Toronto’s shared space
featured programs
Winter Skating
Now CLOSED for the season
Our outdoor skate trail under the Gardiner was open from Dec 16, 2023 to Feb 19, 2024 and is now CLOSED for the season. Thank you to everyone who joined us!
Bentway Staging Grounds
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.
Waterfront ReConnect
Waterfront ReConnect re-imagines the street-level experience of two under-Gardiner intersections through innovative approaches to lighting, color, and storytelling. The projects (located at York Street and Simcoe Street) showcase how the Expressway can better serve our city as a thriving civic asset – both above and below the deck.
check this out
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Announcing Walking:Holding for Summer 2024
The Bentway is pleased to announce the Toronto premiere of Rosana Cade’s tender participatory performance in May 2024. We are currently seeking performers to be part of the project.
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The Bentway partners with muf architecture/art
The Bentway is pleased to announce a new partnership with celebrated collective muf architecture/art, based in the UK. Building on recommendations identified in the Under Gardiner Public Realm Plan for new site amenities and features, muf will explore possibilities for future enhancements to The Bentway’s Phase 1 site (250 Fort York Blvd). Since opening in…
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Family Day at The Bentway
Closing a season of ice skating with family-friendly programming, an outdoor market, and free tasty treats. Celebrate Family Day in the heart of the city with The Bentway! The Bentway has partnered with the Bata Shoe Museum, offering family-friendly activities that celebrate the history of skating in Canada, including a free workshop and interactive scavenger…
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The Bentway Conservancy receives $135,600 in OTF grants to boost Toronto’s urban backyard
On Friday, MPP Chris Glover was at the Bentway Skate Trail to celebrate the work that the Bentway Conservancy has done with two grants, totalling $135,600, it received from the Ontario government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) in 2022 and 2023. It is wonderful to hear that The Bentway was the recipient of both a Resilient…
what’s on
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.
Fountain Monumental
On view now
Logan MacDonald premieres Fountain Monumental, a series of 20-foot-tall images situated within the new Bentway Staging Grounds public space pilot. MacDonald re-imagines the original shoreline of Lake Ontario and invites us to consider the unique history of our city’s waterways while also imagining a decolonial future that prioritizes ecological preservation.
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
On-site washrooms are currently open 10am to 6pm daily.
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:
Staging Grounds
Viewable 24 hrs/day
Find at: bent #113-117
Under the Gardiner @ Dan Leckie Way
Pixel Story
Viewable 24 hrs/dav
Find at: bents #169-170
Under the Gardiner @ Simcoe Street
Boom Town
Viewable 24 hrs/day
Find at: bents #179-182
Under the Gardiner @ York St