#AdaTIFFmems - The binoculars on Yonge St.

I have volunteered at the Elgin Theatre since my first year at TIFF.  It's conveniently located on Yonge Street near Queen, it's in the heart of Toronto where anything and everything can and will happen.  I always say nothing I see down there would surprise, but sometimes, things do anyway.

Standing in line is arduous, the ticketholders line at the Elgin typical starts about 1.5hrs before each show and can stretch from the theatre all the way north to Shuter St, wrap around Shuter to Victoria street, and then south again to as far as Queen St. However one of the perks you may encounter while shuffling your feet, waiting for them to open the theatre, is the swag.  Official sponsors and other eager marketers often hand out freebies in line.  It's not unusual as a volunteer to saunter out to the front to find everyone has a McDonald's coffee in hand for example, but on occasion the swag is a bit more unusual.

One year Sun Life Fianancial was handing out binoculars, I can't remember the tie in... a chance to catch a closer glimpse of your favourite star perhaps? But it makes for quite a jarring moment when you step out onto Yonge St. and 300 pairs of binoculars are pointed in your direction as patrons test out their new toy. (I can only describe it as a Wes Anderson nightmare moment, except Moonrise Kingdom had not ever been made at that time)