Toronto Aga Khan Museum home of beauty and culture

The stark white, clean exterior of the Aga Khan Museum first welcomes you into their gorgeous courtyard, full of large, raised reflecting ponds, trees squeezed up to a lavender field and the glass pyramid type thing of the adjacent Ismaili Centre. The Museum hopes to foster curiosity of, and also highlight Muslim cultures and their interaction with other societies throughout the many centuries up to now. You can see that cool glass pyramid driving along the Don Valley Parkway. The address of AKM is 77 Wynford Drive, Toronto and there is paid parking on site.

BMO Financial Group has sponsored free admission on Wednesday evenings (4-8pm), "BMO Free Wednesdays provides barrier-free access to the arts, allowing the Museum to remain a welcoming and inclusive environment for all." You can get the free tickets to this BMO event on site without having to pre-register.

Aga Khan has over 1,200 pieces in their permanent collection and the museum also hosts performing arts, educational programming and temporary exhibitions. The works are outstanding and include books, paintings, ceramics, jewelry and much more, originating from the 9th century to current times. 2026 has a number of TD Pop-Up experiences bringing many varieties of music on Wednesdays and weekends.

A fountain sits in the main room of the permanent collection, probably one of the largest pieces

A recent (2014) hanging scroll painting, part of a pair of paintings called Nabog by Havv Kahraman. She painted six figures in the two paintings - all of herself

I liked this all-white installation. It is a simple setup of two chairs facing each other, separated by a table which incorporates a white chessboard, you can even see 64 chess squares along with 32 white chess pieces in their pregame placement. The piece is titled "Play it by Trust" by Yoko Ono (2002, Roskilde version, edition 3 of 6) and I didn't read the plaque until I got home and I'm like is that by the Yoko Ono, famously married to a Beatle and named in a Barenaked Ladies song, and the answer is yes. 

She did a number of these chessboard installations, first shown in 1966, and some are quite large and appearing in a number of museums around the world. Since you have no colour anywhere, you can only play by trusting the other player to remember their own chess pieces, you must also trust yourself to remember yours. All together you must work to complete the game that shows no visible distinction and which Yoko meant as an anti-war metaphor. Both Yoko Ono and John Lennon played a game in their 1972 film "Imagine". Yeah, I was shocked too.

Inside the Museum, permanent collections are well spaced in the relatively small museum, I mean you are not walking through hundreds of rooms in this place, although there is also a large, glassed-in central courtyard and an auditorium. Currently on the second floor is a temporary collection called "Game On! Exhibition", described by the website as "Games transcend borders and generations. As a universal language, they inspire learning, imagination, and global exchange, carrying ideas and traditions across cultures. Whether on a chessboard or a polo field, feel the thrill of strategy, the mastery of skill, and the joy of play, with every game telling a story of human creativity and connection. From board games to daring sports, explore how games connect people, spark creativity, and build communities."

Glorious Bones by Canadian artist Esmaa Mohamoud (2018)

Football helmets on pikes, set on an island of black grit, bring bright colours to the room. The helmets are covered in art reflecting African Kente patterns. She speaks of identity, racism and classification of black bodies.

Later this year the Toronto Biennial of Art will appear at the Aga Khan Museum. The free exhibition will be on from September 26 to December 20, 2026.

Museum Opening Times

Mon: Closed
Tues: 10 am - 5:30 pm
Wed: 10 am - 8 pm
Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun: 10 am - 5:30 pm
Open all statutory holidays, except Dec 25.

Beauty of Lake Superior

We enjoyed a small vacation along the shores of Lake Superior home of clear cold water, forests that are so vast and geology that makes the shoreline a maze of textures, angles and rock types. We also tried panning for gold but found none, so not independently wealthy yet.

On a small island with a glacial pothole

We camped in Lake Superior Provincial Park Agawa Bay on a lot just seperated from a beautiful beach by a small camping road. As Ontario alone is so vast it takes some time to get up to the northern shore of Lake Superior so you need to plan your route and places to stay - it is about 9 hours from Toronto but worth the trip to take in the sights and attractions of Northern Ontario.

This is channel cut out of the rock by glacier water flow, the black rock eroded easier than the Canadian Shield rocks

Looking towards Agawa Rock Pictographs

So glad we brought the kayaks to explore the edges of the great lake, especially around Lake Superior Provincial Park and the Agawa Rock Pictographs. You can see the giant rock faces rise sharply above the lake, rocks that seem to change every twenty feet, going in different directions and crisscrossed with seams of other rocks, some which eroded faster that others showing signs of glacial flows pushing boulders around like nothing and rounding them into smaller rocks and pebbles and eventually down to the familiar granite sand. The water is so clean and with colours of green and blue that are startling beautiful.

A small storm swept through the area, rained bit, blew some stuff around, then had a few lightning bolts that started a in the park. It took them a couple of weeks to get the fire under control.

