In the seminal words of Zara Larsson, summer isn’t over yet, and thanks to Public Pier, a collaborative new pilot from The Bentway, OCADU, Harbourfront Centre and the Waterfront BIA, Toronto will soon have a new way to enjoy the waterfront, even well into the fall.
Toronto’s underutilized waterfront has been a sore spot for residents since, well, forever. With the area’s peak port and industrial days behind it, a hefty chunk of the city’s Lake Ontario shoreline has been relegated to a nice view from office windows or condo balconies for years.
If you’re not at the beach, visiting the Harbourfront Centre or taking a ferry, the waterfront is just sort of… there. And that’s a real shame.
Starting Sept. 18, a new project from some of the groups in the city best-equipped to transform underutilized urban areas into sought-after destinations is turning a largely vacant pier into a space for Toronto residents to gather, party, and celebrate the city.
Dubbed Public Pier, the project transforms Marina Quay West (beside Toronto Music Garden and opposite the Canada Malting Silohs) into a day-to-night destination with public programming that runs the gamut from food markets to line dancing.
Running for the duration of Public Pier’s residency, you’ll be able to sink your teeth into a curated selection of bites from the Super Yummy Market and wash it down with something hoppy courtesy of Great Lakes Brewery at the on-site bar. Just don’t overdo it, or you may end up overboard.
Live DJs will keep the vibes high in the evenings and, if you need a little extra help on the dance floor, you can check out dance workshops covering styles from meringue to line dancing at 6:30 p.m. on Fridays, 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays.
Once the sun goes down, the Canadian Malting Silohs will transform into grand-scale art installations for SILOH NIGHTS, where a selection of art curated by OCADU will be projected directly onto the silohs.
You can check out a day-by-day, hour-by-hour breakdown of Public Pier’s schedule by visiting its website.
Public Pier is only slated to run for three weekends: Sept. 18-19, Sept. 25-26, and Oct. 3-4, culminating in an all-night celebration featuring siloh art projections for Nuit Blanche.
If you ask me, though, the city’s cravings for more excitement along the waterfront might just mean this isn’t the last we’ll be seeing of Public Pier. I sure hope it isn’t, anyway.
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