In September 2020, a new 3D TORONTO Sign was installed at Nathan Phillips Square.
A more durable replica of the original (installed in July 2015 for the Toronto 2015 Pan American/Parapan American Games) the Sign is illuminated, stands three metres tall and features a designed vinyl wrap on the outer edges of the of its letters.
The current vinyl wrap is an artwork titled Rekindle, designed by Toronto-based artist Joseph Sagaj in recognition of UNESCO’s International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022 to 2032).
July 1 – Canada Day (Red & White)
July 7 – National Injury Prevention Day (Green)
July 22 – World Fragile-X-Day (Pink)
July 28 – World Hepatitis Day (Red, Yellow & Jade)
For the month of June – Indigenous Peoples Month (Yellow, Red, Black & White)
For the month of June – Pride Month (Rainbow)
June 1 – World Hemochromatosis Week (Red)
June 4 – Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) Awareness Week (Purple)
June 5 – BGC Club Day for Youth Mental Wellness Awareness (Green)
June 6 – National Day Against Gun Violence (Dimmed)
June 7 – Migraine Awareness Month (Purple)
June 7 – Portuguese Heritage Month (Red, Green & Yellow)
June 8 – ALS Awareness Month (Purple)
June 9 – International Batten Disease Awareness Day (Teal)
June 11 – One-Year Countdown to FIFA Kick Off in Toronto (Blue & Green)
June 11 – International Day of Play (Orange)
June 12 – Soccer Day in Toronto (Blue & Green)
June 13 – Cavernous Malformation Awareness Month (Red)
June 14 – To mark the Toronto Argonauts Season Home Opener (Double Blue)
June 17 – CDKL5 Awareness Day (Lime Green)
June 19 – World Kidney Cancer Day (Green)
June 19 – World Sickle Cell Awareness Day (Red & White)
June 21 – National Indigenous Peoples Day (Red, Black, Yellow & White)
June 23 – National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism (Dimmed)
June 24 – XLH Awareness Day (Purple & White)
June 25 – World Vitiligo Day (Purple)
June 27 – Canadian Multiculturalism Day (Red & White)
May 1 – Asian Heritage Month (Red)
May 1 – South Asian Heritage Month (Red)
May 1 – Community Living Month (Blue & Green)
May 1 – National Physicians’ Day/Doctors’ Day (Blue)
May 1 – Multiple Chemical Sensitivities Awareness Month (Yellow)
May 2 – Bladder Cancer Awareness Month (Red & Yellow)
May 3 – World Press Freedom Day (Blue)
May 3 – Ankylosing Spondylitis Awareness Day (Teal & Orange)
May 4 – Borderline Personality Disorder Awareness Month (Orange)
May 5 – Red Dress Day (Red)
May 5 – Melanoma Awareness Day (Red & Black)
May 5 – To mark the Toronto Maple Leafs Home Game in the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs (Blue & White)
May 6 – National Heart Failure Awareness Week (Red)
May 6 – World Asthma Day (Blue)
May 7 – Fibromuscular Dysplasia (FMD) Awareness Month (Blue & Red)
May 8 – 80th Anniversary of VE Day (Red & White)
May 8 – International Thalassemia Day (Red)
May 10 – Lupus Awareness Day (Purple)
May 10 – International Vasculitis Awareness Month (Red)
May 12 – Fibromyalgia Awareness Day (Purple)
May 15 – Moose Hide Day (Golden Yellow)
May 15 – International Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) Awareness Day (Blue & Yellow)
May 16 – Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) Day (Purple)
May 16 – International Celiac Day (Green)
May 18 – Global Porphyria Day (Purple)
May 23 – Raise Awareness for Dog Guides Day (Red & Baby Blue)
May 24 – Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month (Blue)
May 28 – Menstrual Health Day (Red)
May 30 – World Multiple Sclerosis Day (Red)
May 31 – Defeat Depression Awareness Day (Blue)
April 1 – Limb Loss & Limb Difference Awareness Month (Orange)
April 2 – World Autism Day (Green, Blue & Red)
April 3 – Global Meetings Industry Day (Blue)
April 4 – National Dental Hygienists Week (Purple)
April 7 – Green Shirt Day (Green)
April 9 – National Day of Remembrance of the Battle of Vimy Ridge (Dimmed)
April 11 – World Parkinson’s Day (Blue)
April 13 – Toronto Black Maternal Health Week (Purple, Green & Yellow)
April 15 – National Medical Laboratory Week (Indigo)
April 17 – World Hemophilia Day (Red)
April 19 – To mark the Association Football Club Toronto’s Inaugural Season Home Opener (Vermillion & Maroon)
April 19 – Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Day (Blue, Pink & Yellow)
April 20 – To mark the Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup Playoffs Game (Blue & White)
April 22 – Earth Day (Blue & Green)
April 24 – Canadian Fertility Awareness Week (Green)
April 26 – Month of the Military Child (Teal)
April 28 – National Day of Mourning (Dimmed)
April 30 – National Volunteer Week (Orange & Blue)
March 1 – Amyloidosis Awareness Month (Red)
March 3 – Liver Health Month (Blue)
March 4 – Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood Awareness Month (Blue & Yellow)
March 6 – City of Toronto Day (Corporate Blue)
March 8 – International Women’s Day (Purple)
March 11 – Pandemic Observance Day (Dimmed)
March 15 – To mark Toronto Football Club Season Home Opener (Red)
March 15 – International Long Covid Awareness Day (Teal)
March 16 – National Poison Prevention Week (Lime Green)
March 21 – International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (Red)
March 21 – World Down Syndrome Day (Blue & Yellow)
March 22 – Earth Hour (turned off from 8:30 – 9:30 p.m.)