The smoke made more dramatic sunsets and turned the day's sun orange through the smoke

Looking up the geology of the area I was fascinated to find that the north shore was part of a continental rift that started to split up the North American continent, poured lava from volcanos, then felt the impact of the glaciers scraping the surface, then eroding areas with massive volumes of glacial melt. The ground is still rising every year from the missing weight of the glaciers.

art on the beach

An earlier sunset before the smoke

Toronto Taste of the Junction 2026

This annual Toronto festival shines bright on one day, bringing art, food and culture to Toronto's west end during the Saturday, June 27, 2026. The Taste of the Junction runs from 11am to 7pm in the Green P parking lot at 385 Pacific Avenue. This is just south of Dundas Street West that curves to the northwest, following the train line. The celebrating Black Culture tent is shown above.

You can find immersive installations and augmented-reality wall murals while enjoying food, drink and entertainment. There are five walk through cultural installations to experience as part of Passagesways while the 11 animated augmented-reality murals can be discovered using a free app (Artivive)

From the festival's website, "Visitors can explore 50+ vendor booths, shop unique creations from local makers, enjoy bites and drinks from neighbourhood favourites, and dive into pop-up experiences for all ages. The day will be energized by DJ programming, a vibrant market atmosphere, and a family-friendly Play Zone hosted in the Darren’s No Frills parking lot."

“Taste of the Junction is about celebrating the creativity and character that make Toronto’s neighbourhoods unique,” said Carol Jolly, Executive Director of The Junction BIA. “During Toronto’s Host City Summer, when more people are expected to be exploring the city, this festival gives residents, visitors, and fans a chance to discover the Junction as a vibrant west-end destination bursting with flavour, art, and surprises. It’s also an opportunity to support local businesses, enjoy public art, and experience one of Toronto’s most creative neighbourhoods.”

Together on Geary Street Festival

One of Toronto's most art filled streets, Geary Avenue, is throwing a free, one-day festival called Together on Geary on Saturday, June 27 from 1pm to 11pm.

From the Crawl's website, "A one-day neighbourhood celebration with live music + DJS, art, food+drinks, soccer-theme pop-ups, watch parties, interactive workshops, craft stations, kids’ activities, participation from your favourite Geary Ave businesses, and more."

Toronto Pride 2026

Toronto Pride weekend festival is here (June 25-28) culminating a month of celebration and preparation. The Trans March and StreetFair begin Friday, the Dyke March is Saturday and the big Pride parade is Sunday. Pride Toronto celebrates 2SLGBTQI+ communities with programming and events throughout the festival.

StreetFair is on Church Street, from Gould to Hayden, from Friday to Sunday between Gould to Hayden. The Gay Village pops with colour and music as the community parties till 11pm on weekends.

Trans March is Friday, June 26 with the rally and march taking place from 5-7pm, leaving from Church and Charles Street.

Mayor Olivia Chow joins the Dyke March

The Dyke March on Saturday, June 27 starts at Church and Hayden Streets and runs from 2 to 3pm.

The Pride Parade takes over downtown on Sunday, June 28. Starting 2pm at Rosedale Valley Road and Park Road, onto Church Street, then down Yonge Street, to Dundas Street and over to Nathan Phillips Square.

From the festival's website, " The Pride Parade returns in 2026 as one of the most powerful moments of the festival, a moving celebration of visibility, resilience, and joy. It’s a day when streets fill with colour, voices rise together, and our communities show up in full force. Whether this is your first Pride or one of many, the Parade is a reminder that you belong here. Starting at 2PM, more than 25,000 marchers and 250+ groups will take to the streets, each bringing their own stories, identities, and reasons for marching. Together, they create a living expression of Pride, one rooted in love, solidarity, and the belief that progress happens when we move forward side by side. The Parade kicks off from Yonge Street and Aylmer Street to Nathan Phillips Square, where thousands will line the route to cheer, celebrate, and stand in support."

See more photos after the jump.

Snowbirds fly into the Canadian Warplane Museum

It was a special day in Hamilton as the Canadian military acrobatic jet team met up with a B-25 Mitchell Bomber and did a number of flyovers before landing at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum for a meet and greet. The weather on Wednesday, June 17, 2026 was a little suspect but it remained clear enough for the B-25 to take off and meet the jet team after their recent appearance at the Barrie Air Show. The heritage flight did a pass over the museum before heading to Niagara Falls and later over Toronto for the flyovers, returning to land at the airport. 

The clouds were angry around the museum

The grounded Lancaster

The Snowbird's old CT-114 Tutor aircraft are being retired from the team in 2026. The last scheduled performances will be in October will be in the States, otherwise there are a number of events in September - including over Toronto during the Canadian International Air Show. It is anticipated that the new planes will be propeller driven, Swiss-made CT-157 Sisken II aircraft which may take until the 2030's to be used by the team. These aircraft are also to be used for early pilot training in the Canadian military. This is season 55 for Canada's jet team.

Snowbirds rolling in towards the museum

The B-25 and Snowbird heritage flight

B-25 bomber heading taxiing out to meet the Snowbirds

Firing up the twin-engine bomber

Lancaster out with the Snowbird jets during a pilot meeting

Snowbird team meeting around one of the jets wing

During initial planning the Avro Lancaster was proposed for the heritage flight, however a brake problem grounded the historic bomber and a B-25 Mitchell bomber was fired up as the Lancaster's replacement. The Snowbird team was anticipated in Hamilton around 2:30pm but first a single Snowbird did some maneuvers over the airport before landing to setup the landing area. As the balance of the Snowbirds flew south, the B-25 took off to meet up with the other eight jets to begin the heritage flyovers.

