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All Canada Ontario Toronto Friar’s Music Museum
AO Edited

Friar’s Music Museum

A free museum of Toronto’s untold music history hidden inside a drugstore.

Toronto, Ontario

Added By
Liisa Ladouceur
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Friar’s Music Museum is located inside a Shoppers Drug Mart store.   Liisa / Atlas Obscura User
Friar’s Music Museum is located inside a Shoppers Drug Mart store.   Liisa / Atlas Obscura User
Toronto hip-hop history on display at Friar’s Music Museum.   Liisa / Atlas Obscura User
Rhythms and Resistance: Caribbean music in Toronto exhibit at Friar’s Music Museum.   Liisa / Atlas Obscura User
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About

At the busy intersection of Yonge and Dundas streets in Toronto there are many shiny, loud things vying for attention, from giant video billboards to busking musicians to blustery public speakers. There’s also a hidden cultural gem, the Friar’s Music Museum.

Inside a nondescript Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacy, beside shelves of toothpaste and deodorant, you’ll find a corner space filled with musical instruments, vintage vinyl, stage clothing, and other artifacts from artists who once made this stretch of Yonge Street the place to be for musicians from around the world. The small but carefully curated space is bright and modern with video screen and interactive timelines to bring history to life.

Why here? This spot was once home to Friar’s Tavern, a legendary live jazz and rock ‘n’ roll venue where a folk singer named Bob Dylan discovered a band that would one day be called The Band. That venue closed in 1976, and from 1978 to 2017 it was was a Hard Rock Cafe. When Shoppers Drug Mart moved in, the local BIA convinced the new owner to donate a portion of their retail space for a museum to honor the heritage of the building and the street.

Opened in 2022, the free museum features rotating exhibitions dedicated to untold stories of Toronto music history.

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Music History Museums Music

Know Before You Go

Located on the second floor of Shoppers Drug Mart and is free to access any hour that the store is open. An elevator is available. The closet subway station is Dundas Station, just a one-minute walk away.

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Liisa

Published

February 18, 2025

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Friar’s Music Museum
279 Yonge St
Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1N8
Canada
43.65565, -79.380301
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