Weekend need-to-know: Celebrate Canada Day and Pride
The long weekend in Toronto will be ripe with activities with Canada Day and the Pride parade taking place. Keep in mind, there will be some closures due to the statutory holiday on Monday.
Fireworks and Canada festivities
Fireworks will go off at 10 p.m. on July 1, rain or shine at Ashbridges Bay for Toronto’s flagship firework celebration for Canada Day.
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The 14-minute display can be seen on the boardwalk from Coxwell to Victoria Park Avenues.
Thompson Memorial Park will have live entertainment, craft vendors and kick-off celebrations with a free pancake breakfast on July 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
East York’s annual Canada Day parade featuring marching bands will begin at Dieppe Park at 10:30 a.m.
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The parade will move east along Cosburn and Woodbine Avenues and end at Stan Wadlow Park, with a firework display happening at 10 p.m.
There will be other all-day celebrations at the park from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Canada’s Wonderland fireworks
Two nights of fireworks will be happening this Canada Day Long Weekend (June 30 + July 1) at Canada’s Wonderland.
The big show starts at 10 p.m. with more than 6,000 explosions from 11 separate firing positions reaching heights of 800+ feet, all choreographed to music.
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A reminder from the City of Toronto that fireworks are allowed without a permit on Canada Day until 11 p.m. on residents’ private property but is not permitted in City parks and beaches.
Toronto Pride Parade
In the culmination of month-long celebrations in the city, the largest Pride Parade in Canada will be happening on Sunday, June 30 with over 260 groups promoting equality and inclusion.
It will kick off at Church and Bloor Streets and travel to Nathan Phillips Square where music performances and celebrations continue.
The whole weekend will have festivities happening across the city. You can find a full list of events on the Pride Toronto website.
Toronto Ribfest
Celebrate Canada Day with Toronto’s Ribfest at Centennial Park this weekend. Put on by the Rotary Club of Etobicoke, there will be tasty food, live music and an expansive Midway with thrilling rides.
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The lineup of bands and performers is available on the website along with more details about when the event will kick off on Friday.
It will culminate in fireworks at Centennial Park at 10 p.m. Monday.
TD Toronto Jazz Fest
The final weekend of the jazz festival features An evening of Indigenous artists on Friday night and closes out with Gospel in the Grove, featuring gospel choirs from York University and the University of Toronto Faculty of Music, plus the Toronto Mass Choir, on Sunday. Information and tickets can be found at torontojazz.com
TTC/GO Closures
There will be no TTC/GO closures this weekend.
Road closures
Ongoing Gardiner closures
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As part of the long-term construction plan on the Gardiner Expressway, one westbound lane and one eastbound lane are closed between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue. The eastbound on-ramp from Lake Shore Boulevard at Jameson Avenue is also closed.
Temporary road closures
Pride Toronto Street Fair
From 9 a.m. on Friday, June 28 to 7 a.m. on Monday, July 1, Church Street will be closed between Dundas Street East and Hayden Street for the Pride Toronto Street Fair.
Trans March and Dyke March
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From 7 to 10:30 p.m. on Friday, June 28, and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 29, the following road closures will be in effect for the Trans March (Friday) and Dyke March (Saturday):
- Bloor Street East between Church and Yonge Streets.
- Yonge Street between Bloor Street East and Gould Street.
- Gould Street between Yonge and Church Streets.
- Church Street between Gould Street and Bloor Street East.
Pride and Remembrance Run
From 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, June 29, Wellesley Street will be closed between Jarvis Street and Queens Park Crescent, and Queens Park Crescent will be closed between College Street and Bloor Street West, for the Pride and Remembrance Run.
Pride Parade formation area
On Sunday, June 30, the following road closures will be in effect for the Pride Parade formation area:
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- From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Rosedale Valley Road will be closed between Bayview Avenue and Park Road.
- From noon to 6 p.m.:
- Church Street will be closed between Hayden Street and Bloor Street East.
- Park Road will be closed between Rosedale Valley Road and Bloor Street East.
Pride Parade
From 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, June 30, the following road closures will be in effect for the Pride Parade:
- Bloor Street East between Yonge Street and Ted Rogers Way.
- Yonge Street between Bloor and Queen Streets.
- Dundas Street West between Yonge Street and University Avenue.
- Bay Street between Dundas and Queen Streets.
Ashbridges Bay Canada Day fireworks
From 9 to 11:59 p.m. on Monday, July 1, Lake Shore Boulevard East will be closed between Leslie Street and Queen Street East, and Emdaabiimok Avenue (formerly Lower Coxwell Avenue) will be closed between Lake Shore Boulevard East and Eastern Avenue.
East York Canada Day Parade
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From 8 a.m. to noon on Monday, July 1, Cosburn Avenue will be closed between Greenwood and Woodbine Avenues, and Woodbine Avenue will be closed between Cosburn and Trenton Avenues.
Somali Festival
From 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., on Monday, July 1, westbound lanes on Dixon Road will be closed between Chetta Place and the west side of Dixon Park will be closed.
Bloor Street West
Until Tuesday, July 2, the westbound lanes and westbound cycle track on Bloor Street West will be closed between Avenue Road and Madison Avenue for emergency watermain work and road reconstruction.
From Tuesday, July 2 to Sunday, July 7, the westbound lanes and westbound cycle track will be closed between Avenue Road and Spadina Avenue. Eastbound lanes and the eastbound cycle track will remain open throughout this work. This project is scheduled for completion in mid-August.
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Other ongoing city closures
