What was once a carefully-avoided stereotype by students and professionals alike, the nerd has come to be a celebrated icon of late. Suspender-sporting, thick-rimmed-glasses-wearing hipsters aren’t the only ones to have caught on. Virve Aljas, founder and inaugurator of Toronto’s own ‘Nerd Nite,’ embraces nerd-dom in a much more authentic way.
The 33-year-old graphic designer says that the now monthly event — typically a 3 hour long exercise in drinking up knowledge and booze — is “like the discovery channel, but with beer.” From a mini-ted talk to an adult science fair, any description works as long as it includes booze and a good time.
September 8th at the Tranzac marked Nerd Nite’s one-year anniversary in Toronto, a not-so-surprising feat, given its fool-proof tenets: educated people giving 20 to 30 minute presentations on topics they’re passionate about. Intermittently, Aljas speaks to the room and dishes out trivia questions, cake, and nerd-related stuff. By the time the night’s over, you’re four pints deep and have made a table of new friends.
Fittingly, the first presentation of Nerd Nite’s one year anniversary is done by Aljas herself; she gives a hilarious discursive on those ‘heritage minutes’ that anyone who grew up in Canada remembers fondly. Through Pierce Brosnan’s Grey Owl, a colourful Winnie the Pooh history, and a charming wit to boot, the audience is given a 20 minute exposition on the clips which we were so reluctantly exposed to as children. And that’s the beauty of her Nerd Nite: “It’s not just all about science-related stuff,” Aljas explains. “The only conditions we have for presenters is that they keep it not too technical. After a few beers, people don’t want to deal with technical jargon.”
The next presentation is from veteran Nerd-Niter Mark Coatsworth, a computer engineer, tech entrepreneur, electronics hacker, and aspiring alchemist who leads us on an impractical but captivating journey on how to fuel our own gas-running vehicles. By the end of it the crowd is in hysterics, and despite his disclaimer, we’re ready to try it at home. With countless karaoke and trivia nights across the city and flourishing institutions like ‘Snakes and Lattes,’ where self-described nerdy types flock for a good time, a regular Nerd Nite seemed the next logical step for Toronto. Aljas was lucky when she stumbled across it in New York one night and was inspired.
“In New York it has become so popular that they’re charging $10-$15 for cover now and it’s sold out beforehand.” Aljas’ own Toronto version, however, doesn’t care to reach such commercial heights. “We don’t want to charge people at the door, we like our night just the way it is right now. We have a good scene of people, from the little Estonian group to the regulars I end up recognizing.” And the legendary Tranzac, a Toronto institution on Brunswick Ave, is the perfect venue for such an event, pulling in anyone from students to professional 40-somethings.
At the end of the night the audience is treated to a very competitive game of interactive trivia. A child-like, competitive silence falls over the crowd as they’re asked to jot down every country in the G20. Frustrated blurts of “they’re peeking at ours!” and “I know this!” are heard, but that’s come to be expected at Nerd Nite. It’s all in good fun.
