Weekend need-to-know: more Santa Claus parades and a DJ Skate Party

Santa Claus is making his rounds this weekend as the parades continue to spread Christmas cheer, and it’s the last chance to pick up a unique gift for friends and family.

If you are heading to the Raptors or Leafs games, keep in mind, there is a TTC closure as well as adjustments to the Lakeshore West GO line.

Santa Clause Parades

The Santa Claus parades continue this weekend as Jolly Ole St. Nick makes his way to Etobicoke this weekend. The parade kicks off at 10 a.m. and runs along Lakeshore Boulevard West between Dwight Street and Thirtieth Street on Saturday, and will end near Thirtieth Street at approximately 12 p.m. (Road closures below)

Then, Santa Claus will head on over to Mississauga on Sunday for the parade featuring over 15 custom-designed floats and 1,500 participants. The parade starts at 12 p.m. and will head from Dunwin Drive and Glen Erin Drive on to Motorway Blvd and before a final turn on northbound Woodchester Drive.

DJ Skate Party at Nathan Phillips Square

Hit the ice at Nathan Phillips Square and party it up with a live DJ during the Cavalcade of Lights this weekend. The party kicks off at 5 p.m. on Saturday and is free to join.

One-of-a-Kind show last weekend

If you are someone who wants to get a jump on your Christmas shopping, it’s the last weekend to attend the One-of-a-Kind show and pick out unique gifts for your loved ones.

Tickets are $18 with discounts available for children, students and seniors. More information about the vendors can be found on their website.

Leafs and Raptors in action

Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors are in action this weekend at Scotiabank Arena. On Friday night, the Raptors will take on the New York Knicks as they try to go back to the .500 mark this season. The game tips off at 7:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs match up against the Boston Bruins at home. Puck drops at 7 p.m.

TTC/GO closures

Line 2 closure

There will be no subway service on Line 2 Bloor-Danforth between Warden to Kennedy for track work starting Saturday morning. Shuttle buses will operate.

Regular service will resume Monday, December 4, 2023 by 6 a.m.

Lakeshore West GO

Starting at 10 p.m. on Friday, there will be no train service between Oakville GO and West Harbour GO stations on the Lakeshore West line until end of service on Sunday.

Replacement GO buses will be available for riders and Oakville Transit will be running hourly shuttles to and from Oakville GO for those wanting to access Appleby GO or Bronte GO stations.

Road closures

Etobicoke Santa Claus Parade closures

Parade formation road closures from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday:

• Dwight Avenue, from Lake Shore Boulevard West to Birmingham Street; and
• Birmingham Street, from Dwight Avenue to Islington Avenue
• Second Street, from Birmingham Street to Maple Boulevard

Parade road closure from 9:45 a.m. to 12 p.m.:

• Lake Shore Boulevard West, from Royal York Road to Thirtieth Street

Ongoing closures

• The intersection of Adelaide and York Streets will be fully closed to traffic for TTC construction until mid-December.
• Southbound Bayview Avenue is closed from Rosedale Valley Road to River Street from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly until early January.
• In Brampton, northbound Main Street is closed from Queen Street to Nelson Street until December for watermain replacement.
• Southbound on Broadview Avenue remains closed from south of Danforth Avenue to Gerrard Street until the end of November.
• 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 until further notice.
• 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.