Weekend need-to-know: Celebrate Toronto’s 190th Birthday

It was the City of Toronto’s 190th birthday on March 6 and the city is throwing itself a big bash to celebrate. Elsewhere in the city, catch some laughs at the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival or some maple snacks at Sugar Shack TO.

There’s no TTC or GO Transit service interruptions planned for this weekend as well.

As you make your plans, keep in mind that clocks move ahead one hour at 2 a.m. ET on Sunday.

Toronto’s 190th Birthday

Celebrate Toronto’s 190th birthday alongside the rest of the city with dancing, shopping and a dazzling fireworks show at Nathan Phillips Square.

The Celebrate Toronto event will feature local bands and DJs, showcasing homegrown talent, a 6,000 square-foot “Toronto Made Market” featuring locally crafted goods from over 100 vendors as well as several diverse food stalls, offering delicious dishes.

The Nathan Phillips Square rink will be open to skaters alongside interactive art installations scattered through the party. A licensed bar area will also be available to those 19+.

The celebration will be capped off with a fireworks show at 9 p.m. The event, which kicks off at 3 p.m. on Saturday, is free to attend.

Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival

The 19th annual Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival kicks off this week with 10 days of some of the best live, scripted comedy. The festival began in 2005 and has grown to be a highlight in the Toronto comedy scene.

There will be over 60 sketch comedy troupes featured from around North America with over 50 showcases.

It started on March 6 and will run until March 17 at both The Theatre Centre and Comedy Bar Bloor. A full schedule is available on their website.

Sugar Shack TO

Get your fill of fresh Ontario maple syrup at the annual Sugar Shack TO this Saturday and Sunday down at Sugar Beach.

There will be two Sugar Shacks serving fresh Ontario maple taffy, maple sugaring demonstrations along with maple-infused comfort food, a Winter Circus Lumberjack show and a warming station with bonfires.

General admission is free and maple taffy will cost $5 each or three for $10. The event will happen rain or shine and kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

TTC/GO closures

TTC service updates

No weekend subway closures.

GO Transit

No weekend GO Transit closures

Road closures

Ongoing city closures

• O’Connor Drive is down to a single lane each way between Bermondsey and Sandra for road reconstruction, and sewer and watermain installation until summer 2024.
• The Yonge and Bloor intersection is reduced to a single lane all ways for condo construction and sewer installation until 2025.
• 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 several months.
• 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.
• Northbound Yonge Street is reduced to one lane between Wellington and King Streets for TTC construction. The project is scheduled to continue into 2024.
• 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.
• Finch Avenue West is reduced to a single lane in both directions from Dufferin to Wilmington for sewer installation until October 2024.
• Eglinton Avenue West is down to a single lane east of Islington and west of Scarlett Road for tunnelling work related to the multi-year Eglinton Crosstown West Extension project.

• Front Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction from Cherry Street to Trinity Street for the installation of a new sanitary sewer and water lines for a new condominium building from 8 a.m. on Monday, March 11 to 5 p.m. on Friday, March 29.

• The Esplanade will be closed to private vehicles between Jarvis and George Streets to replace a gas main and associated gas pipeline work from 7 a.m. on Wednesday, March 13 to 7 p.m. on Friday, April 5. Access will be maintained for TTC bus routes, pedestrians and cyclists with the assistance of Paid Duty Officers and Traffic Control personnel.