When people started gravitating outdoors during the global pandemic, Canadian cities were inspired to reimagine their open air spaces to accommodate a new normal of socializing, exercising and dining. The result? Open, accessible and imaginative outdoor offerings, from parking lot patios and garden routes to parkland and open-air art galleries. This summer and beyond, it’s all about the great outdoors in the city.
Taking the parties outside: Upcoming summer events include Pride Festival Weekend (June 24-26) in Toronto, Ontario, the Pride Festival and Parade (July 31) in Vancouver, BC, and Montreal Pride Festival (August 1-7) are all returning to in-person affairs filled with outdoor performances, colourful marches and parades, block parties and street fairs. There’s also the long-awaited outdoor music festivals, such as the Vancouver Folk Music Festival (July 15-17) in Vancouver, North by Northeast (June 14-19) in Toronto; Montreal Jazz Festival (June 30-July 9) in Montréal, QC. Near Halifax, Nova Scotia, Kejimkujik Dark Sky Weekend (August 19-21) invites stargazers to sleep under the cosmos and see the constellations sans light pollution in Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site.
Toronto
A beach on the Toronto Islands. JIM BYERS PHOTO
There are over 1,500 parks surrounding Lake Ontario in Toronto, including Colonel Samuel Smith Park, one of the city’s largest waterfront spaces sprawling 78 hectares (195 acres) along the shores of Lake Ontario; Trillium Park, one of the city’s newest greenspaces, and built on the former grounds of a parking lot; and Centre Island, situated on the Toronto Islands (a 15-minute ferry ride from downtown) and worthy of a full-day visit.
The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (July 8-17) displays thousands of art pieces in Nathan Phillips Square each year. Now in its 61st year, the event has launched and sustained the careers of 20,000 Canadian artists.
Floating along Toronto’s inner harbour, the Toronto Music Garden beckons with an enchanting design inspired by Bach’s First Suite for Unaccompanied Cello; each dance movement in the suite corresponds to a different section of the garden.
Montréal
Cap Saint Jacques Nature Park, Montreal. Destination Canada Photo
The city is home to 17 major parks with a combined area of 1,982 hectares (4,900 acres), each offering a unique experience – from woods and marshland to beaches and artificial lakes. Notable parks include Parc du Mont-Royal – Montréal’s version of Central Park, sharing the same designer (Frederick Law Olmsted)– which features belvederes overlooking stunning views, an artificial lake, and the Tam Tam Jam, where drummers gather to harmonize on Sundays in summer. Parc Jean-Drapeau is composed of two islands that contain La Ronde, an amusement park owned by Six Flags, a casino, an F1 racetrack, and the city’s largest concert venue (there’s also a two-hour self-guided walking tour of the park’s public art, complete with music from Quebec composers). And Cap-Saint-Jacques Nature Park, surrounded by water on three sides, holds the distinction of being the largest park in Montreal.
Street art lovers can meander the streets of Montreal to take in the more than 3500 murals that brighten the city. Montreal’s Mural Festival returns (June 10-12) for its 10th edition, taking place almost entirely outdoors.
Vancouver
A couple walking in the forest in Stanley Park in Vancouver. Destination Vancouver/Kindred Scout Photo
Vancouver is a park lover’s paradise with more than 230 local parks covering 11% of the city’s footprint. Greenspaces include Stanley Park, which is bigger than New York’s Central Park and populated by kilometres of trails, beautiful lagoons and sandy beaches. Queen Elizabeth Park is the highest vantage point in the city at 152 metres (500 feet) above sea level, and is distinguished by manicured lawns, impeccably groomed flowerbeds and the tropical Bloedel Conservatory. Theatre Under the Stars (July 2 – August 27) interweaves a kaleidoscope of elements – setting, scenery and art – into an all-sensory experience hosted in Malkin Bowl, an amphitheatre tucked into Vancouver’s Stanley Park.
Vancouver’s public art installations can be found citywide, including Platforms: We Are Here, Live, which comprises art pieces from 23 Vancouver-based and Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh artists grappling with issues revealed by the pandemic (on show until November 2022). Art lovers can take a self-guided walking or cycling tour of the city’s outdoor masterpieces, courtesy of the Vancouver Biennale.
Calgary
Prince’s Island Park, Calgary. Photo Courtesy Travel Alberta
With more than 8,000 hectares (19,768 acres) of parkland to explore, locals and visitors to Calgary have plenty of spots to picnic, exercise or birdwatch. Fish Creek Provincial Park is the second-largest urban park in Canada (the largest is Edmonton’s North Saskatchewan River valley parks system at an astonishing 7,284 hectares, or 18,000 acres). Along with over 100 kilometres (62 miles) of hiking and biking trails, Fish Creek Provincial Park offers rich birdwatching opportunities with more than 200 bird species nesting there. Confederation Park is considered a model in landscape design, with natural wetlands, exotic species and aquatic vegetation coexisting harmoniously with a natural playground anchored by a tipped-over Voyageur canoe. And in downtown, Prince’s Island Park hosts festivals and events throughout the year, including the Calgary Folk Music Festival (July 21-24).
The Beltline Urban Murals Project (BUMP) has transformed Calgary into an open-air art gallery, reimagining public spaces through the visual arts and expanding the capacity of the local arts community. Each year, BUMP debuts new mural and graffiti works on the city streets, selected by a diverse jury from pieces submitted by local, national and international artists.
Foodies in the Park is a culinary pop-up series hosted in translucent garden domes across the city. Each edition is hosted in a different outdoor landmark, transporting the act of dining into an exploratory experience that caters to all the senses.
