One thing any TIFF regular will know is that the festival hasn’t properly begun until you find yourself in a long line. In this case I’m in a line in order to exchange a ticket, but box office lines aren’t the only kind. There are entrance lines and rush lines and even washroom lines. Lines everywhere.
But queuing up isn’t bad as it sounds. In fact, anyone who does it right can make it a really enjoyable part of the TIFF experience.
One thing to remember is that everyone in a line at TIFF immediately have something in common: they’re all in line because the love movies. That makes it incredibly easy to strike up conversation. “So, what have you seen so far?” is a very common conversation starter, for example. Carry on from there and you’re likely to meet some very interesting people from all over the world.
Then there’s the arduously fun experience of rush lines. The “will I, won’t I” is stressful sometimes, especially when you’ve been waiting for hours. Sometimes, though, you get lucky. Maybe somebody will sell you a ticket. Occasionally people have been known to give away tickets for free.
The lines really are part of the experience, and I can tell you very plainly, if you go to TIFF and don’t spend any serious length of time in a line, you aren’t doing it right.
See you in the queue!
justAtad 