Sun/Shade Throughout the twentieth century, few forces have impacted the shape of North American cities as significantly as the sun. Driven first by public health objectives and later by an insatiable desire for daylight and broad views, urban centres and the spaces they support are largely celebrated for the ways in which they maximize access to light. Over time, unobstructed rays became synonymous with urban progress and yet, as temperatures rise every year, our sun-drenched streets and public spaces are becoming less and less comfortable. Extreme heat events are predicted to rise in the Greater Toronto Area from 20 days per year now to 66 days per year by 2050, leading to increased risk of illnesses and mortality. How can we collaborate with the sun in new ways? How will shade help to define new spaces for civic life? The Bentway’s summer exhibition of public art, Sun/Shade, brings together artists, designers, and researchers from Toronto and beyond to deploy the sun and shade as creative tools, revealing how new thinking about familiar resources can improve urban life. This summer, we invite you under the highway to shine a light on the benefits of shade.
Roller Skate Parties 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. Expect local DJs, group skate demos and theme nights, shop the Toronto Queer Market. Join us for the best summer vibes!
Roller Skate Parties 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. Expect local DJs, group skate demos and theme nights, shop the Toronto Queer Market. Join us for the best summer vibes!
Roller Skate Parties 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. Expect local DJs, group skate demos and theme nights, shop the Toronto Queer Market. Join us for the best summer vibes!
Roller Skate Parties 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. Expect local DJs, group skate demos and theme nights, shop the Toronto Queer Market. Join us for the best summer vibes!
Sun/Shade Curators’ Tours 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.
Sun/Shade Curators’ Tours 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.
Sun/Shade Curators’ Tours 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.
Summer Live Music Festival Experience the sounds of summer at the Summer Live Music Festival 2025 – a free outdoor event at Trillium Park featuring award-winning jazz bands, world music artists, and top a cappella groups. From soulful jazz to global rhythms and vocal harmony, the festival offers a vibrant mix of genres for all music lovers. Bring a blanket, soak in the waterfront views, and enjoy world-class performances in a relaxed, open-air setting.
Twisting, Twining Weaving people and plants together: music, dance & fibre arts. Six magical evenings under the trees in beautiful Raymore Park along the banks of the Humber / Gabekanaang Ziibi / River.Join us in the circle, as Toronto musicians share sounds and songs from South India, Egypt, and Ukraine to Georgia, Lithuania, Ireland, and the places in between. Get to know the plants of the valley through hands-on crafting and unwind as the sun sinks through gentle movement. Follow the signs from the Raymore Park parking lot — bring a blanket and find us under the trees.Tuesday July 15: Vocalist and storyteller Sharada Eswar with dance artist Julia Aplin.Wednesday July 16: Egyptian-Canadian vocalist Maryem Hassan Tollar with singer, poet, dancer and actor Roula Said; and multi-instrumentalist Ernie Tollar.Thursday July 17: Trish O’Callaghan shares soulful songs from the Celtic tradition. Dance artist Julia Aplin invites you to move like the river and rest with the trees.Friday July 18: Andrea Kuzmich and Nadia Dziubaniwska share soaring melodies and earthy harmonies grounded in Ukrainian folk tradition, reconnecting to land and ritual.Saturday July 19: SlowPitchSound brings “sci-fi turntablism” to the valley, braiding live sampling and scratching with deep grooves and field recordings. Hands on: Musical instrument-making using Japanese knotweed with Jurgita Zvinklyte and Matti Palonen.Sunday July 20: Honeypaw‘s music is deeply rooted in the forest, mixing ancient stringed instruments from Finland and Lithuania with tree harps and ritualistic vocal duets. Hands on: Artist and educator Bozena Hrycyna brings her deep knowledge of traditional Ukrainian folk ways to the valley with scything, song and straw crafts.