous might come by.

If you’ve spotted film stars at this year’s festival, let us know via a comment below. Send your pictures to us through You Witness News.