check this out
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SOLAR, an immersive spectacle of sunset, reimagined with robotics and 200 beams of light
Skip-the-line tickets now on sale for SOLAR, The Bentway’s new commission by acclaimed Italian artist Quayola From October 16-19, The Bentway transforms the Gardiner into a glowing horizon with SOLAR, an expansive light installation by Italian artist Quayola. Over four nights only, audiences can experience a city sunset reimagined through cutting-edge technology and contemporary art. …
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The Bentway & Exhibition Place announce Petal and Stone, new mural by Rebecca Munce
The Bentway and Exhibition Place reveal plans for 10,000 sq ft public art project by Canadian artist Rebecca Munce, transforming a new stretch of the Gardiner into an urban storyboard The Bentway, in collaboration with Exhibition Place, has announced a colossal public art project by Canadian artist Rebecca Munce premiering this October: Petal and Stone. …
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The Bentway ‘takes to the water’ this September
Join the canoe procession: 500 Volunteers invited to bring an unprecedented artwork to life, and co-create with renowned artist Melissa McGill.
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A brighter future under the Gardiner Expressway
The Bentway is teaming up with Light Bureau (Norway), CityPlace and Fort York BIA, the Waterfront BIA and the City of Toronto to brighten intersections under the Gardiner Expressway, starting with a bold new lighting project coming soon to Dan Leckie Way at Lake Shore Boulevard West.
what’s on
Beautiful Native Plants
Why is it so important to re-plant native plants across Toronto? Come find out at this hands-on workshop with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority!
Dino Run: September
If your kids like dinosaurs, they’ll love Dino Runs! This fun-filled morning starts with costumed Dino Specialists teaching participants about dinosaurs through song, dance, storytelling, and games. Then, the kids will set out as Dino Explorers on an exciting, non-competitive chase to recapture runaway dinosaurs. These fun and educational events sold out in 2024!
Roller Skate Party: September
The Melanin Skate Crew is a trio of talented people with one shared goal: to spread love and joy through roller skating. In skate culture, crews are formed to showcase choreographed tricks and move together on the rink, similar to your favourite pop bands and dance groups growing up!
A Lake Story
Sep 27 & 28, 2025. Procession at 11am & 4pm
A procession of over one hundred canoes moves in unison across Toronto’s eastern Waterfront on September 27/28, each carrying colour field paintings made with pigments sourced from the lake/shoreline and activated by the wind. A Lake Story will articulate Lake Ontario’s colour story across the sky and water, amplifying the lake’s own voices of vibrancy, ecosystem, and community.
SOLAR
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A mesmerizing encounter with light transforms the Gardiner into a glowing horizon. Guided by a robotic arm and synchronized beams, SOLAR performs a spectacle of sunset by merging the sun’s rhythms with digital choreography to create an immersive experience of light and motion.
Petal and Stone
October 2025 – 2027
A 10,000 square-foot mural project inaugurates the Gardiner Wallworks series, transforming this concrete expanse into a poetic tableau of site memory, native flora, and symbolic passage. Inspired by the architecture and ecological communities bridging The Bentway and Exhibition Place, it offers commuters and residents an evocative new lens on their urban landscape.
ongoing
Memory Work
On display May 1, 2022 onwards
Situated at the western entrance to The Bentway, Memory Work is a mural made up of twelve embellished photographic portraits of revolutionary women and non-binary figures from a future Toronto. Initiated by studio From Later with artist Rajni Perera and Memory Work Collective, this speculative monument imagines a city characterized by collective care and politics that value nurturing over growth.
Waterfront ReConnect: Boom Town
On view now
Boom Town employs vibrant colour, playful characters, and environmental lighting to enliven the York Street intersection, improving safety and accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists.
Waterfront ReConnect: Pixel Story
On view now
Pixel Story references the multitude of vantages, scales, speeds, and distances at which to view the Expressway, enticing passersby to move forward towards the waterfront, or pause to reflect on its diverse stories.
Bentway Staging Grounds
On view now
Bentway Staging Grounds is a site of active, environmental learning that continues The Bentway’s creative work along the Gardiner Expressway. Visitors are invited into a living laboratory for urban ecology, with experimental gardens that use rainwater run-off from the highway above to support the growth of flowering plant species.
Cool Spots: Remapping a Hotter Toronto
Submit your Cool Spot now until September!