See more photos from the museum after the jump.

World Naked Bike Ride Toronto 2026

Time for the annual protest ride through the streets of downtown Toronto. The event is free to attend and actually saves you money because you don't need clothes to participate! As usual the World Naked Bike Ride Toronto takes place on the second Saturday of June - this year on June 13, 2026 and is a rain or shine event. Superman and Superwoman put on their costume for the ride in the photo at top.

At the Victory Memorial in Coronation Park

Organizer Gene Dare will be in Coronation Park early, probably around 9 or 10am (he was here at 8:15am), waiting to greet the people who show up for the ride. Gene is in the photo at above, right side along with Madison Charlton and their dog Quentin.

Biking on the city streets

Taking a break at Queens Park

Riders will gather, socialize and some will apply bodypaint (bring your own paint) and sunscreen. The meeting point is the Victory Memorial near the giant Canadian Flag in the park just across Lake Shore Blvd and Exhibition Place. The ride will start rolling around 1pm, doing a large clockwise loop around the city core, passing by and stopping at a few of the major city icons before heading back to Coronation Park at the end of the event. You can join or drop out any time you want as well as riding as bare as you dare!

One of the most anticipated stops is the pond at Nathan Phillips Square, City Hall. People splash in the water and play in the fountains, however the pond has been drained and covered with fake grass to create soccer fields in honour of FIFA. If they bring soccer balls maybe they will have a quick game on the pitch.

From the Toronto WNBR website, "JUST SHOW UP AND RIDE The World Naked Bike Ride is global protest against the over usage of oil and urban pollution, promoting greater cycling safety on our roads, and encouraging body freedom for everyone. This site visually describes the naked protest and environmental awareness event. You are encouraged to join this legal ride. There is no cost, no registration, no cost to the taxpayer, no corporate sponsors and best of all it originated in Vancouver, Canada, and now occurs in over 80 cities worldwide. Renting a bike? Cover the seat."

You can find some info about the ride on my previous post here.

See some previous ride links and more 2026 photos after the jump.

FIFA World Cup 2026 starts today in Toronto

I think this event will result in the biggest hiring of security guards in the history of Toronto as World Cup soccer, or possibly football plays six games in the City beginning June 12, 2026 and ending July 2. In addition to the games there is a FIFA Fan Fest taking place in Fort York and Bentway Park during the sporting event. This year's tournament is taking place in three countries; Canada, Mexico and the United States with sixteen host cities and 48 teams involved. Canadian cities are Vancouver and Toronto and overall the World Cup will run from June 11 to July 19.

Toronto's six games will happen at BMO Field in Exhibition Place on the following dates.

Friday, June 12, 2026 (3:00 p.m. ET) – Canada v. Bosnia and Herzegovina. Group B
Wednesday, June 17, 2006 (7:00 p.m. ET) – Ghana v. Panama
Saturday, June 20, 2026 (4 :00 p.m. ET) – Germany v. Côte d'Ivoire
Tuesday, June 23, 2026 (7:00 p.m. ET) – Panama v. Croatia
Friday, June 26, 2026 (3:00 p.m. ET) – Senegal v. Iraq
Thursday, July 2, 2026 (7:00 p.m. ET) – Winner of Group K v. Winner of Group L

Under the Bentway

Keep in mind that during match games some of the streets of Toronto will be closed so it will be difficult to get around. They suggest public transit, walking or riding a bike, which is always preferred in this city.

Game Day Road Closure Schedule *All times are approximate and subject to change.

Friday, June 12 – 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Wednesday, June 17 – 2 p.m. to midnight
Saturday, June 20 – 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Tuesday, June 23 – 2 p.m. to midnight
Friday June 26 – 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Thursday July 2 – 2 p.m. to midnight

Road Restrictions: 

Local access only for Fort York neighbourhood June 11 - 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Local access for residents and businesses in the Fort York neighbourhood (Bathurst St to Strachan Ave, Fleet St to Fort York Blvd)

Road Closures: Lake Shore Boulevard West, Strachan Avenue and Exhibition Grounds June 12 - 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Lake Shore Blvd W from Bathurst St to British Columbia Rd and Strachan Ave from East Liberty St to Lake Shore Blvd W is is fully closed in both directions as well as all roads inside Exhibition Place.

Road Restrictions: Local access only for Liberty Village neighbourhood
June 12 - 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Local access only for Liberty Village residents and businesses, below King St from Dufferin St to Strachan Ave.

Road Closure: Bremner Boulevard (around Rogers Centre)
June 12 - noon to 11:30 p.m.
Bremner Boulevard will be closed between Lower Simcoe Street and Navy Wharf Crescent.

Road Closure: Fleet Street
May 18 to July 31
Fully closed between Fort York Boulevard and Strachan Avenue until July 31.

At HTO Beach looking toward the CN Tower #WeAreToronto

A floating soccer field is outside of Queens Quay Terminal