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Sun & Shade take centre stage at The Bentway this summer
The Bentway’s summer 2025 programming explores sun as a creative collaborator, shade as a new essential resource, and brings back visitor-favourites like roller skating.
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Bentway Islands reaches milestone with presentation to the Waterfront Design Review Panel
The proposed plans include an expansive off-leash park, a range of sport courts to facilitate recreation, and new trails and improved connectivity Design work continues on Bentway Islands, an upcoming “sister site” to The Bentway’s beloved location between Bathurst St. and Strachan Ave. The design team of Field Operations (New York) and Brook McIlroy (Toronto) presented…
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New Bentway report shows how public spaces reduce urban loneliness
With loneliness on the rise in Toronto and cities worldwide, a new Bentway report shows that well-designed and programmed outdoor places must be part of the cure At the start of a cold month commonly tied to “winter blahs” and seasonal feelings of fatigue and depression, The Bentway, with partners Gehl (New York) and researchers…
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Ontario Trillium Foundation supports capital upgrades at The Bentway Skate Trail
Capital Upgrades Happening at The Bentway Skate Trail Thanks to $178,600 Ontario Government Grant The Bentway’s popular Skate Trail is undergoing new capital improvements, thanks to a recently-approved $178,600 Capital grant from the provincial government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF). On Friday, MPP Chris Glover and Duncan MacCallum, an OTF volunteer, visited The Bentway to celebrate…
what’s on
Sun/Shade Opening Night Party
Get ready to feel the heat at the summer’s coolest party! Join The Bentway, Fashion Art Toronto, and Canada’s Drag Race’s Jada Shada Hudson under the Gardiner for a Sunglasses at Night fashion show, celebrating the opening of The Bentway’s latest outdoor art exhibition. Runway shy? Come dance, mingle, and enjoy the show!
Sun/Shade Curators’ Tours: May 24
Go behind the scenes of our Sun/Shade outdoor art exhibition by joining a curators’ tour with The Bentway’s Programming team. Learn about the inspiration behind the season, the creation of each artwork, and how they fit together. Sun/Shade explores new ways of collaborating with the sun, as well as the importance of shade, in our urban spaces.
Casting a Net, Casting a Spell Art Workshop with Celeste
Meet artists María Fernanda Camarena and Gabriel Rosas Alemán, who together form the Mexico City-based duo Celeste, for an afternoon of art activities! Inspired by their installation Casting a Net, Casting a Spell – a large-scale quilted canopy evocative of a suncatcher – come explore the power of the sun through family-friendly creative exercises.
Sun/Shade Curators’ Tours: May 25
Go behind the scenes of our Sun/Shade outdoor art exhibition by joining a curators’ tour with The Bentway’s Programming team. Learn about the inspiration behind the season, the creation of each artwork, and how they fit together. Sun/Shade explores new ways of collaborating with the sun, as well as the importance of shade, in our urban spaces.
Art Socials: June 4
This workshop will be something to write home about! Print your own letterpress postcards using two antique platen presses set up with an image and text. Learn from local printmaker Phoebe Todd-Parrish about traditional typesetting from wood and metal type, how it was used historically and how it can still be used today. Add colour to your image and write on your postcard to share a memory of summer with a friend or loved-one using this analog technology!
Roller Skating with SUSO Skate Co.
June 11 – September 28, 2025. Wednesday-Friday: 4pm-8pm, Saturday-Sunday: 1pm-8pm, 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.
Art Socials: June 11
In this workshop, you will learn some of the basics of creating miniature foods using polymer clay. Together with instructor Kiana Simmons, participants will mix clay to achieve realistic colours, shape the pieces, and add details using clay and clay tools. You will take home a tiny wooden box of miniature food and the skills to continue exploring polymer clay miniatures at home! All supplies will be provided, and you may even have some extra clay to take home.
Sand Flight
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Experience the world premiere of Sand Flight, from internationally renowned choreographer Ingri Fiksdal. Eight dancers and a 50-person choir descend on a massive sand dune under the Gardiner Expressway for a powerful performance that speculates on climates-to-come, where shade-worshipping is the new normal.
Roller Skate Lessons: June 13
Learn how to roll with us! This summer, we’re offering weekly roller skate lessons for those who are looking to gain basic skills. Our expert instructors will help novice skaters build confidence on wheels and navigate our figure-eight trail.
Dino Run: June
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!
Canopy Connections: Summer Wonder with TPL Fort York
Listen to family friendly stories that have been carefully selected to get you thinking about the significance of trees and the principles of shade equity. Enrich your learning through interactive games and activities delivered by Fort York library staff.
Art Socials: June 18
Find out how fun and easy it can be to screen print designs on felt to create your own custom patch and pouch! Erin MacKenna will show you how to print using small frameless screens of illustrations inspired by The Bentway’s Sun/Shade exhibition and share simple techniques for stitching and assembly. You can use what you made to add a little personality to your favourite backpack and finally have a place to keep your headphones (or a secret snack).
Sun/Shade Curators’ Tours: June 19
Go behind the scenes of our Sun/Shade outdoor art exhibition by joining a curators’ tour with The Bentway’s Programming team. Learn about the inspiration behind the season, the creation of each artwork, and how they fit together. Sun/Shade explores new ways of collaborating with the sun, as well as the importance of shade, in our urban spaces.
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.
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
Washrooms will be closed this week due to scheduled construction, we are hoping to reopen for regular hours on Monday, April 28.
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:
