yonge and dundas

Giant inflatable dome comes loose and wreaks havoc on Toronto's Dundas Square

People in and around Toronto's Yonge-Dundas Square got quite the shock (and doubtlessly a few laughs) this afternoon when strong winds unleashed a huge inflatable dome from its tethers and sent it flying.

As first reported by CityNews, a brand activation for Michelob Ultra went sideways around 1 p.m. on Wednesday as wind gusts of up to 80 km/h swept through Canada's largest city.

A large balloon-type structure had been set up by the beer brand as a "chance for Canadians to play basketball indoors, protected from the winter elements," according to an online listing.

Observers got a kick out of the sight and, as of press time, no injuries have been reported as a result of the balloon going rogue.

The dome did, however, crash into the stage at Yonge-Dundas Square, causing it to deflate, likely costing Michelob (or whoever they hired to put on the event) a pretty penny.

CityNews reports that the event is still scheduled to run until Feb. 20, but all mentions of it on social media have been scrubbed and the YDS events calendar shows nothing at all as of Wednesday night.

Whatever the case, big dome + wind = delightful chaos for tourists and locals today — the good kind of chaos, where nobody gets shot, shuts down an intersection to do donuts, screams at Adam Sandler, jumps on a cop car or... whatever the heck happens to be going on in this video.

Lead photo by

@daniel_azbel


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