TIFF Packing List

Wait, this isn't my travel blog, why is there a packing list here you ask?

First off, happy TIFF-mas everyone! (I stole that from one of my friends on Facebook, likely Jonny)  Festival '11 is finally upon us and I look forward to seeing many familiar faces in the ticketholders line of Restless tonight! 

If you're like me and many of my friends, you have films and other film-related commitments all lined up for the next 11 days.  You're not even sure how to make it from one movie to the next in time, much less worry about trivial things like sleeping, eating, and keeping your phone charged.  There are joking remarks about living out of a backpack, but wait, that's actually not a joke!  If you're serious/obsessed about having a great TIFF experience, a well-packed day bag can make a big difference.

I'm one of the tardiest people you will ever meet, the only things I make a point of arriving to on-time are plane/train/coach departures and movies.  This often means I'm literally running around my apartment yelling like a crazy person and forgetting half my stuff as I fly out the door.  Forgetting my sunglasses is no big deal when I'm just going to a movie then coming home a couple hours later, but when you have 4 movies lined up for the day and will need to sit in a west-facing Rush line for 1.5 hours in the late afternoon, that's going to be pretty brutal without shades.  Similarly your cell phone battery's unlikely to die mid-movie, even if it does you can remedy the problem shortly.  If your phone dies at 11am and your last movie doesn't finish until 2am, that can get problematic (especially if someone else has your movie tickets!)

It's common sense to pack a little in advance for travels, and the same applies to TIFF too.  There's no need to go overboard, you are in downtown Toronto after all, your tickets aside, there is little else that you can't get in the city should you forget or suddenly need it.  The following are some essentials that will get you thru the day:

• A sturdy, lightweight, mid-sized bag.  You're not backpacking across Europe, there's no need for a gigantic backpack.  The weight will just hurt your back, and the size will make it difficult to cram under your seat in the theatre.
• TIFF Official Film Schedule (aka OFS) and any other schedules you might want for handy reference (ie. P&I schedule)  In years past some of us have also lugged around the Program book for reference, but with everything available online and the Blackberry TIFF app you can consider lightening the load by leaving it at home.  Especially if your laptop is one of the items you need to bring around with you.
• Camera - SLR, iphone or something in between... you never know who you might spot at TIFF, plus it's fun to take a pic with friends while waiting in line too.
• Sharpie marker - if you're into the autograph thing, it's the same as the camera, you never know who you might get to meet.
• Mobile phone charger - These are long days, there's much tweeting to do, many friends to meet up with, odds are your phone WILL die on you at some point.  A/c (aka wall) chargers are pretty compact and the under ground PATH has many a hidden outlet you can use.  Hint:  Metro Hall library is also a good place to charge your devices and have a bit of quiet time should you need it.  Plus I'm told TIFF Lightbox has blackberry charging stations, I've never investigated for myself though.
• Cereal bars are the handiest snack of all.  They're individually packed, (mostly) nutritious, and don't go bad.  I always have a couple handy in case I don't get a chance to buy food between films.
• Water bottle - this one's common sense, always stay hydrated!  For space-saving purposes I own one of these, folds flat once it's empty.
• Light jacket/cardigan for days when I'm not already wearing an outer layer.  Sure you're sweating as you're jogging from Ryerson to Lightbox, but then you're going to freeze halfway through the movie!
• Laptop/book/some form of entertainment to keep you occupied while in line.  Don't strap your xbox to your back, but everyone has something they do to pass the time, I've seen knitting, hackey sac, and sketchbooks to name a few. As mentioned in previous entries, mine is my tablet/iphone that provides of a combo of internet, ebook, games, and music. (Mobile blogging too!  Might have to test that out this festival)
• Volunteer t-shirt (where applicable)  Can't volunteer without your shirt! :)
• Bit of cash is good to have handy, hot dog vendors don't take debit.

Though this list is meant for those hanging out downtown for an entire day, I must admit I do stop in at home more than the average TIFF-goer since I live just east of the core.  I take my bag of esstentials around in the daytime but if I'm able to go home briefly in the evening I like to leave it all behind and just bring a wallet and camera to my last film of the day.  To facilitate a handy transition I use a small purse that holds the usual... wallet, keys, make-up, hand sanitizer, etc.  I drop the little purse into my mid-sized bag in the day time then pull it out pre-sorted whenever I want.

Hope everyone has a great festival regardless of what you pack!