Weekend need to know: Easter events, Cirque du Soleil; road closures

It’s the Easter Holiday weekend and the city is celebrating with the annual Beaches Easter Parade, as well as a Good Friday procession.

Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA has also arrived in Toronto, and jazz lovers can check out a live Caribbean Jazz show.

A long weekend also means some businesses will be closed. Check out what is open and closed for Good Friday here.

There are no scheduled subway closures this weekend, but ongoing roads closures continue. Scroll below for those details.

Here’s what’s happening this weekend:

Top events

Beaches Easter Parade & Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt

The Beaches Easter Parade weekend is back in the city.

Events include an Easter egg scavenger hunt taking place on Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Participants can register online and download an app to reveal the scavenger hunt’s clues.

Groups will decipher clues that will lead to 12 different locations across The Beach.

Once the hunt is complete, participants will receive instructions guiding them to a secret location to meet the Easter bunny.

People can also enjoy The Beaches Easter Parade on Queen Street East, taking place on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Photo: Toronto Beaches Lions Easter Parade

Kensington Market Easter Egg Scavenger Hunt

Another Easter egg scavenger hunt is happening in Kensington Market on April 8 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Teams can check in and out at Taco Taco on Augusta Avenue, where they will receive their scavenger hunt materials and instructions.

Check-in for teams can take place any time from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

A ticket to participate in the hunt includes chocolate prizes and an entry into a draw for a basket of goods from local Kensington Market shops.

Participants will form teams and explore the streets of the neighbourhood, visiting different shops and businesses along the way.

The scavenger hunt will take approximately one hour to complete, and teams will be given a set of clues and challenges to solve.

Good Friday Procession

Every year during Holy Week, St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Toronto holds an annual Good Friday Procession commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

The Good Friday Procession starts on Friday at 3 p.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Church, and goes through the Little Italy neighbourhood, before circling back to the church.

The Procession includes religious statues, bands and people representing different characters associated with the Passion of Christ.

Caribbean Jazz Collective

The Caribbean Jazz Collective is celebrating the end of a long winter in the city on Thursday night with a live show at 3030 Dundas Street West. 

The band performs modern and classic jazz music, and Caribbean songs with a jazz twist.

The collective consists of bassist Andrew Stewart, saxophonist Neil Brathwaite, steelpan drummer Gareth Burgess, pianist Eddie Bullen, and percussionist Joaquin Hidalgo Nunez.

Photo: Caribbean Jazz Collective

Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA

The circus is in town.

Cirque du Soleil’s show KOOZA pays tribute to traditional circus with performances including magical illusions and mischievous clowns.

Entertainers will use a variety of props like a circus high wire and perform the infamous ‘Wheel of Death’ acts.

The show runs in Toronto from April 7 to June 18 under ‘The Big Top’ located at Park Lawn Road and Lake Shore Boulevard West.

Skeleton Dance performed at Cirque du Soleil’s KOOZA show | Photo: Cirque du Soleil

Road closures

Beaches Easter Parade

• 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (partial road): Queen Street East, from Munroe Park Avenue to Fallingbrook Road
• 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (full road): Queen Street East, from Munroe Park Avenue to Fallingbrook Road; Nursewood Road, from Queen Street East to #24 Nursewood Road
• 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (full road): Queen Street East, from Woodbine Avenue to Fallingbrook Road
• 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (full road): Woodbine Avenue, from Queen Street East to Lake Shore Boulevard East; Lake Shore Boulevard East, from Coxwell Avenue to Woodbine Avenue

Downtown sports games

• Bremner Boulevard and Raptors Way is shut down from York Street to Lake Shore Boulevard to accommodate upcoming downtown sports games. This closure runs until April 10.

Ongoing closures

• Bathurst Street is down to a single lane each way at Laurelcrest Avenue for construction until the middle of August.
• Westbound Queen from Yonge to Bay streets, the right lane will be closed until late 2023 for work on the Ontario Line.
• Military Trail is closed from Ellesmere Road to Highcastle Road for road rehabilitation and slope stabilization. The project completion date has been delayed to the summer.
• Keele Street is reduced to a single lane about 100 metres north of Langstaff in Vaughan. Construction work is scheduled to finish in the spring.
• Eastbound Queen Street, east of Bay street, has the right lane blocked for construction until September.
• Northbound Yonge Street is reduced to one lane between Wellington and King Streets for TTC construction. The project is scheduled to continue into 2024.
• Bloor Street is impacted by long-term construction, which is behind schedule, between Parliament and Sherbourne streets.

With files from Kyle Hocking and Jordan Kerr of CityNews