Park(ing) Day is a global, public, participatory art project that takes place annually on the third weekend of September. Around the world, people temporarily repurpose on-street, boulevard or lot parking spaces and convert them into tiny parks and places for art, play, and activism. Park(ing) Day is part of the broader movement of tactical urbanism that utilizes short-term interventions to pilot longer-term strategic changes in the built environment.
Our team at Dubbeldam is the organizer behind Park(ing) Day Toronto, stimulating, supporting and promoting Park(ing) Day events from other local groups and individuals across the city. We host an annual Park(ing) Day event at our own studio’s building, transforming four boulevard parking spaces and portion of the street in front of our building with temporary landscaping and activities that engage the local community such as workout classes, yoga, lounging areas, and food carts. The events have been such a success that we have now permanently converted the four City of Toronto boulevard parking spaces into a little parkette for the community to enjoy.
Since our first activation in 2022, Park(ing) Day Toronto has continued to gain momentum. What began as a single initiative grew to five independent activations in 2023, more than 30 registered activations in 2024, and even broader participation across the city for Park(ing) Day Toronto 2025. This growth has been driven in large part by a grant program initiated by Dubbeldam in partnership with SvN Architects + Planners, Arup Canada, DIALOG, and Fast+Epp, created to support and encourage more community-led activations throughout Toronto. The grant has enabled installations hosted by non-profit organizations, student groups, community organizations, artists, and individuals, all contributing to an ongoing conversation about reclaiming public space and reimagining streets for people rather than cars.
Park(ing) Day Toronto 2025 featured a diverse range of creative activations across the city, including a tiny house installation, an open-air library and storytelling hub, pollinator gardens, interactive workshops, children’s activities, fitness classes, live performances, and community-led public space interventions. Together, these temporary transformations demonstrated how parking spaces can become vibrant places for gathering, creativity, and connection.
Interested in hosting your own pop-up park activation in September? Reach out to us at hello@parkingdaytoronto.ca or sign up online.