March 24 – World Tuberculosis Day (Red)
March 25 – International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade (Dimmed)
March 26 – Epilepsy Awareness (Purple)
March 27 – To mark Toronto Blue Jays Season Home Opener (Blue)
For the month of February – Black History Month (Red, Black & Green)
February 4 – World Cancer Day (Orange & Blue)
February 6 – Bob Marley Day (Red, Gold & Green)
February 11 – 211 Day (Red)
February 13 – In Support of Women’s Heart Health (Red)
February 15 – National Flag of Canada Day (Red & White)
February 15 – International Childhood Cancer Day (Gold)
February 22 – World Encephalitis Day (Red)
February 28 – Rare Disease Day (Pink, Blue, Green & Purple)
January 8 – National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Air Disasters (Dimmed)
January 22 – Let’s Talk Day in support of Kids Help Phone’s mental health campaign (Blue)
January 27 – International Holocaust Remembrance Day (Dimmed)
January 29 – Day of Remembrance and Action against Islamophobia (Green)
January 29 – Lunar New Year (Red)
January 31 – Tamil Heritage Month (Red & Yellow)
Title: Rekindle
Artwork by: Joseph Segaj in collaboration with Holly Fischer
The artwork design on the TORONTO Sign puts emphasis on highlighting Indigenous culture and showing on-going relationships of moving forward in positive light is of vital importance.
The City of Toronto recognizes UNESCO’s International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022 to 2032).
Joseph is Anishnaabe (Ojibwe) of the Sturgeon Clan, from the remote community of Neskantaga, approximately 500 km northeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario. He graduated in Fine Arts at the Ontario College of Art & Design in 1985.
Throughout Joseph’s 30-year career, Joseph feels honored in sharing his Anishnaabe ancestry and heritage into his expression of various forms of art. He has featured Indigenous knowledge, culture and teachings at the forefront with great pride that is reflected in his art.
Joseph continues to live and work in Toronto. Learn more about Joseph.
The 3D Medicine Wheel, a new addition to the TORONTO Sign, was installed on June 18, 2018 in honour of Indigenous Peoples and timed to elevate awareness of National Indigenous Peoples Day (formally National Aboriginal Day) on June 21.
This Medicine Wheel symbol was chosen, in consultation with the Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre, as it is an emblem of North American Indigenous cultural values, tradition and spirituality. Its four directions (East, South, West and North) symbolize completeness, wholeness, connectedness and strength.
A 3D leaf structure was temporarily added to the TORONTO Sign in 2017 to mark Canada’s 150th birthday.
The original TORONTO Sign was installed on Nathan Phillips Square in front of Toronto City Hall in July 2015 for the Toronto Pan American and Parapan American Games. Although it was only intended to last a few weeks, in response to the sign’s popularity, the City of Toronto extended its presence on the Square and it became a Toronto landmark.
The Medicine Wheel was added on June 18, 2018 in honour of Indigenous Peoples and to increase awareness of National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21.
The Medicine Wheel symbol was chosen, in consultation with Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre, as it is an emblem of North American Indigenous cultural values, tradition and spirituality. Its four directions (East, South, West and North) symbolize completeness, wholeness, connectedness and strength.
A maple leaf was added to the TORONTO Sign in 2017 to mark Canada’s 150th birthday.
The TORONTO Sign has become symbolic of Toronto. According to a Destination Toronto visitor survey, the TORONTO sign was one of the top three most visited attractions in the city and it is consistently ranked as one of the most Instagram-worthy spots.
In September 2020, a more durable replica of the original TORONTO Sign was installed.
The TORONTO Sign Celebratory and Commemorative Lighting Program offers an opportunity to:
The Canada 150 3D Leaf will not be included in the TORONTO Sign Commemorative Lighting Program. During Commemorative Lightings, the maple leaf will appear in either a neutral white, or red shade.
Please note that in the event of an extenuating circumstance, approved lighting requests may be subject to revision or delay by the City.
All TORONTO Sign lighting requests must adhere to the overarching criteria and fall within the established categories. Prior to submitting your request, review the criteria below.
All lighting requests must be:
Submissions must include:
A formal request on the organization’s official letterhead, including the following details:
Third party requests made on behalf of others:
The City cannot accept requests made by third parties on behalf of other organizations or individuals. All requests must be made by the organization itself to ensure that:
All requests will be reviewed by City of Toronto staff to ensure that they clearly adhere to the lighting criteria.
City of Toronto staff have full and final authority to implement the TORONTO Sign Celebratory and Commemorative Lighting Program criteria. By submitting a lighting request for the TORONTO Sign, the applicant agrees that the decisions of City staff are final.
All 3D TORONTO Sign lighting requests must adhere to the following Overarching Criteria:
All applications must comply with the above noted criteria, as determined by the Chief of Protocol, in order to be considered.
*Special Events Office Event Category Definitions Categories A & B
The Sign will be lit annually for Toronto’s professional sports teams on the following occasions:
The Sign can be lit upon request for international amateur sports competitions that are hosted in Toronto and/or include participation of Toronto and Canadian athletes on the following occasions:
The Sign can be lit upon request for local amateur sports teams that are representing or have brought honour to Toronto during national/international competitions on the following occasions: