Roller Skate Party
Meet us under the Gardiner to move and groove at our monthly Roller Skate Parties! Whether you have superfly moves to share or are working on the basics, all are encouraged to cruise our figure-eight trail together.
Nature in our Neighbourhood
Discover urban wildlife in Canoe Landing Park and CityPlace on this interactive walking tour. Learn to identify local plants and animals, explore how nature adapts in city spaces through hands-on activities, and take home native wildflower seeds to support biodiversity in your own garden!
Exploring Nature Beyond Sight
Experience urban nature through a guided sensory walk designed to engage with touch, smell, and sound. This interactive program and hands-on planting activity invites participants to slow down, connect, and explore public space in new ways.
Gather, Make, and Move! Summer programs return to The Bentway
May 5, 2026
The Bentway’s summer programming returns June 2 with a vibrant lineup of workshops, recreation, and community events. Running through September, this season invites you to make, play, and connect in spaces under the Gardiner and beyond.
Textiles: Bag Charms
Join the World Cup fever and make a leather tassel bag charm to represent your your favourite team in this workshop. No matter what country you’re rooting for, we’ve got you covered. Wear them to the stadium, put them on your bag, or rub them for good luck while you watch from home.
Art Socials
Tuesdays from Jun 2 to Aug 25, 2026.
Trade your usual night out for an evening of creative experimentation and social connection! Our weekly beginner-friendly Art Socials invite you to try hands-on creative techniques like miniatures, screen printing, and watercolour in a relaxed, social setting. Come solo or with friends, and leave with something you made yourself!
Roller Skate Lessons
Fridays from Aug 7 to Sep 25, 2026. Two sessions: 6:30pm-7:30pm or 7:30pm-8:30pm.
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.
FIFA Fan Festival 2026™ Toronto
April 27, 2026
The Bentway is a proud fan of Toronto, and The FIFA Fan Festival™ offers a meaningful moment to ignite civic pride and uplift Toronto as a world within a city. For this global moment, The Bentway’s public art programming embraces fandom in all its forms – celebrating the city’s cultural diversity and shared rituals that unite us.
The Bentway Presents Public Art Programming as part of FIFA Fan Festival™ Toronto for FIFA World Cup 2026™
April 27, 2026
New artworks transform space beneath the Gardiner Expressway into a civic gathering place for art, culture, and global fandom.
The Bentway Expands its Leadership Team to Deliver on a Growing Public Mission
April 24, 2026
The Bentway announces new staff arrivals and a series of internal promotions, strengthening and solidifying its team as the organization continues to grow its impact as one of Toronto’s leading civic spaces.
In Bloom: A Flower Market + Workshop
Explore offerings from local growers and take part in a drop-in arranging workshop as West Block blooms into a summer flower market. Guided by the new Step-Up Series mural’s floral imagery and striking colour palette, these sessions connect contemporary practice with cultural traditions and invite visitors into a shared moment of creativity.
Opening – Artist Talk and Neighbourhood Walk
Guided by the exhibiting artists, this tour visits two new artworks shaped by CityPlace’s layered histories and rhythms. Experience the inaugural Step-Up Series mural which threads vivid colour and narrative into the architecture of West Block, and celebrate Staging Ground’s final chapter, evoking our place in a collective urban ecology.
Shared Rhythms: Music at West Block
Gather at West Block for a joyful afternoon of live performances as musicians from Small World Music’s Incubator program create a shared listening space that celebrates community and cultural exchange. Set against Anahita Akhavan’s newly unveiled mural مجلس Majles / Sitting Room, the event invites neighbours to linger, listen, and connect.
Social Fabric: A Community Textile Activation
Drawing on the textile traditions reflected in Anahita Akhavan’s new mural, West Block becomes a place for shared making. Working with SHEEEP Studio, visitors of all ages will assemble textiles throughout the afternoon, gathering colour, pattern, and the gestures of many hands.
Reimagining Life Under the Gardiner: The Bentway Unveils Two New Public Art Works in CityPlace
April 16, 2026
New works by Toronto artists Anahita Akhavan and Stanzie Tooth transform spaces beneath the Gardiner into sites of gathering, reflection, and exchange.
Daylight Saving Skate
Daylight saving steals an hour of sleep, and we’re giving it back the best way we know how: on the ice! On our final day at the skate trail, we’re inviting neighbours to reset their internal clocks together with complimentary coffee and an extra hour of skating –pajamas encouraged!
Cool by Design: A conversation about The Bentway’s latest report on the power of shade
February 18, 2026
The Bentway invites the public to a free panel discussion on March 31 to mark the launch of Cool by Design: The Power of Shade in Public Space, a new report that reframes shade as a vital element of public health and social infrastructure as northern cities confront rising temperatures. Explore the power of shade in public space at this free public […]
The Bentway Extends Skate Trail Season Through March 8
February 12, 2026
We are pleased to announce that our popular figure-eight outdoor Skate Trail will remain open through Sunday, March 8, giving skaters more time to glide beneath the Gardiner Expressway and enjoy one of Toronto’s most distinctive winter experiences.
A Toronto Winter Tradition Returns: Skating Under the Gardiner Opens December 20
December 1, 2025
This year the celebration is taking shape on the ice! Now in our 8th year, we’re inviting Toronto back to our iconic 220m figure-eight skate trail, a fitting symbol for how winter has brought paths together across the city since day one.
The Bentway Enters a Bold Next Chapter of Growth and Citywide Impact with Leadership Transition
November 12, 2025
Building on significant progress to date — from the design of The Bentway Islands to expanded programming on the city’s west end — The Bentway is advancing bold public art, design, and civic projects that connect communities and reimagine Toronto’s public spaces.
Bentway After School
Two 5-week session options; Jan 6-Feb 3, or Feb 10-Mar 10.
This winter, The Bentway invites young urbanists to explore and learn about their city with lots of fun, creativity, and outdoor discovery along the way! The program empowers participants to understand and influence concepts in urban design, city building, and placemaking through neighbourhood investigations, storytelling, and recreation.
The Bentway and Exhibition Place announce plans to connect our two sites
October 29, 2025
The opening of a new joint mural project signals the future westward expansion of The Bentway’s programming offerings and trail, under Strachan Ave into Exhibition Place.
Howl’oween (2025)
It’s the ulti-mutt fall celebration: Howl’oween at The Bentway, presented with Ren’s Pets! Gather the family, two-legged and four, for our spook-tacular costume contest. Enjoy prizes, music, local vendors, and cozy fall treats on this festive afternoon full of laughter, wagging tails, and Halloween fun for pups and their people!