If you love vintage icons, street art and leisurely strolls through your city, this is right up your alley.
This August, murals will be popping up all over the country inspired by John Gilroy's legendary illustrations from the 1930s ads for Guinness. You know the ones.
Named Lovely Day Canada, the national public art campaign pairs icons with icons, featuring vibrant city-inspired artworks in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa, Halifax, St John's, Whistler and Quebec City.
A Guinness mural featuring the iconic Toucan and Vancouver's Gastown. Courtesy of Ace Burton
Originally created by artist John Gilroy for one of Guinness' first marketing campaigns in the 1930s, the playful, hand-illustrated animals have brought joy to beer lovers worldwide for nearly a century.
Nearly 100 years later, the image of the toucan balancing a pint of stout on its beak and declaring it to be a "lovely day for a Guinness" is still a hit, and Gilroy’s playful cast of characters continues to inspire artists to this day.
Lovely Day Canada is all about honouring that legacy alongside Canada's modern cityscapes — from the wandering turtles in Montreal to the playful seal in Ottawa's Rideau Canal or the one-and-only grinning kinkajou, dangling by its tail from Toronto's Freedom Arches.
A Guinness mural outside Bevy in Toronto, Ontario. Courtesy of Grassroots
With summer in full swing, stepping out and finding the murals hidden in plain sight is a wonderful way to rediscover your city. Grab your pals, toast to Gilroy's creative legacy and share your photos @Guinness to be part of it.
And later, you can wander down memory lane with your besties over a pint of Guinness or non-alcoholic Guinness 0. Sounds like the perfect combo for a lovely day, Canada!
Narcity does not condone the overconsumption of alcohol. If you're going to drink alcohol, please do so responsibly and only if you're of legal age.