Making a splash: World’s largest rubber duck back to quack in Toronto

It’s your ducky day; the world’s largest rubber duck is returning to Toronto’s waterfront this weekend.

The annual Toronto Waterfront Festival is being held September 16-17 at Queens Quay East and in a twist, the world’s largest rubber duck, affectionately known as Mama Duck, will appear on land this time.

The festival begins on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and runs until Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

In April, Nancy Gavin, Chair of the Toronto Waterfront Festival, confirmed that Mama Duck would return to the city’s shores.

“The number one program we continually get asked to bring back is by far the ‘World’s Largest Rubber Duck,” Gavin said. “After six years, we are very excited to have Mama Duck back on Toronto’s Waterfront to celebrate the last weekend of summer.”

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In 2017, the six-storey, 13,000-kilogram rubber duck arrived in Toronto to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary. She was met with some controversy after it was revealed that Ontario’s government approved a grant of about $120,000 that went toward the giant rubber duck.

The then-costs included renting the duck from a man in the U.S., transporting it, inflating it, using a crane to lift it onto a barge, towing it, bringing it to other Ontario communities, marketing, and on-site support such as portable toilets and extra fencing.

The world’s largest rubber ducky is making a comeback to Toronto’s waterfront in the fall, specifically September 16-17 at Queens Quay East. Photo: Flickr.

Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives said at the time they were unclear on the duck’s connection to Canada’s heritage celebrations, with Rick Nicholls calling it “an absurd waste of taxpayers’ dollars.”

“It is an absolute cluster duck,” he said.

More than 750,000 people attended the Toronto Waterfront Festival, and the event generated an estimated $7.6 million in economic impact for the city. Residents spent $16.5 million related to the event, including $4.8 million at local restaurants.

The Toronto Waterfront Festival, in partnership with the Waterfront BIA, is an annual summer event providing on-land and on-water programming with the goal of promoting Toronto locally and internationally as a premiere waterfront destination.

The giant rubber duck is based on similar floating structures by a Dutch artist who has travelled the world.