Vintage Guinness murals by John Gilroy turn Toronto streets into a public art walk

A free public art installation inspired by legendary Guinness advertising illustrator John Gilroy is turning Toronto into a scavenger hunt for vintage-coded charm.

Lovely Day Canada has placed Gilroy's iconic characters across the city—playful creatures holding pints—merged with unmistakable Toronto landmarks. The project sits somewhere between nostalgia and discovery, a reason to wander neighbourhoods you already know and see them through fresh eyes.

Three murals are on view: A toucan balances a pint on its beak atop a TTC streetcar with the CN Tower rising in the background—a meeting of Gilroy's famous character and two definitive Toronto images. A grinning kinkajou dangles from the Freedom Arches at Nathan Phillips Square, pint in hand, with the colourful Toronto Sign making the downtown scene instantly recognizable. A trio of pint-carrying turtles makes its way past St. Lawrence Market, one of the city's most beloved landmarks.

The installation taps into Gilroy's legacy—his Guinness ads are instantly recognizable, rendered in a style that feels both familiar and lived-in. By planting them in Toronto's public space and pairing them with the city's own icons, Lovely Day Canada creates a moment where advertising ephemera becomes street art worth stopping for.

If you spot one of the artworks, you can capture and share it by tagging @Guinness. The murals invite the kind of lingering that social media thrives on, but the real pleasure is the walk itself—the excuse to move through the city slowly and notice what's been there all along.