Lights flash, and people converge at Yonge-Dundas Square in Downtown Toronto. Billboards send their advertisements across the public space, leading the eye on a merry dance from greens to blues to reds. It's a vibrant scene after dark, with the lights reflecting in the fountains below. After being built in 2002, Yonge-Dundas Square has hosted many major public events and performances, as well as establishing itself as one of Toronto's major tourist attractions. It's situated at the intersection of Yonge Street and Dundas Street East, in the heart of the Yonge entertainment district.
Location makes Yonge-Dundas Square such an unmissable part of the Toronto visitor experience. It's surrounded by famous landmarks and attractions, acting as a central meeting place for the best the city has to offer. Within walking distance are Ed Mirvish Theatre, Atrium on Bay, the facades of 10 and 33 Dundas Street East, plus Ryerson University. Pedestrians cross the square in a mass scramble that's been modelled on Tokyo's Shibuya Crossing, while the billboards around the square have drawn comparisons with London's Piccadilly Circus and New York's Times Square. Dotted about the square are 600 fountains, which spurt water throughout the day and night.
Dundas Station practically stands on the square and is the easiest means of getting here. This station is on the Toronto subway. From the square, it's easy to continue the journey on foot, either south towards Lake Ontario or north along Dundas Street to the urban heart of Toronto.
Unlike many busy city squares, Yonge-Dundas hasn't always been an open space in the city. The whole area was a mishmash of commercial buildings, many of which were showing serious signs of decay. Rather than being rebuilt, they were all knocked down to form the public space in 1998.