By Liisa Ladouceur on
When Vogue declared Queen Street West the second coolest neighbourhood in the world, locals weren’t surprised. Since the 1980s, the stretch around Spadina Avenue has been a nexus for art and style, with boutiques rubbing up against trendy fast-fashion retail, and a grittiness even gentrification can’t shake.
This part of Queen Street West is one of the best places in Toronto to check out public art. The concentration of eye-popping street art in and around this area—and its iconic Graffiti Alley—create what is essentially a free, open-air gallery. It’s the perfect destination for strolling, photography, and checking the pulse of the city.
Local tip: Travel westward to discover great independent galleries and buy artwork to take home.
Start your self-guided tour at Richmond Street and Spadina Avenue, then walk westward along Queen Street West to hit these local art spots.
This oversized bronze sculpture of a large thimble atop a pile of buttons by Canadian artist Stephen Cruise pays tribute to the factory workers who toiled in this neighbourhood when it was still Toronto’s garment district.
Location: Northwest corner of Spadina Avenue and Richmond Street
When it’s raining, or you just want to dig a little deeper in Toronto’s art scene, there are usually good exhibitions at 401 Richmond, a historic warehouse transformed into a thriving arts and culture hub. Look up what’s on at Red Head Gallery, Abbozzo Gallery or the new Museum of Toronto.
Location: 401 Richmond Street West at Spadina Avenue
The greatest free art exhibit in downtown Toronto is Graffiti Alley. Several blocks long, this colourful laneway (officially Rush Lane, if you’re GPS-ing) is popular with urban photographers and is often packed with happy visitors taking selfies. (Anyone on dating apps will for sure recognize the aquarium mural doorway from profile pics.)
The most famous mural is a tribute to Toronto by Uber5000. It’s a who’s who of local icons from the Toronto Blue Jays and racoons to Gord Downie and Sam the Record Man. You’ll likely also encounter graffiti engaging with current political events and movements, from the wars in Ukraine and Gaza to the Black Lives Matter and Indigenous Land Back movements.
Look out for striking black-and-white portraits of hip-hop icons and—if you’re lucky—artists in action.
Location: Just south of Queen Street West between Spadina and Portland Avenues. Note that while construction of the new Ontario Line subway is going on at Queen and Spadina, the best way to access Graffiti Alley is from McDougall Lane via Richmond or Queen Streets.
Inside, the Cameron House is a great place to catch live music and grab a drink—the local dive bar is heavy on boho, light on chic. Outside, the mural “This is Paradise” is a popular selfie backdrop. Look up to find 10 ant sculptures—artist Napoleon Brousseau’s cheeky response to a previous city government’s issue with the Cameron’s upper floor artist “tenants.”
Location: 408 Queen Street West at Cameron Street
This large mural of birds in flight by Montreal’s Annie Hamel tells the stories of the various peoples who lived on this land, from the original Haudenosaunee and Huron-Wendat inhabitants to waves of immigrants from the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.
Location: Laneway, Vanauley Street north of Queen West
The vibrant pink and violet Queen West mural on the side of a Wendy’s is just the right size for a selfie backdrop if you want to really drive home the point of where you are.
Location: Denison Avenue, steps from Queen West
A popular shop for Japanese groceries and snacks, Sanko Trading has a colourful series of murals along the side of its storefront. From sakura, koi and ramen to manga characters, the murals by Winnipeg’s Takashi Iwasaki and other artists brings Japanese-inspired street art style to Toronto.
Location: Claremont Street and Queen Street West
An unfortunate side effect of gentrification is that it can make artistic neighbourhoods less affordable for artists. Artscape is a non-profit that helps provide affordable studios and workspaces for working creatives; its Queen Street West building hosts a thriving artist community. Stop by the John B. Aird Gallery for socially engaged painting, collage, installation and other contemporary work.
Location: 906 Queen Street West at Shaw Street
More than 200 Ontario artisans sell their work through this non-profit organization, whose flagship shop offers some of the best Indigenous art in the city, including Inuit sculpture and Cape Dorset prints, as well as unique contemporary textiles, jewellery, and housewares.
Location: 1106 Queen Street West
Take the 501 Queen streetcar to Spadina Avenue (Some portions of this route may involve transferring to the 501 Queen bus during 2024 track construction.)
Or, take either the Line 1 Yonge-University or Line 2 Bloor-Danforth subways to Spadina station, then catch the 510 Spadina streetcar southbound to Queen Street West.