Toronto parking garage is about to be transformed with an enormous bird

On August 1 and 2, beloved Toronto artist birdO will be live-painting a jaw-dropping, 26,000-square-foot mural of a blue jay atop the Cumberland Parkade in Yorkville.

It's the latest work from the celebrated street artist and marks a striking prelude to the official Yorkville Murals Festival (YVM) festivities kicking off August 23–24.

The timing couldn't be more perfect. With the Toronto Blue Jays back on top of the American League East for the first time since 2016, the colossal rooftop artwork is a bold love letter to the city's hometown baseball team.

An aerial view of what Torontonians can expect to see once birdO's latest project for the Yorkville Murals Festival 2025 is complete. 

Commissioned in collaboration with American Express Local Gems, the project is the second time birdO and Yorkville Murals have teamed up to bring large-scale urban art to the city's skyline.

If this sounds familiar, it's because back in 2020, birdO transformed the very same rooftop with a vibrant seahorse mural titled C-HAWK — a landmark piece that helped launch YVM's first-ever block party. Five years later, the rooftop is getting a brand-new identity, reimagined with the same energy, ambition, and scale that made the original so memorable.

This year's festival runs under the theme "No Empty Spaces," a creative call-to-action that invites artists and city dwellers alike to see every corner of Toronto as a blank canvas. birdO's massive rooftop Blue Jay is a perfect embodiment of that theme, turning underused concrete into a monumental tribute to sport, city pride, and street art.

When YVM officially opens its sixth edition later in August, festival-goers can expect even more jaw-dropping visuals. Along with birdO' mural, five brand-new large-scale works will be unveiled across the neighbourhood.

Other highlights include fashion-forward art activations, immersive pop-ups, and a headline rooftop DJ set by global house legend Kaskade. With the buzz already building — both on the streets and in the skies — Yorkville Murals 2025 is shaping up to be one of Toronto’s most electric art festivals of the summer.