Toronto is among the world’s most diverse cities and a destination for top visual artists and performers. Get your group’s creative juices flowing! Find inspiration on city streets, at our music halls and by diving into our many immersive experiences.
Take to the streets
You can tell a lot about a city by its murals and graffiti art. Homegrown and international artists are transforming Toronto's streets, laneways, parks and other public spaces in ways that reflect the diverse cultures and experiences of local communities.
A great example is the new Grit series of 24 laneway murals and graffiti art celebrating the resilience demonstrated throughout the pandemic by businesses and community members in the downtown Chinatown and Kensington neighbourhoods. The series also showcases the resurgence of the El Mocambo music venue on Spadina Avenue where legendary acts such as The Police, Rolling Stones and U2 have played. If you’re interested in street art throughout the city, check out the StreetARToronto map-based app.
Adeyemi Adegbesan painting the Agents of Change mural (2021), part of the ALLSTYLE mural as seen at ArtworxTO Hub North: Downsview | Photo Credit: Danilo Deluxo McCallum
Grit is part of ArtworxTO: Toronto’s Year of Public Art, running until September 2022. More than 1,400 Toronto artists will create over 350 new murals, installations, exhibitions, art events, performances and productions as part of a city strategy to support public art projects that reflect Toronto’s renowned diversity.
Put on your walking shoes and explore what’s happening at street level. Map out a route using the ArtworxTO website’s searchable database and download the Driftscape app to discover free public art tours, bonus media materials and artist interviews.
The city is hosting several pop-ups and destination hubs including the current exhibition at Union Station, “I am land,” which explores the role of the artist as a chronicler. During the summer of 2022, an eight-storey landmark mural will be painted overlooking University Avenue in tribute to Canadian hero Terry Fox and the legacy of his 1980 Marathon of Hope, which has raised $850 million to date worldwide for cancer research and awareness.
Live music is back at Toronto's iconic Massey Hall | Photo credit: KPMB Architects
Music hall revival
After 127 years, Massey Hall has stood the test of time. Canada’s “grande dame of music halls” recently completed a three-year expansion that not only revitalized and modernized the original concert hall but created flexible new gathering spaces with the addition of the Allied Music Centre. The Centre features a 500-person live music club, a Basement Bar and a theatre/recital hall perfect for live performances, keynotes, panel discussions, educational workshops and interactive programming.
Toronto’s new HISTORY concert and event venue, with a total capacity of 2,500, is a collaboration between recording artist Drake and Live Nation. Situated in the city’s Beaches neighbourhood (and a 10-minute walk to the lakeside boardwalk), this versatile venue offers VIP boxes and seating areas, state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment, custom decor and an onsite team of event production experts, making it an ideal location for corporate events, cocktail receptions, presentations and private concerts.
Immersive experiences
Toronto fell in love with immersive exhibitions when Immersive Van Gogh first came to town. Since then, the parade of colourful, larger-than-life audio-visual extravaganzas continues with Beyond Monet: The Immersive Experience. The exhibition runs until February 2022 and makes full use of the expansive spaces within the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC) to represent Monet’s artwork through breathtaking music, sound effects and scenography. The MTCC also offers a unique Beyond Monet Yoga experience, which guides participants through a class of movement, visual experiences and meditation.
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You’ll scarcely believe your eyes at The Museum of Illusions Toronto where the Vortex Tunnel will test your sense of balance, Dilemma Games will unleash your inner Einstein and the Ames and Tilted rooms will test the laws of gravity. The Museum packs a visual and sensory punch — not to mention endless Instagrammable moments — with more than 80 illusions, holograms, installations and exhibits that aim to entertain as well as to educate.
