Weekend need-to-know: Maple Leafs events and Lunar New Year Celebrations

Hockey events continue, a walk to raise funds for neighbours in need and the start of Lunar New Year festivities are some of the activities taking place this weekend. There’s also a closure on Line 1 of the TTC to keep in mind.

Maple Leafs Outdoor Practice

As Toronto basks in a successful NHL All-Star weekend, there will be lots to keep you in the hockey spirit with the Maple Leafs Outdoor Practice.

Following the actual team practice on Thursday, the three-day event continues with Activation Alley, featuring a variety of pop-ups throughout the day along with food, beverage, and merchandise stations.

On Friday afternoon, Leafs Alumni will be at Nathan Phillips Square to sign autographs before taking to the ice on Saturday in the Blue vs. White matchup. The weekend will culminate with a viewing party for the Leafs – Senators game that includes a free public skate.

A full list of events can be found here.

2024 Lunar New Year Celebrations

The Lunar New Year, also known as Spring Festival, celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese lunisolar calendar. It’s a celebration filled with get-togethers, large feasts, colourful decorations, traditional clothing, and age-old customs. This year marks the transition between zodiac signs from the Year of the Rabbit (2023) to the Year of the Dragon (2024). As part of the 15-day festival, Toronto’s Chinatown BIA is hosting Lunar New Year festivities at the Dragon City Mall and Chinatown Centre on Saturday and Sunday.

Urban Art Exhibit

A free indoor art market is happening this Sunday where you can shop the works of over 85 Toronto artists and artisans. The Urban Art Exhibit will feature art, photography, sculpture, home decor, and more one-of-a-kind items. There will also be food vendors and a DJ.

Tickets are available on their website and the event is happening at 1087 Queen Street West.

Winter Walk for Neighbours in Need

Yonge Street Mission is hosting their first ever Winter Walk for Neighbours in Need in support of street-involved youth, families in need, and adults experiencing poverty.

They have raised over $85,000 towards their goal of $180,000. All the proceeds will go towards the more than 100 programs and services offered by YSM.

The walk will begin at St. Paul’s Bloor Street on Saturday at 4 p.m. where participants can take part in a two or five-kilometre fundraising walk.

Registration details are available on their website.

TTC/GO closures

There will be no service on Line 1 Yonge-University between St. George and St. Andrew stations due to track work on Saturday and Sunday. Shuttle buses will not be running due to construction on surface routes. Riders are encouraged to use streetcars or the Yonge street side of Line 1. Service is expected to resume at 6 a.m. Monday morning.

Road closures

Ongoing city closures

• University Avenue will be reduced to a single lane in both directions between College Street and Queen Street West to complete several infrastructure projects for the next seven months.
• Southbound Bayview Avenue is closed from Parkhurst Boulevard to Eglinton Avenue East from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. until Feb. 9.
• 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.
• Northbound Yonge Street is reduced to one lane between Wellington and King Streets for TTC construction. The project is scheduled to continue into 2024.
• On Avenue Road from Yorkville Avenue to Elgin Avenue, the northbound lanes are blocked due to an emergency valve replacement.
• Two northbound lanes of Yonge Street from King Street to Wellington Street are closed for TTC construction until Sept. 30, 2024.
• Two westbound lanes of Lake Shore Boulevard East from Cherry Street to Carlaw Avenue are closed until April 10, 2024.
• Westbound and eastbound lanes along Finch Avenue West from Dufferin Street to Wilmington Avenue are closed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for sanitary truck sewer improvements until March 31, 2024.
• The eastbound and westbound lanes of Eglinton Avenue West from Royal York Road to the Northbound 427 Ramp will be occupied from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. until June 1, 2024