TORONTO, June 23, 2022 – ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) is pleased to announce that it is opening its doors to visitors for free on Friday, July 1, 2022, to mark Canada Day. On this day, the public will have free access to all of the Museum’s galleries as well as its popular special exhibitions including Great Whales: Up Close and Personal and the just-opened Fantastic Beasts™: The Wonder of Nature.
This initiative is part of the Museum’s commitment to providing the community with greater access to art and culture and is made possible by the generous support of the Temerty Foundation.
As capacity is limited, visitors are asked to book ahead to obtain their free timed-tickets, which can be obtained through ROM’s website here. The Museum is open from 10 am to 5:30 pm.
Summer Hours of Operation: Starting on Friday, July 1, 2022, the Museum is open seven days a week until Labour Day, Monday, September 5, 2022.
Among the highlights available for free on Canada Day, visitors can enjoy:
Fantastic Beasts™: The Wonder of Nature explores the links between the magical creatures of the wizarding world and the remarkable animals in our natural world, encouraging a greater connection to our planet and empowering us all to be advocates for its care. You will be awed by the powerful combination of science, nature, and imagination as you explore fantastic beasts in all their forms and learn how these animals inspired some of the world's most incredible stories and folklore.
Closing soon: Great Whales: Up Close and Personal explores the world of sea giants, from the majestic blue whale – the biggest animal ever – to the sperm whale and the North Atlantic right whale. A ROM-original exhibition, Great Whales offers visitors an intimate and rare look at these mysterious leviathans of the sea. This exhibition will close on July 3, 2022.
New Display: Commemorative Royal Objects: A unique display celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee—70 years on the throne—will open to the public on July 1. The display features objects that celebrate significant milestones of the Queen’s reign, many of which are commemorative souvenirs from her coronation and previous jubilees. The display will be located in the Samuel European Galleries.
More to Explore: Exhibitions, Galleries, and Installations
Kore 670: This remarkable figure of a maiden, or kore, created between 520-510 BCE, is considered one of the most important sculptures from Greece’s legendary Acropolis because of its fine detail and preserved colour. The exquisite sculpture, which was buried for more than 2,000 years before being rediscovered, has travelled from the Athens to Toronto for the summer, and will be on display for a very short time.
Swapnaa Tamhane: Mobile Palace: Inspired by Mughal and Ottoman tents used as mobile palaces, the artist Swapnaa Tamhane reimagines the notion of decoration and pattern in three large cotton cloth installations that echo the tent forms used in India.
Willner Madge Gallery, Dawn of Life: ROM’s newest gallery explores the early beginnings of life on earth. From the earliest microbes to the emergence of dinosaurs and mammals, Dawn of Life is a thrilling interactive journey through nearly four billion years of evolution.
Unmasking the Pandemic: From Personal Protection to Personal Expression: This exhibition presents over 100 original masks by artists from more than 20 countries, and reflect their makers' stories of resilience, cultural identity, and collective humanity in the face of a global pandemic.
#MyPandemicStory: Youth Create Portraits of a Pandemic: ROM’s first crowd-sourced exhibition displays 60 selected artworks, representing a stirring portrait of the complex journeys and experiences of young Canadians confronting the pandemic.
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Image credit: © Sam Javanrouh
Visiting ROM: See the online Visitor Guidelines for more information.
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ABOUT ROM
Opened in 1914, Royal Ontario Museum showcases art, culture and nature from around the world and across the ages. Among the top 10 cultural institutions in North America, Canada’s largest and most comprehensive museum is home to a world-class collection of 13 million art objects and natural history specimens, featured in 40 gallery and exhibition spaces. As the country’s preeminent field research institute and an international leader in new and original findings, ROM plays a vital role in advancing our understanding of the artistic, cultural and natural world. Combining its original heritage architecture with the contemporary Daniel Libeskind-designed Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, ROM serves as a national landmark, and a dynamic cultural destination in the heart of Toronto for all to enjoy.