Naman Shrestha
Adapted from the eponymous 1985 novel written by Margaret Atwood, Hulu’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ is a dystopian psychological thriller series created by Bruce Miller. As the story comes to a close, the sixth season of the sci-fi show follows June as she tries her best to take down the totalitarian society called Gilead. While Luke and Moira side with the resistance, Serena hopes to reform Gilead once and for all. The Emmy Award-winning show’s final chapter taps into multiple themes, including solidarity, hope, the pursuit of justice, and courage. All these themes are complemented with the help of cold visuals and appropriate backdrops, adding a layer of tension and depth to the narrative.
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 6 Filming Locations
For the production of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ season 6, familiar places across Ontario served as filming destinations, such as Hamilton, Toronto, and Cambridge. Moreover, Pickering, Collingwood, and Crystal Beach are a few other sites where additional portions were shot. As per reports, principal photography was scheduled to commence in 2023, but because of the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes, it was postponed. Finally, shooting for the sixth and final season got underway in September 2024 and continued for several months before wrapping up in February 2025.
Hamilton, Ontario
Following the pattern of previous seasons of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ the filming unit returned to Hamilton to tape significant portions of season 6. In January 2025, the cast and crew were spotted around the former Hamilton Spectator building at 44 Frid Street, which reportedly doubled for the abandoned Boston Globe on the series. While several interior scenes were lensed inside Melrose United Church at 86 Homewood Avenue, a few exterior portions were recorded outside a majestic property on Aberdeen Avenue and Bay Street South.
As per reports, the area near the Millworks Creative Studio at 64 Hatt Street and the Royal Botanical Gardens also served as pivotal production locations for the sixth installment of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’ A Victorian-era house in Hamilton stood in for the Waterford’s House of the show. Furthermore, the 19th-century Scottish Rite at 4 Queen Street South was utilized to shoot scenes set in the Gilead Chamber Council.
Toronto, Ontario
Many pivotal sequences for ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ season 6 were also shot in Toronto, the capital of Ontario. In the early stages of production of the season, the filming unit taped multiple scenes in and around The Village at Black Creek, which was previously known as Black Creek Pioneer Village, at 1000 Murray Ross Parkway. Yet again, Cinespace Studios Toronto at 777 Kipling Avenue #300 served as one of the primary filming sites for the sixth season. Home to 29 active sound stages, the film studio is spread across over 1.4 million square feet, comprising three major campuses and production office space, making it a favorable shooting site for different kinds of projects. From what we can tell, the famous Yonge-Dundas Square, the Toronto City Hall, the Church of St. Aidan, and the University of Toronto Campus also seemingly feature in season 6.
Cambridge, Ontario
A major portion of the sixth installment of the Hulu show was taped in the city of Cambridge as it was once again turned into Gilead. A set with large wooden gallows was built in the middle of Queen’s Square, where several pivotal sequences were shot. When it comes to the Hanging Wall scenes, they were lensed in and around Mill Race Park at 36 Water Street North. The City of Cambridge revealed some other aspects of the shooting process.
They stated, “Filming will involve the use of lighting cranes, drones, pyrotechnics, electronic gunfire, large crowd scenes, and reduced street lighting. Access to residences and businesses will be maintained, but intermittent delays may occur.” According to reports, several other Cambridge streets and neighborhoods were turned into film sets, including Lansdowne Road North, George Street, Park Hill Road West, Main Street, and Water Street. Furthermore, a few local shops in the neighborhood of Galt were also shut down as the area was redecorated as a dystopian site, mimicking a war zone-like atmosphere.
Other Locations in Ontario
For the purpose of shooting, the filming unit of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ season 6 also traveled to several other sites within the province of Ontario, including the city of Pickering. In the month of September 2024, the cast and crew were spotted shooting several indoor and outdoor portions of the sixth round on 8th Concession Road between Sideline 6 and Balsam Road, where they also seemingly took over a private property. In addition, Crystal Beach in Hot Dog Alley and an old ski resort in Collingwood hosted the production of the show’s final season as well.
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