Toronto rings in 2019: what’s open and closed on New Year’s Day

The annual New Year’s Eve bash in downtown Toronto took over Nathan Phillips Square and hundreds braved the rain to count down the final minutes of the year.

The festivities included a skating party and live performances.

While the crowds were thinner due to the wet weather – in true Canadian style, many Torontonians still enjoyed skating to tunes spun live by DJ Money Jane and DJ MelBoogie. Musical acts included R&B singer LIZA, rapper Cadence Weapon and co-founder of A Tribe Called Red (ATCR) Ian Campeau, also known as DJ NDN.

A touch of magic was added to the music this year with the UK’s largest touring illusion show, Champions of Magic enthralling audiences with a special performance.

The night ended with the traditional fireworks display with sparks flying up from and out of the City Hall buildings, making for a spectacular show.

Watch our live stream of the fireworks below:

If you didn’t party too hard and feel like running errands or doing some shopping on the stat holiday, here’s a list of what’s open and closed on New Year’s Day:

Transit

TTC
Free rides until 7 a.m. on New Year’s Day and Sunday service for the rest of the day.

Click here to refer to the service schedule.

GO Transit
Sunday schedule

Click here to refer to the service schedule.

Shopping hours

Bramalea City Centre
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Dufferin Mall
Closed

Eaton Centre
12 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Erin Mills Town Centre
Closed

Fairview Mall
Closed

Scarborough Town Centre
Closed

Sherway Gardens
Dec. 31: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Jan. 1: Closed

Shops at Don Mills
Closed

Square One
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Toronto Premium Outlets
11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Vaughan Mills
10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Yorkdale Mall
Closed

Grocery/drug stores

Grocery stores are closed on New Year’s Day. Some Shoppers Drug Mart locations will be open. Click here to locate your store’s hours.

LCBO/Beer Stores

LCBO stores and Beer Store locations will be closed on New Year’s Day.

Tourist attractions

AGO: Open from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The AGO Bistro is open for brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Casa Loma: Plans to be open on New Year’s Day. Check for exact hours.
CN Tower: Plans to be open from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. on New Year’s Day.
Ontario Science Centre: Plans to be open on New Year’s Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada: Open 365 days a year
Royal Ontario Museum: Open regular hours on New Year’s Day – 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Toronto Zoo: Open on New Year’s Day from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Government offices, banks, and mail

Government offices and banks are closed on New Year’s Day.
There will be no mail delivery on New Year’s Day.

City of Toronto services

Garbage collection
There will be no garbage collection on New Year’s Day (Tuesday). That collection will be moved to the following day. Wednesday’s collection will be moved to Thursday, and so on. Click here for more information.

Toronto Public Library
Closed

City of Toronto facilities
Recreation centres along with indoor skating arenas will be closed on New Year’s Day.

Click here for list of other closures and a list of other activities in the city.