10 Best Places to Find Street Art in Ontario

Street art can transform so much more than just a wall. It can transform a neighbourhood and even a city. Seeking out street art can lead to all sorts of adventures in new places, like a great little café or cool shop. And with my travels around Ontario, I’ve seen a plethora of places with street art. So, I’m sharing my top picks for where to find street art in Ontario.

Street art can revitalize a place and bringing it life with colour for tourists. More and more places are playing up the fact that people are now traveling for street art.

I’ve travelled extensively to explore places based on the fact that it has street art. The street art scene has brought me to places around Europe, like Belgium and Lisbon to explore murals. And it even influenced my visit to Bristol, England!

Cities are creating festivals around street art too, like Montreal and Bristol. And many leading cities in the US are leaning into creative additions like Buffalo and San Francisco. It becomes a big tourist attraction, like street art in New York City and Miami.

So, it’s no surprise that I’m always on the hunt for murals in Ontario, Canada! And if you’re a street art nut like me, here are my top picks for places to see street art in Ontario.

Top Picks for Places to find Street Art in Ontario

Toronto

If I had to choose the best city to find street art in Ontario it would easily be Toronto. Every visit to Toronto I find new street art. There are endless pieces across the city, everything from giant murals to alleyways full of interesting pieces. Toronto even has an alleyway tagged on Google as Graffiti Alley.

Some of the best places to find street art in Toronto are; Graffiti Alley, Kensington Market, Underpass Park, Ossington Lane, and Milky Way (another alleyway).

Related Post: Brussels Street Art – from Comics to Music

Hamilton

Hamilton, Ontario is definitely one of those cities that needed a rebirth. Known largely as an industrial city, and even dubbed Steeltown, Hamilton has gone through a big rebirth in the last few years. Drawing on the area’s wealth of waterfalls and hiking trails it’s seen a new set of tourists.

But now they’re drawing people in with street art too. There are a mix of fun traffic box wraps as well as large and small scale murals on buildings across the city.

A few of my favourite Hamilton murals include:

• The Hess Street Raven at 26 Hess Street South, by Mique Michelle & Kalkidan Assefa
• EAT ‘EM RAW at 10 Barton Street by Scott McDonald, which pays homage to the Hamilton Tiger Cats football team

If you’re visiting the city and want to explore murals in Hamilton, there are a few different free self-guided tours. One is the Murals on Concession Street, which features over 12 murals in an 8 block stretch. There’s also this public art tour map that shares locations of more pieces.

Midland

This one may surprise you. Midland is set on the shores of Georgian Bay and home to a wealth of Ontario history, of which you can learn about at Saint Marie Among the Hurons. But may surprise you is that it is home to over 30 murals, one of Ontario’s largest outdoor collections. Midland’s murals showcase the history of the Georgian Bay area as well as Midland’s pioneers.

Most of the murals can be found along the downtown core, others are just outside of that and down at the lakeshore. All are within walking distance. One of Midland’s murals is the largest outdoor historic mural in North America. It measures 80 feet high and 250 feet wide and depicts a Huron Native and Jesuit Priest looking out over the Wye Valley and the nearby village of Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons from a hilltop as it would have appeared in 1640.

If you’re looking for a pamphlet on where to find the murals and a bit about each you can pick one up at the tourist office or The Crow’s Nest – a local shop on King Street.

Related Post: Athens Street Art

Pembroke

Located an hour and a half outside of Ottawa, Pembroke is home to over 30 murals by local and national artists. Known as the Pembroke Heritage Murals, the first few were painted back in 1990.

These large and awesome murals celebrate the area’s history and culture. You’ll find pieces showcasing everything from Samuel de Champlain to the Grand Truck Rail Station and so much more.

Huntstville

If you love the Group of Seven then head to Huntsville for some incredible street art. Huntsville, a small town in Muskoka, is home to over 30 murals that replicate the Group of Seven’s art.

Dubbed The Group of Seven Outdoor Gallery, you’ll find these large and impressive murals all around Huntsville’s downtown. The Gallery actually has nearly 100 murals that are spread across Muskoka. You can find more in Algonquin Park, Baysville and a few other places.

