Rogers Cup serves up action this weekend; heads-up about TTC closures

It’s going to be an ace of a weekend as the Rogers Cup descends on Toronto starting on Saturday.

This is also your last weekend to check out Summerlicious and the Beaches International Jazz Festival, so get out there and enjoy the weekend.

Keep in mind that there are two TTC closures to contend with this weekend, both involving Line 2 (Bloor-Danforth).

There are also several road closures in place for events and construction, so be sure to plan your route ahead of time.

Events

Rogers Cup
Professional tennis is back in Toronto. The men return to the Aviva Centre at York University with some of the top names taking part in the Rogers Cup, one of the biggest events on the ATP Tour.

Along with hometown favourite Milos Raonic and fellow Canadian Vasek Pospisil, expect to see world No. 1 Novak Djokovic. While big names – Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal – have pulled out of the tournament, the stars of tomorrow plan to take part. Richmond Hill’s Denis Shapovalov, who won this year’s Junior Wimbledon, will be there.

This weekend is the Pizzaville Free Community Weekend where you can watch qualifying matches and see the top seeds practice.

The men’s tournament takes place July 23-31, while the women play in Montreal on July 22-31. Tickets are available here.

Summerlicious
If you haven’t checked out Summerlicious yet, this is your last weekend to do so.

The annual culinary event, which started earlier this month, allows food lovers to check out various restaurants around the city for special prices.

More than 220 restaurants are offering three-course prix fixe lunch menus (priced at $18, $23 and $28) and dinner menus (priced at $28, $38 and $48). There are 24 new restaurants featured at this year’s food festival.

Click here for a list of participating restaurants.

Beaches International Jazz Festival
Once you have finished having lunch or dinner at a Summerlicious-participating restaurant, head down to the Beach for some foot-stomping jazz.

Dance or sway to the sounds of jazz, big band, blues, funk, reggae and Latin music at the annual jazz festival, which culminates this weekend along Queen and at Woodbine Park. A portion of Queen will closed off this weekend as the party takes over the roadway for StreetFest.

Carnival Run
Runners and walkers are gearing up for the first annual Toronto Carnival Run, which takes place at Inukshuk Park on Saturday.

The park is situated along the Martin Goodman Trail, located near Lake Shore Boulevard and Newfoundland Road. Participants can choose between a 5K run or walk, while children have the 1K run option.

After the run and walk, organizers will serve up a Caribbean-inspired breakfast.

Toronto’s Festival of Beer
It’s beer for as far as the eye can see this weekend in Toronto. The event is taking place all weekend long at Bandshell Park in Exhibition Place, presented by the Beer Store.

Pace yourself (and drink responsibly) because there are 333 brews to sample, including some of the beers of Sweden, which is new this year. Reminder: don’t drink and drive. Click here for tickets and more information about the festival.

Big on Bloor
Bloor Street is closed Saturday and Sunday between Dufferin and Lansdowne for Big on Bloor, dubbed one of the 20 best festivals in Toronto.

The two-day car-free event is a celebration of arts, culture and small business in the neighbourhood of Bloordale. Along with various art projects, there will be food and lots of family activities, and it is free.

Youth Day
Young people take over Yonge-Dundas Square on Sunday for the 10th annual Youth Day. The free event, which runs from 11 a.m. until 11 p.m., celebrates the achievements of children in areas like dance, art, music, photography, fashion and film.

Around 35,000 people are expected to attend the party, which features non-stop performances on two stages from some of the most talented children in the city.

Road and TTC closures

Line 2 closure and late-opening Sunday
The scheduled subway closures for TTC works continues this weekend. Subway service will be shut down on Line 2 (Bloor-Danforth) from Broadview to Main Street stations due to track work.

Also, on Sunday, subways won’t start running until 10 a.m. between St. George and Broadview stations because of bridge work on the Prince Edward Viaduct. Shuttle buses will be running during both closures.

Road closures for events

Beaches International Jazz festival: Starting Thursday and until Saturday, Queen Street East, from Woodbine to Beech avenues, will be closed in both directions from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. on each day. TTC buses and streetcars will be diverted in the area.

Somali Festival: Dixon Road, from Chetta Place to Kipling Avenue, will be reduced to one lane in both directions from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday.

Big on Bloor: Bloor Street, from Dufferin Street to Lansdowne Avenue, will be closed from 9 a.m. on Saturday to 9 p.m. on Sunday. TTC buses will be on diversion in the area.

Oss Fest: Ossington Avenue, from Dundas to Queen streets, will be closed from 6 a.m. on Saturday to 3 a.m. on Sunday. There will also be partial road closures on Halton, Givins and Rebecca streets. TTC buses will be diverting in the area.

Youth Day: Yonge Street from Dundas to Queen streets will be closed on Sunday, July 24 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Road work

New

Gerrard Street, from University Avenue to Elizabeth Street, is reduced to one lane until Oct. 15 for watermain and other road work.

Ongoing work

One lane of Bay Street in both directions, between Queen and Adelaide streets, is closed for watermain work. The lanes on Bay are scheduled to reopen around 6 p.m. on July 23.

Richmond Street West is reduced to one lane of traffic between Church and York streets until Nov. 30 for TTC track work, watermain replacement, and road and sidewalk repairs.

One lane of Queen Street West between Spadina Avenue and Bathurst Street is closed in both directions for watermain replacement and reconstruction work until around Oct. 8.

Gerrard Street, from Yonge to Church streets, is closed until the end of July for watermain replacement, road resurfacing and bike lane and sidewalk upgrades.

Westbound Lake Shore Boulevard, from York Street to Rees Street, will be reduced to one lane except from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays when two lanes will be open. The closure, which is for Toronto Hydro work, is expected to be completed on July 27.

Below is a map of the ongoing road closures in Toronto due to construction. Click here for a mobile-friendly link.