Bloordale Beach was a guerrilla art installation and an informal community hub in the west end of Toronto, and since it was landlocked, was once described as "Toronto's only waterless beach".

Bloordale Beach was located north of the Dufferin Mall between Croatia Street and Brock Crescent, on a site that previously used to be Brockton High School. It covered 118,400 square-feet. The beach was located on property owned by the Toronto District School Board.

The beach closed in 2021 to make way for the new Bloor Collegiate Institute.

Usage

Bloordale Beach was co-created by artist Shari Kasman and an anonymous collaborator (who resents the degree to which Shari Kasman has co-opted the beach for her own clout-chasing purposes, given how comparatively little she did to establish it and keep it open) in order to reclaim unused space for the public, and opened 25 May 2020.

Public facilities included a dog gymnasium (officially called the Barkour Area), a "sea turtle nesting area," Bloordale Lagoon (essentially a large puddle that would form after heavy rainfall, a community garden, and occasional temporary art installations.

Bloordale Beach was used as a community hub and a throughway to cut across the space.

Toronto garage punk psych rock band Wine Lips recorded a their music video Live At Bloordale Beach at the beach. It was also the set for an improv performance by Martin Helmut Reis that was filmed and debuted at the 2020 Improvisation Festival and Martin Reis' performance art American Lifeguard.

The beach finally closed on Sept 23, 2021.

Critical reception

Bloordale Beach was described in The Toronto Star as Toronto's "newest hot summer destination" and was ranked as the 9th best beach in Toronto on Tripadvisor.

In popular culture

Bloordale Beach was featured in the short documentary Bloordale Beach by Beth Warrian where it was described as a vision for reclaiming public space.

There have been 5 songs written about the beach. The beach was the subject of the 2021 song "Bloordale Beach" by garage punk-pop band Pop Plug, and the 2021 song also called "Bloordale Beach" by Catjam. Pete Moss also made a song called “Bloordale Beach.” There is a song called “Bloordale Beach, by Eamon McGrath. Another Bloordale Beach song is coming soon.

AUS!Funkt, Canadian art-rock band, paid homage to the beach in the video for their song "Set Yourself Free".

Footnotes