Discover and share the places that keep you cool in Toronto! From shaded underpasses to breezy green spaces, your submissions will help shape a growing community map of urban relief and resilience.
la sombra que te cobija / the shadow that shelters you
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A geometric pavilion invites you to cross under the Gardiner, casting both a cooling effect and ornate shadow patterns. Edra Soto’s installation references the shade-making façades of working-class Puerto Rican bungalows to create an expansive, sun-filtering threshold, reflecting on the intersection of heat-responsive architecture, place-making, and cultural heritage.
Declaration of the Understory
May 23, 2025 to Spring 2026
Secwépemc artist Tania Willard approaches the space below the highway as a tree canopy, reminiscent of the “understory” floor of southern Ontario forests, where pockets of shade and sunlight shape unique ecosystems below. In a stunning mixed-media installation, floral motifs, iridescence, and powerful slogans offer a mediation on the power of shade as a lifeforce.
Bathed in Strange Light
May 23, 2025 to Spring 2026
Working in collaboration with the sun’s rhythms, Natalie Hunter’s photographs on the windows of The Bentway Studio (facing Canoe Landing Park) explore how ever-shifting sunlight shapes our experience of public spaces. As the sun moves throughout the day, translucent images cast down a colorful, slow-moving cinema.
Seeing Celsius
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What happens when we can see heat? By adding thermal-imaging technology to the familiar viewfinder found at scenic lookout points, LeuWebb Projects enables you to see the temperature differences across The Bentway space and the bodies that move through it. It’s a new perspective that will shift how you view urban spaces and the materials that shape them.
Roller Skating with SUSO Skate Co.
June 11 – September 28, 2025. Wednesday-Friday: 4pm-8pm, Saturday-Sunday: 1pm-7pm, Roller Skate Parties: 6pm-10pm
Our friends at SUSO Skate Co. are back this summer, making The Bentway Skate Trail the best place to rock and roll! Book your skate rental and time slot ahead of time on the SUSO website, then come on down for good vibes and memorable moments. Whether you’re trying roller skating for the first time or have moves to show off, SUSO has you covered.
visit
The Bentway is active at multiple sites under and near the Gardiner Expressway:
Getting there
250 Fort York Blvd, under the Gardiner
The Bentway Skate Trail is situated on the lands of Fort York National Historic Site, running from just east of the Fort York Visitors Centre to Bastion St.
Find at: bents 83-89
By TTC
511 Bathurst (at Fort York Blvd)
509 Harbourfront (at Fleet St)
Parking
Paid parking available @ Green P lots, located at 250 Fort York Blvd and 800 Fleet Street.
Accessibility
This space is fully accessible to mobility devices, with flat paved and wooden decked surfaces.
Free wifi
Free wifi is provided by Beanfield. Sign onto “Beanfield1hfree” and get one free hour of wifi at The Bentway.
Washroom Hours
Monday & Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday to Friday: 1:00pm – 8:30pm
Saturday & Sunday: 1:00pm – 8:00pm
These hours may be impacted due to special events.
Friday, September 5 will be the final day this summer to enjoy the splash pad water feature at our Skate Trail.
Getting there
250 Fort York Blvd, under the Gardiner
The Bentway Strachan Gate is situated on the lands of Fort York National Historic Site, at Strachan Ave.
Find at: bents 46-50
By TTC
509 Harbourfront (at Fleet St)
63 Ossington (at East Liberty St)
511 Bathurst (at Fort York Blvd)
Parking
Paid parking available @ Green P lots, located at 250 Fort York Blvd and 800 Fleet Street.
Accessibility
This space is partially accessible to mobility devices. In addition to flat and sloped paved surfaces, a large surface is covered in compacted gravel. Washrooms are accessible to mobility devices. Recommended entry to the site: from the east or the south.
Free wifi
Free wifi is provided by Beanfield. Sign onto “Beanfield1hfree” and get one free hour of wifi at The Bentway.
Getting there
55 Fort York Blvd
The Bentway Studio is a mixed indoor/outdoor facility that faces into Canoe Landing Park, just west of Spadina Ave.
Find at: north of bent 116
By TTC
510 Spadina (at Bremner Blvd / Fort York Blvd)
Parking
Paid parking available at local InPark and Green P lots, and on local streets (including Dan Leckie Way and Housey St).
Accessibility
This space is fully accessible to mobility devices, with flat surfaces.
Off-Site Projects
In addition to operating permanent public spaces, The Bentway is testing out new ideas for the Gardiner Expressway through a series of temporary shorter-term projects.
Explore these off-site projects here:
