what’s on

Check out our ongoing and upcoming events and series.

events calendar

July 2025

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July 2025
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.
A group of shopping carts, each sprouting it's own tree, on display in a public space.
Art Socials: July 2
Get ready for an all-ages drawing night full of games and activities. Characters are the heart of any story. They’re also one of the most fun things a person can draw! But what goes into making characters that really stand out? Join professional comic book artist Josh Rosen as he shares character design techniques used in comics and animation, and engage in fun drawing exercises based around inventing characters of your own.
Canopy Connections: Sunset Concert with The Taylor Academy
Students from The Taylor Academy – Canada’s leading classical music training program – share their music.  Enjoy their showstopping virtuosity under the cover of the Moving Forest canopy and enjoy a beautiful sunset that will sweep you into the weekend. 
A group of shopping carts, each sprouting it's own tree, on display in a public space.
Roller Skate Lessons: July 4
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. 
Moving Forest Parade to Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre
Experience our volunteer-led parade of the urban canopy, Moving Forest! 50 tree-filled shopping carts will arrive at the Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre to create a shady gathering place for community, conversation, and reflection on the importance of urban nature.
Canopy Connections: Community Pop Up with Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre
Join us for this free event in the Moving Forest: Canopy Connections series! Join Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre community members for a vibrant afternoon of activities amongst the tree canopy and gardens, including a scavenger hunt, fitness demonstrations, and steel pans performances. Let’s surround Moving Forest with love and care from our dedicated community  and foster […]
People riding bikes pass by a group of shopping carts, each sprouting it's own tree, on display in a public space.

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Moving Forest @ Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre
See you at the Waterfront Neighbourhood Centre, July 7 to July 11! A flock of 50 trees in shopping carts travels throughout the city,  stopping to create a refreshing shade canopy in usually-sunny spaces.
People riding bikes pass by a group of shopping carts, each sprouting it's own tree, on display in a public space.
Art Socials: July 9
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.
Roller Skate Lessons: July 11
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. 
Moving Forest Parade to Harbourfront Centre
Experience our volunteer-led parade of the urban canopy, Moving Forest! 50 tree-filled shopping carts will arrive at the Harbourfront Centre to create a shady gathering place for community, conversation, and reflection on the importance of urban nature.

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Moving Forest @ Harbourfront Centre
See you at the Harbourfront Centre, July 14 to July 20! A flock of 50 trees in shopping carts travels throughout the city,  stopping to create a refreshing shade canopy in usually-sunny spaces.
Aerial view of a group of shopping carts, each sprouting it's own tree, on display in a public space.
Canopy Connections: Dancing in the Square
Join us for this free event in the Moving Forest: Canopy Connections series! Learn new dance moves and strut your stuff to a live band by the water’s edge and a special edition amongst Moving Forest! From salsa to swing, soca to samba, grab a friend and join us for a fun-filled evening of social […]
Aerial view of a group of shopping carts, each sprouting it's own tree, on display in a public space.
Art Socials: July 16
Explore linework and pattern making with this fun and accessible approach to creating prints. In this workshop with local artist Sarah Aranha, you’ll create your own designs by carving custom foam blocks and then apply ink to these forms to print your own set of greeting cards, just in time for the approaching fall season.
Sun/Shade Curators’ Tours: July 17
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.
Roller Skate Lessons: July 18
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. 
Canopy Connections: Unity Fest
Join us for this free event in the Moving Forest: Canopy Connections series! Moving Forest sets a unique stage for Canada’s own Hip-Hop festival with an all-day line-up of  dance battles, live hip-hop performances, a local food vendor marketplace and networking events and vibes for all ages. Learn more. City dwellers have long appreciated trees for […]
Aerial view of a group of shopping carts, each sprouting it's own tree, on display in a public space.
Dino Run: July
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!
Art Socials: July 23
The gateway of visual art mediums, collage is as individual as it is accessible. This whimsical workshop led by local collective Collage Grad encourages free-expression and experimentation using a curated selection of rare and vintage print media. Curiosity and playfulness are the only prerequisites as you learn to cut, paste, and curate different materials.
Roller Skate Party: July
It’s a birthday party! The Melanin Skate Crew is turning 5! In 2020, The Melanin Skate Crew started small meet-ups in parking lots, basketball courts, and school yards, and now host hundreds of skaters at their iconic themed events. Dress in your best yellow and black and celebrate in style at The Bentway! DJ Lighter will be on site bringing the vibes. 

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Nibwaakaawin: The Balance of Warmth and Coolness
Join artist Natalie King to explore heat-reactive art-making techniques inspired by LeuWebb Projects’ installation Seeing Celsius – thermal-imaging viewfinders that reveal changing temperatures across the Bentway’s site. Led by interdisciplinary artist Natalie King, this workshop invites participants to co-create a collaborative painting using thermochromic (heat-reactive) materials.   Rooted in the Anishinaabemowin concept Nibwaakaawin (wisdom/balance), the […]
Art Socials: July 30
Find out how fun and easy it can be to screen print designs on felt to create your own custom patch and pouch! Erin MacKeen 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). 

on view / ongoing

  • Roller Skating with SUSO Skate Co.

    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…

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  • Second Shade

    Second Shade

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    Echoing both the towering structures of downtown skyscrapers and a forest of trees, Mary Mattingly’s Second Shade combines lush greenery and repurposed construction materials to make a unique 20ft tall urban canopy, showcasing the cooling potential of green roofs, soft landscaping, and responsive architecture.

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  • la sombra que te cobija / the shadow that shelters you

    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. 

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  • Casting a Net, Casting a Spell

    Casting a Net, Casting a Spell

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    Artist duo Celeste’s majestic, quilted canopy casts welcomed shade down to a seating area below, offering relief from the heat and a space for gathering. Like a suncatcher, Casting a Net, Casting a Spell embraces and harnesses the sun, weaving in archetypes that have surrounded the sun since ancient times. 

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  • Declaration of the Understory

    Declaration of the Understory

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    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.

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  • Bathed in Strange Light

    Bathed in Strange Light

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    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.

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  • Seeing Celsius

    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…

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  • Moving Forest

    Moving Forest

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    A flock of 50 trees in shopping carts playfully travels throughout the city, stopping to create a refreshing shade canopy in usually-sunny spaces. Follow their eight-week journey throughout the city – from The Bentway, to YZD at Downsview, to the Waterfront – enjoying pop-up readings and performances along the way.

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  • Waterfront ReConnect: Boom Town

    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

    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

    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.

  • Memory Work  

    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…

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