Weekend need to know: Canada Day, last performance of Harry Potter; road closures

The Canada Day long weekend is here and the city is hosting several events all day on Saturday, alongside annual fireworks displays. Toronto police have put out a safety plan for this weekend in hopes of avoiding violent behaviour.

A local Indigenous-led group is also hosting what they’re calling an anti-colonial celebration on July 1. The city and several groups are reminding people that July 1 is not a day of celebration for everyone, particularly for some First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples.

Other events are also taking place beyond Canada Day such as the last performance of Harry Potter live in theatre and the launch of SummerSeries in Trillium Park at Ontario Place.

A holiday long weekend also means certain businesses and services will be closed. Click here for a list of what’s open and closed for the weekend.

Luckily, there are no scheduled subway closures this weekend, but there are ongoing road closures. Scroll below for those details.

Here’s what to do this weekend:

Reflecting on Canada’s history

Although the city and many others will be recognizing July 1 as Canada Day, the date is not a day of celebration for everyone.

Several groups along with the City of Toronto say they encourage people to reflect on the country’s history when it comes to First Nations people in Canada and how to further reconciliation.

Community members are reminded there are resources available if they are in need of support:

• Six Nations 24/7 Mobile Crisis Line: 519-445-2204 or 1-866-445-2204
• Native Child and Family Services Toronto: 416-969-8510
• Talk4Healing for Indigenous women available in 14 languages all across Ontario: 1-855-554-HEAL

Top events

Canada Day

Many Canada Day celebrations are taking place across the city on Saturday including the annual fireworks displays at Centennial Park, Milliken Park, Stan Wadlow Park and Ashbridges Bay Park.

Daytime activities will take place at Nathan Phillips Square, Mel Lastman Square, Fort York National Historic Site and Thomson Memorial Park.

There will be no fireworks displays at Nathan Phillips Square and Mel Lastman Square.

Toronto Police have been stepping up enforcement during holiday fireworks displays at Ashbridge’s Bay after violence rocked the 2022 Victoria Day long weekend.

The City of Toronto is out with the following reminders for those looking to attend any public displays:

• Do not bring personal fireworks to the beach. The city will be providing a spectacular fireworks display that everyone can enjoy safely.
• Drinking alcohol on the beach is prohibited.
• Fires are not permitted in parks, beaches or public spaces, except for City-designed fire pits (which require a permit).
• If possible, take transit to and from the beach to avoid traffic and other parking issues.
• If you drive to the beach, be mindful of residents in the area. Do not block driveways or fire hydrants.
• Keep music at a reasonable level. Amplified sound such as DJ equipment and large wireless speakers are not permitted.
• Police and by-law officers will be patrolling the beach day and night.

Admission is free for all City-produced Canada Day events.

City of Toronto Canada Day events:

• From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Celebrations at Thomson Memorial Park (1005 Brimley Rd.) include music, children’s crafts, a bouncy castle, a parade, a pancake breakfast and more.
• From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Moving Forward is an event celebrating Chinese Communities at Fort York (250 Fort York Blvd.). Programming for the event is co-created with community partners on the centennial of the Chinese Immigration Act. Events include dancing, singing, remarks, face painting, food demos and tastings, storytelling and more.
• From noon to 6 p.m. there will be celebrations at Nathan Phillips Square for the first time since 2017. There will be performances from Alpha Rhythm Roots, The Hitmen Drumline, Celtic duo Alana and Leah Cline, alongside other family-friendly activities.
• From noon to 6 p.m. celebrations at Mel Lastman Square (5100 Yonge St.) include live performances from The Haneen Woman Choir, Trash Panda Brass, JER, Celtic duo Alana and Leah Cline, as well as newcomer artists.

Fireworks displays:

Starting at 10 p.m. the annual Canada Day fireworks displays will take place in the following City parks:

• Ashbridges Bay Park (1561 Lake Shore Blvd. E)
• Centennial Park Etobicoke (256 Centennial Park Rd.)
• Milliken Park (5555 Steeles Ave. E)
• Stan Wadlow Park (373 Cedarvale Ave.)

Native Arts Society anti-colonial celebration:

Native Arts Society, a local Indigenous-led group, is hosting an anti-colonial celebration at 115 Church Street from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Canada Day.

It features art from Indigenous and Indigiqueer creators, free food, and more.

The event is meant to bring forward the conversation around Canada Day and reconciliation.

Last performance of Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will have its last performance on Sunday at CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre at 2 p.m.

There are still tickets left to see the last show, but seats are limited.

The Toronto production began on May 31, 2022, and is the longest running professional theatre production in Canadian history.

From left, Thomas Mitchell Barnet as Scorpius Malfoy and Luke Kimball as Albus Potter. Photo by Evan Zimmerman courtesy of Mirvish Productions

SummerSeries in Trillium Park

SummerSeries in Trillium Park is an eight-weekend event series featuring live music, arts and culture events, and yoga classes by Toronto’s waterfront at Ontario Place.

The SummerSeries Opening Day event kicks off in Trillium Park this Saturday.

The kickoff event features yoga classes for adults and kids, live Indigenous performances, and more.

The series starts Saturday and runs until late-September.

The event series’ full schedule can be found here.

Road closures

Ongoing closures

• Starting Monday, Teston Road in Vaughan will be closed between Pine Valley Drive and Weston Road until the end of the year for road reconstruction and bridge work.
• The intersection of Coxwell Avenue and Gerrard Avenue East at Eastwood Road will be fully closed to traffic for TTC track replacement until late July.
• Queen Street is fully closed to traffic between Bay and Victoria Streets to accommodate work on a new station for the Ontario Line subway. The closure is scheduled to last for at least four-and-a-half years, until 2027.
• Lake Shore Boulevard West, from Rees Street to Spadina Avenue, is reduced to two lanes until May 31, 2024, for Enwave construction.
• Bathurst Street is down to a single lane each way at Laurelcrest Avenue for construction until the middle of August.
• 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 later this year.
• 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.

With files from Jordan Kerr of CityNews