Weekend need to know: Fan Expo, Yorkville Murals, Jays vs. Guardians

Expect to see a lot of cosplay in the downtown core as Fan Expo Canada returns to Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Other events are taking place this weekend including the annual Yorkville Murals festival, festivals celebrating Trinidad and Tobago as well as Filipino culture, and a market for Black-owned businesses.

Plus the Blue Jays are up against the Guardians at Rogers Centre.

There are no scheduled subway closures this weekend, but there is a late subway opening planned for Line 2. The TTC has also officially announced that service on Scarborough’s Line 3 will not resume following last month’s derailment.

Road closures also continue in and around the city. Scroll below for more details.

Here’s what to do this weekend:

Top events

Fan Expo Canada 

All comic, horror, anime, and sci-fi fans are uniting this weekend at Metro Toronto Convention Centre for the annual Fan Expo Canada event.

The convention kicked off on Thursday and runs until Sunday, and features a long lineup of special guests.

Christina Ricci will be in attendance. The actor got her fame playing the character Wednesday Addams from the The Addams Family movies in the ’90s. She also plays the character Marilyn Thornhill who is the main antagonist in the first season of the Netflix adaptation series Wednesday.

Some other celebrity names who are expected to be at the event include Matthew Lillard from the Scooby-Doo live action movies, Ming-Na Wen who voiced Mulan in the animated Mulan films, and Michelle Hurd from the shows Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Star Trek: Picard.

The convention features local artwork, kid-friendly activities in the Family Zone, and thousands of retailers to shop from on the show floor.

Teen Wolf star Tyler Hoechlin meeting fans at Fan Expo Canada 2022. Photo by Adam Freeman for FAN EXPO HQ.

Jays vs. Guardians

The Toronto Blue Jays are playing against the Cleveland Guardians all weekend at Rogers Centre.

Game schedule:

• Friday – 7:07 p.m.
• Saturday – 3:07 p.m.
• Sunday – 1:37 p.m.

Yorkville Murals 

The annual Yorkville Murals festival is taking over the walls and streets of Yorkville on Saturday and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m.

This year’s theme is called No Empty Spaces.

On Yorkville Avenue from Bellair Street to Hazelton Avenue, Yorkville Murals will showcase captivating murals, art installations, dance battles, pop-up shops, and an evening block party.

WATCH CityNews videographer Audra Brown give a preview of the festival:

Trinbago Festival

A Trinidad and Tobago food and music festival is back for its second year at Yonge-Dundas Square.

The free event includes cuisine from the twin islands, a beer garden, and a lot of soca music.

The CN Tower and Toronto sign will be lit in Trinidad and Tobago’s national colours on Saturday in honour of the festival.

The festival takes place from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Mabuhay Philippines Festival 

The Mabuhay Philippines Festival is celebrating its 25th year on Saturday and Sunday at Nathan Phillips Square.

The festival includes music, dance, fashion, and different traditional foods from the Philippines.

WATCH Breakfast Television get a sneak peak of what foods to expect at the festival:

Freedom Market at Fort York

The Freedom Market at Fort York takes place on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Fort York National Historic Site.

The market celebrates Black entrepreneurs and includes Black-owned businesses, artisans, food and entertainment.

TTC updates

Line 2 late opening Sunday

Subway service on Line 2 Bloor-Danforth between St. George and Broadview will start by 12 p.m. on Sunday due to Prince Edward Viaduct Beam replacement. Shuttle buses will operate.

Road closures

Broadview and Danforth Avenues intersection

• The intersection of Broadview and Danforth Avenues is expected to reopen to traffic by the evening rush hour on Friday for the weekend as crews completed track replacement on the north side of the intersection ahead of schedule. Travel on southbound Broadview Avenue, south of Danforth Avenue will remain closed.
• The next stage of TTC streetcar track replacement at the intersection is expected to begin on Monday which will shift traffic restrictions and allow crews to complete work on the south side of the intersection.
• From 6 a.m. on Monday, August 28 to September 4, new traffic restrictions at the intersection will be in place:
  • One lane in each direction will remain open on Danforth Avenue through the intersection which will be shared by drivers and cyclists.
  • Southbound traffic on Broadview Avenue towards Danforth Avenue will only be able to turn right for westbound travel on Danforth Avenue at the intersection.
  • Northbound traffic on Broadview Avenue towards Danforth Avenue can continue northbound through the intersection or turn right to travel eastbound onto Danforth Avenue but cannot turn left to travel westbound.
  • Due to space restrictions in the work zone, large vehicles will not be able to turn right to travel eastbound on Danforth Avenue from Broadview Avenue.
  • One northbound lane will continue to remain open on Broadview Avenue, from Gerrard Street East to Danforth Avenue.

Event closures

• Yorkville Murals: Yorkville Avenue will be closed to traffic between Bellair Street to Hazelton Avenue on Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (for setup), Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Tamil Fest: Markham Road, from McNicoll Avenue to Passmore Avenue, and Turbina Avenue, from Dynamic Drive to Markham Road, will be closed at 10 p.m. on Friday until 5 a.m. on Monday.
• Leslieville Beer Fest: Dundas Street East, from Carlaw Avenue to Logan Avenue, will be closed from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday.

Construction closures

Enbridge Gas is entering the next stage of critical natural gas main replacement work on Parliament Street, from Lake Shore Boulevard East to Front Street East.

• Lake Shore Boulevard East, near the Parliament Street intersection, is reduced to one lane in the westbound direction. There are no changes to the eastbound direction.
• Parliament Street at Mill Street is reduced to one southbound lane. Southbound traffic is being redirected at Front Street.
• Northbound access on Parliament Street at Lake Shore Boulevard will continue to be closed until Saturday, September 2.

Other closures

• The eastbound 401 at Brock Road will have the two left lanes closed from 10 p.m. on Friday until 5 a.m. on Monday for construction.
• In Brampton the intersection of Queen and Main Streets is closed until September 8 for construction. Over the weekend Main Street will be a single lane south of that closure for watermain work.
• Dufferin Street Bridge has a full emergency closure for repair work and it’s expected to last into the fall.
• Broadview Avenue, between Gerrard Street East and Danforth Avenue, will be closed to southbound traffic and reduced to one northbound lane until November to replace TTC streetcar tracks.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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