Thanksgiving roundup: Gardiner closure, what’s open, events

Oh happy day, the long weekend is here! It is the last one before the Christmas break, so make the best of it.

For those staying in town but heading out and about, below is what you need to know: what’s open and closed on Monday, events, as well as subway and road closures. Keep in mind that the Gardiner Expressway will be closed this weekend as well.

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What’s open and closed on Monday

Open

• TTC will run on holiday service
• GO will run on a Sunday schedule
• Some Beer Store locations will be open, click here for a list
• Tourist attractions: Art Gallery of Ontario, Casa Loma, CN Tower, Hockey Hall of Fame, Ontario Science Centre, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto Zoo
• Several malls: Bramalea City Centre (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.), Eaton Centre (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.), Square One (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.), Upper Canada Mall (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.), Vaughan Mills (10 a.m. to 7 p.m.), and Hillcrest Mall (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.)

 

Closed

• All LCBO locations will be closed but some stores will have extended hours on Sunday
• Most grocery stores (select ones will be open, but call ahead)
• Some malls: Dufferin Mall, Fairview Mall, Scarborough Town Centre, Sherway Gardens, Yorkdale Shopping Centre
• Government offices, municipal buildings, and banks
• All Toronto Public Library branches are closed on Sunday and Monday
• No mail delivery

Events

‘It’s the Great Pumpkin’
Oh Charlie Brown, why do you have to be so cynical? Don’t you know the Great Pumpkin is real? And this long weekend, they will be bringing fun for kids and the kids at heart to the Toronto Pumpkinfest and the Richmond Hill Pumpkinfest. In Toronto, the festival will take over Downsview Park with a 50-foot inflatable pumpkin in tow. The festival is also taking place at the Richmond Green Sports Centre and Park in Richmond Hill. Both festivals will feature a large pumpkin patch, a costume contest, pumpkin bowling and food trucks. There will also be an inflatable corn maze, games and rides, pumpkin carving, pie eating, face painting, and more. Admission is free and so is the parking.

#WeTheNorth
There are still some tickets left for the Toronto Raptors pre-season game at the Scotiabank Arena on Sunday. The teams takes on the Chicago Bulls and tip-off is at 6 p.m. Regular season kicks off on Oct. 22 with a home game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Click here for the team’s schedule.

Calling all vegan believers
If you are a vegan or thinking of becoming one, the VegHeads Market is the place for you. The event takes place at the Artscape Wychwood Barns on Sunday. Learn how to make delicious dishes with plant-based foods, check out the products from vendors, watch an eco-friendly fashion show, and educate yourself on how to make the planet more sustainable. General admission tickets cost $5-10, and a portion of that money will go to the SickKids Foundation.

Celebrate Thanksgiving and Oktoberfest
Trying to get out of going to that annual family Thanksgiving, where people ask you the same questions every year? Kidding. Well, not kidding. At any rate, great food and beer await you at Torontoberfest on Monday. It is being held at the pavillion area of the Evergreen Brick Works. Beers will be $6 from 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. Admission to the celebration is free, and all ages are welcome.

Autumn in the country
Picture this: haystacks, wagon rides, picturesque sunsets, baked goods you won’t find anywhere else … no, this is not a Hallmark movie. Starting Saturday and through the long weekend, experience that country feeling at the Woodbridge Fall Fair. The Woodbridge Fair Grounds will also have a pioneer area, a kids zone, live entertainment, needlework and crafts, and old-fashioned fun. The cost of admission is $10 for adults, $5 for those aged 6-14, and kids under give are free.

Transit

Partial Line 2 closure
Subways won’t be running on Line 2 between St George. and Woodbine stations on Saturday and Sunday due to track work. Shuttle buses and Wheel-Trans service will be running but buses will not be entering Woodbine Station.

Due to the high volume on buses, parking will be temporarily restricted on Danforth Avenue near Broadview Avenue, Chester Avenue, Pape Avenue, Donlands Avenue, Linnsmore Crescent and Coxwell Avenue, from 6 a.m. Saturday to 2:30 a.m. Sunday, and from 7:30 a.m. Sunday to 2:30 a.m. Monday.

Road closures

Gardiner Expressway
The expressway will be closed from Highway 427 to DVP from 11:59 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday due to fall maintenance. And when it does re-open on Monday, the next phase of the construction will start. The Gardiner will be reduced to two lanes in each direction between York Street and and DVP. This construction will run at the same time as work on the westbound Sherbourne/Jarvis off-ramp.