TORONTO — Rubbernecking for Hollywood stars is one of those guilty pleasures urbanites love during the Toronto International Film Festival.

In previous years, we could always count on Bloor Street and Yorkville Avenue for celebrity encounters of all kinds.

We saw Hollywood's rich and famous shop at Holt Renfrew or The Gap.

They perused books at Chapters and sipped their soy milk lattes at Starbucks.

And TIFF jetsetters always cruised through the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel, or into well-known Yorkville eateries like Sassafraz Restaurant.

But with the opening of TIFF's new Bell Lightbox, the landscape for star gazing is about to change.

TIFF's changing social scene

"This is going to be a transitional year," says Danny Gunam, owner of The Roosevelt Room (328 Adelaide St. W).

"You'll still see some TIFF action in Yorkville. But King Street is where things are moving. By next year King Street will be the centre of TIFF's universe," says Gumam.

Natasha Koifman, the President and founder of Toronto agency NKPR, agrees.

"I was in L.A. recently and every publicist I talked to wanted to know about King Street and new locations for their TIFF events," says Koifman.

"With the opening of the Bell Lightbox TIFF's social scene will change," she says.

"More parties will be held nearby. More celebrities will be in the area. More venues will respond to the demand -- and the opportunities. That is inevitable," says Koifman.

TIFF star gazing made easy

TIFF press junkets will still take place in the Bloor and Yorkville area. So TIFF diehards should not rule out hotels like the Four Seasons, the Park Hyatt or the Intercontinental for their star-gazing potential.

But new contenders are emerging closer to the Bell Lightbox such as the Hyatt Regency (370 King St. W.) and the boutique entry Hôtel Le Germain Toronto (30 Mercer St.).

"When the Trump Hotel opens that's when things will really shift and you'll start to see more celebrities in the area," says Gunam.

The Trump International Hotel & Tower (325 Bay St.) will open in 2011.

Yorkville shopping may still have upper hand for the moment.

Shops like Whole Foods Market on Avenue Rd., tony beauty bars like Pir Cosmetics (25 Bellair), the celebrity-adored toy store Kidding Awound (91 Cumberland), and jewellery havens like EBillion Watches (81 Yorkville) should still pack TIFF stars in.

And if you're lucky enough to swing a VIP invite, TIFF gifting suites like the Diesel Lounge and the Tastemakers Lounge at the Intercontinental (September 9 – 15), as well as cool new hangouts like TORO After Dark (164 Avenue Rd.) will keep the star gazing coming.

But TIFF parties are heading south this year in a big way.

Supper clubs and chic watering holes like Brassaii (461 King St. W), Ultra Supper Club (314 Queen St. W), and the Japanese restaurant Ame (19 Mercer St) are all on the radar for TIFF party planners this year.

"We have three TIFF premiere parties that we're doing, including a dinner for the film ‘Stone' with Robert De Niro and Ed Norton and a brunch for Kevin Spacey's movie, ‘Casino Jack'," says Gunam.

The Roosevelt Room will also host the BMW Mini After Party (September 16) and the famous Bagatelle Brunch from New York City (September 11 & 12). 

"The Bagatelle Bistro in New York is known for its champagne brunches. The stars love it. I'm sure we'll get a good turnout for TIFF," says Gunam.

Playboy's Good Life Party will rock Muzik (15 Saskatchewan Road) on September 10. Look for Big Boi (from the Grammy-winning supergroup Outkast) and Bridget Marquardt (the former co-star of E!'s reality show "The Girls Next Door") to party here with TIFF stars.

Could Hugh Hefner show? The rumour mill says "yes," but Hef's appearance has yet to be confirmed.

The international star haven Nikki Beach also returns to TIFF this year, turning the C Lounge (456 Wellington St. W) into one of the best destinations for after-hours star partying – and star gazing.

But for those TIFF fans that can't score an all access pass, take heart.

There's always the Starbucks near the Bell Lightbox. "You'll see more celebs there this year than ever before," says Gunam.

And when dirt-cheap is your only star-gazing option, line up along Roy Thompson Hall's red carpet. Home to many TIFF premieres in 2010, Roy Thompson will always score celebrity watchers a million-dollar view.