Neighbourhood Secrets: The Great Beaver Quest in Old Town Toronto
Jun 10, 2026
Welcome to Neighbourhood Secrets, a Mystery Day Trips series that uncovers the hidden gems tucked into Toronto, the GTA and across Ontario. These are the places that don’t always top the guidebooks but live in the stories locals tell; quiet museums, unexpected corners and spots with a personality all their own. Each post is an invitation to explore a little more deeply, wander a little further and discover the stories hiding just around the bend.
Sometimes a neighbourhood reveals itself through architecture. Sometimes it is a market, a mural or a hidden laneway. And sometimes, as Old Town Toronto is proving this summer, it takes 51 giant painted beavers to make people look more closely.
The Great Beaver Quest is exactly the kind of playful local discovery that fits Mystery Day Trips’ Neighbourhood Secrets series: part scavenger hunt, part public art trail and part invitation to wander one of Toronto’s most historic neighbourhoods with fresh eyes and experience some of the FIFA World Cup spirit as Toronto's hosts some of the games.
Running until August 16, 2026, The Great Beaver Quest transforms Old Town Toronto into an outdoor gallery. Participants are invited to find 51 beaver statues placed throughout the neighbourhood, each representing a nation on the global soccer stage, plus one special beaver representing all nations. Every sculpture has been uniquely hand-painted by a local artist, turning the quest into more than a game; it is also a citywide celebration of creativity, culture and storytelling in public space.
How to join
Getting involved is refreshingly simple:
- Download the Scavify app (or use on-line)
- Create an account;
- Search for "The Great Beaver Quest"
SCAVIFY DOWNLOAD LINKS:
Once you join the hunt, you use clues to locate the beavers, complete simple challenges at each stop and collect points on the leaderboard.
The prize structure gives people a reason to keep coming back. Weekly random draws and weekly points-based prizes each offer $100 gift cards to local Old Town Toronto businesses, while the overall top three players at the end of the contest win $500, $300 and $200 gift cards, respectively. In total, there are 27 prizes worth $3,300 and winners get to choose their favourite local Old Town business for the gift card, if that business participates.
That means the quest is not just about finding sculptures. It is also designed to pull people into the neighbourhood’s cafes, shops, restaurants and side streets, turning a public art walk into a more immersive local outing. It is family-friendly, free to enter and open to anyone aged 13 and up, with parental consent required for minors under 18.
Artists to watch
One of the best reasons to do the Beaver Quest is the artist roster. The project includes a wide range of local and GTA-based artists, many of whom bring personal or cultural connections to the countries they represent
Here are a few standout examples.
Monica Loney is a Métis visual artist based in Ontario and creator of the 49th Beaver. It reflects the “FIFA World Cup’s identity as a place of diverse stories, unified through culture, connection and collective experience”. The sculpture has the “heart berry” at its center intertwined with global flags to explore renewal, connection and shared humanity.
Pelin Akdas, designer of the Algeria beaver draws, is based in Toronto, but trained in Turkey. The Algeria beaver draws on traditional Zellige Mosaics, assembling small geometric ceramic pieces that come together in harmony.
Elena Dri brings a Canadian-Argentine perspective to her Argentina beaver. The El Gaucho beaver wears a poncho, one of Agentina’s most iconic garments, painted in the flag’s blue and white.
Walter Segers emigrated to Canada from Belgium in 1993 and calls Toronto home. His Belgium beaver has tattoo-like national symbols with its colours drawing inspiration from the team’s nickname “the Red Devils” and tri-colour flag to incorporate the black and yellow.
Raz Latif got the honour of designing the hometown Canada beaver featuring maple wood grain and red flannel shirt covering the Canadian soccer (football) uniform. Raz is a Toronto-based award winning illustrator and visual artist.
Charles Boloebi Okah designed the Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Old Town Toronto beaver connecting football (soccer) as the national identity of West Africa incorporating the coat of arms, cultural motifs and national colours of orange, white and green, with yellow representing the rising sun and dawn of a new era.
Old Town Toronto includes full bios and artist statements, which turns each beaver into a miniature public artwork with its own story.
Why it works
What makes The Great Beaver Quest clever is that it balances play and substance. On one level, it is a lighthearted scavenger hunt with photo-worthy sculptures and a competitive leaderboard. On another, it is a thoughtfully curated public-art programme that showcases local artists, celebrates cultural diversity and gives people a reason to explore Old Town on foot.
It also feels especially well suited to Mystery Day Trips readers. This is not about checking off a single attraction and leaving. It is about slowing down, following clues, noticing details, and letting a neighbourhood reveal itself piece by piece. In between the beavers, you are likely to discover heritage buildings, independent businesses and side streets you might otherwise have rushed past.
Planning your visit
The best way to approach The Great Beaver Quest is to treat it like a choose-your-own Toronto day out. Start with the app, pick a few clues and build in time for food, coffee or a stop at one of the local shops along the way. Because the contest runs all summer until August 16, you do not need to do it all at once; you can return in stages and make a season of it.
And if you end up falling in love with a particular beaver, there is even an option to register for a chance to bid on one. Funds raised will be going to local charities.
Learn more about Mystery Day Trips.