Sudbury

While the next two Ontario street art cities may be a bit of a drive, a road trip through northwestern Ontario is well worth it. Sudbury, known for its nickel mines and a large replica of a Canadian five-cent coin, is also home to some great street art. One of my favourite Sudbury activities is hunting down all the new murals.

There are over 25 murals across the city done by local, national and international street art artists. And it’s now home to the largest mural in Canada. Covering 74,000 square feet, this epic mural encompasses the entire structure that was the old hospital. This incredible mural is beyond colourful and took 860 gallons of paint to complete. To find out more about the murals and where to find them click here.

Thunder Bay

Keep heading north in search of Ontario’s best street art and stop in Thunder Bay. While the city is known for its great outdoor attractions like waterfalls and hiking trails it is also keen on art. There are incredible art installments along the lakeshore but there are also murals and stretches of street art throughout the downtown too.

You can wander down Cooke Street for some traditional graffiti street art, or head over to 226 May Street South to see a scene of Metis canoeists. And for a splash of colour and dimension head to the Thunder Bay Public Library.

Ottawa

Of course, a post on street art in Ontario wouldn’t be complete without including our nation’s capital. Ottawa has a few different neighbourhoods that are full of great street art. You’ll find it on buildings and in businesses.

The Glebe neighbourhood is home to a few murals along Bank Street. You can do a self-guided tour of the murals in the Glebe with this mural walking tour.

The historic ByWard Market is also home to some great pieces. And even the Rideau Canal is depicted in two awesome murals along the underpass of the Laurier Bridge.

St. Thomas

On my travels to find murals in Ontario, I knew I had to visit St. Thomas. Best known for being the home to Jumbo the Elephant, St. Thomas is also home to a wealth of street art. Art includes everything from sculptures, like the giant Jumbo statue, as well as murals.

One of the cool things that stands out to me about the St. Thomas murals, is that they are found on a wide array of things. With over 50 murals, you’ll find them on boxcars to buildings.

A few favourite murals in St. Thomas are:

• The wings mural by Kelsey Montague at 403 Talbot Street
• Distinctly unique boxcar murals at the Elgin County Railway Museum
• Jumbo murals, like the one on Joe Thornton Community Centre by Laura Woermke

One of the coolest parts about exploring the mural scene in St. Thomas was that I got to meet an artist! Steph Boutari was just wrapping up her piece in the alleyway of 367 Talbot Street.

Insider Tip: If you’re looking to check out the murals in St. Thomas, this handy mural guide has a list of them and locations.

Whitby

While explore all the fun indoor attractions in Whitby I stumbled upon a bunch of fun murals. Whenever I visit downtown, I always check out the Whitby street art scene, as there are new ones popping up.

In addition to a number of murals downtown, there are plenty of Bell box murals and sculptures throughout the city.

A few key murals in Whitby to check out:

• The Whitby mural on Antonio’s Deli by Chad (founder of The Paint Factory, which is a mural company based in Durham Region)
• Hello Beautiful on the side of South Beach Beauty
• Molly’s Way on the side of Brookfield Residential Station No. 3 Condominium (the newest downtown mural, which pays tribute to a former fire safety education dog)

Insider Tip: If you’re looking for an artsy day trip idea, check out the Whitby Art Trail. This interactive map showcases everything from street art to galleries as well as outdoor art installations, and more!

More Places Worth Seeking Ontario Street Art

Street art can be found in nearly every small town and big city in Ontario. Some have might have one large mural representing their history or a few smaller pieces on restaurants and shops. Beyond the top places to find street art in Ontario mentioned above there are a few other places I had to include.

• You can also find street art in St. Catherines. It’s home to at least a dozen murals and even its own graffiti alley between James Street and the parallel Garden Park.
• Cambridge is another spot to find street art. And even hosts a street art festival.
• Another option is Kitchener. Scattered around the downtown are a variety of murals and down a magical laneway called Goudies Lane you’ll find some more great pieces.
• And if you’re looking for cute small towns with street art then head to Listowel in Perth County. You’ll find a bunch scattered around town.

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