Hooray for another fun weekend in Toronto

Bad news if you like summer: Fall arrives in about a month. Good news if you hate the intense humidity in the summer that messes up your skin and hair: Fall is around the corner.

Despite the tug of war between fans of summer and fall, everyone can agree that we all like to relax and have fun. Good thing there are weekends. For those planning to roam the city but not sure what to do yet, below are some events to help you along.

There are road closures and a partial subway shutdown this weekend — but not to worry, just plan ahead for them.

Have a wonderfully blissful weekend.


Events

Eat, drink, and be merry
If you are a cider, beer, or bourbon connoisseur, the perfect place to enjoy some is outside while summer is still in our corner.

Starting Friday and into the weekend, the Beer, Bourbon and BBQ festival at Ontario Place will serve up craft beers, bourbon cocktails and tasty dishes from the grill. You can also listen to some live country music, try your feet at some line dancing, or ride the mechanical bull. Also starting Friday is the Toronto Cider Festival at Sherbourne Common, features more than 100 types of cider from Canada and around the world. Admission to both these events is restricted to 19-plus.

Last but not least is the Leslieville Beer Festival, which takes over Dundas Street East from Logan to Carlaw avenues on Saturday. More than 50 brewers and food vendors will dish out the best in local fare, and artisans will also on-hand.

Tickets are required to attend the three events. If you plan on attending any of them, please don’t drink and drive.

Around the world in Toronto
Learn about Filipino cuisine and culture at the Mabuhay Philippines Festival at Nathan Phillips Square, taking place Saturday to Sunday. Afterwards, stroll onto Queen Street and to Yonge-Dundas Square for the Pan American Food and Music Festival. This year, the focus will be on Ecuadorian food and music, but the event will also highlight the food and culture from other Pan American countries. If you are in the east end this weekend, stop by the Scarborough Civic Centre for the Afro-Carib Fest. There will be music and dance, delicious food, various vendors, and a raffle draw.

Books, bikes and street festivals
“I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike.” Whether you have a bike or know how to ride a bike, everyone is invited to join Books & Bikes on the Bloor Viaduct on Sunday. Explore the history of the Bloor and Danforth, starting at Bloor Street in the west, across Bloor and the Danforth to Woodbine Avenue — either on a bike or on foot. See these neighbourhoods from your own perspective or through the words of authors. There will also be free pizza served at the start location. The event is free but you need to register.

Pedestrian Sundays is also back for another edition in Kensington Market on Sunday. The free festival features live music, street food, an outdoor art fair and spontaneous dancing. The next one is on Sept. 30, which will be the second-last one before Halloween.

Bloor Street from Dufferin Street to Montrose Avenue will be shut down to vehicles on Saturday for the Bloorcourt Festival — one of the city’s largest gathering of artists and artisans. Check out all the arts and crafts, browse the sidewalk sales, hang out on the patio, and listen to live music. The kids will also have their sort of fun with inflatables and interactive activities. Admission to the event is free.

Always time for a movie
Sometimes just getting out of the house to see a movie can make a world of difference. But if you like a twist in your movie-watching experience, here are a couple of options. Starting Friday and until Sept. 6 the Cinesphere at Ontario Place is showing 2001: A Space Odyssey. You can buy tickets here.

For those to love to be outdoors, the 2016 revamp of Ghostbusters will be playing at Sorauren Park on Saturday. The free movie show starts at 8:30 p.m. with pizza served from an outdoor oven ahead of the show.

TTC and road closures

Partial Line 1 shutdown
The TTC will be upgrading its subway signal system this weekend, which means trains won’t be running on Line 1 between Finch West and Lawrence West stations. Shuttle buses will be running.

Road closures
Toronto Tamil Festival: Markham Road between McNicoll and Passmore avenues will be closed from 10 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday

Bloorcourt Festival: Bloor Street West from Dufferin Street to Montrose Avenue will be closed from 7 a.m. to midnight on Saturday

Leslieville Beerfest: Dundas Street East between Logan and Carlaw avenues will be closed from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday

Pedestrian Sundays: Several closures will be in effect in Kensington Market from noon to 10:30 p.m. on Sunday

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