Kingston is marking 10 years since The Tragically Hip played their final concert in their hometown with three days of music, screenings, walking tours, and community events as part of the city’s Forever Hip celebrations. The August programming also includes new public art, adding to the city’s collection of places connected to the band.

Two new murals are among the most visible additions.

Kingston-born artist Aaron Forsyth, aka EronOne, painted a three-storey mural of singer and lyricist Gord Downie on Wellington Street beside HEIST Restaurant + Wine Club. Commissioned by Tourism Kingston, the work draws on imagery from The Tragically Hip’s final concert in August 2016, with a large image of Downie positioned close to the sidewalk.

“I have Gord Downie very large, close to the sidewalk. You can’t miss it, it’s larger than life, being that he was like a larger-than-life figure. As a Kingstonian, it’s an honour, and almost like a daunting task, because it’s a very prominent location, and I know lots of eyes will be on it,” EronOne told The Kingston Whig Standard.

A few blocks away, on 20 Montreal St., artist Shane Goudreau painted another Hip tribute on the outer wall of Zap Records. Goudreau attended the band’s final concert and said he wanted the mural to recreate the feeling of that night.

On Instagram and Facebook, Goudreau (@goudcreated) said, “I want people to feel the moment that the entirety of Canada kind of focused in on one band.”

Murals and landmarks

The new works join an existing Hip mural along the Waterfront Pathway near the Delta Hotels Kingston Waterfront.

The city has also marked the band’s history through The Tragically Hip Way, the street outside Slush Puppie Place, and a commemorative “THE HIP” sign installed in 2024. Springer Market Square has a stone engraved with lyrics from “Blow at High Dough,” while the Gord Edgar Downie Pier at Breakwater Park is another landmark tied to their legacy.

Together, the murals and landmarks make the band’s Kingston history visible across the city as Forever Hip marks a decade since its final hometown performance.