Weekend need-to-know: Events welcome in the Spring season

Spring officially arrived on Thursday and with that comes lots of events to celebrate the start of better weather. Keep in mind, there is a subway closure on Line 1 on Saturday and Sunday.

Here’s what’s happening on this weekend.

Spring Equinox Vendor Market

Stackt Market is hosting their annual Spring Equinox Vendor Market to welcome the arrival of spring. There will be vendors offering products like herbal remedies, handmade jewelry, fashion and delicious snacks.

The market is already underway and will run until Sunday evening. It is free to attend with special events happening each day.

The event is free and open to the public to attend.

Canadian National Blind Hockey Tournament

The annual Canadian Blind Hockey Tournament is putting on its biggest event this weekend at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. There will be representatives from across Canada, the United States, Finland and Oxford, UK.

The ceremonial puck drop will happen on Friday, March 21 ahead of game 1 of a best-of-three National Team Select Series where the best Blind Hockey players in the country will be competing to earn on a spot on the 2025 Canadian National Blind Hockey.

Spring Cottage Life Show

The Spring Cottage Life Show is celebrating the cottage season this weekend. The 30th anniversary of the show will feature more than 500 exhibitors and experts on cottage real estate, forest fire safety, co-existing with wildlife, outdoor recreation, cottage lifestyle and DIY tips.

There will also be a General Store that is dedicated to Canadian-made goods that will offer handcrafted artisan products.

The show starts on Thursday at the International Centre in Mississauga and runs through Sunday. Tickets are still available on their website.

TMU Battle of the Bands

Six student bands will be going head-to-head for the chance to win “band of the year” and a recording opportunity in Massey Hall’s studio this weekend at the Toronto Metropolitan University’s Battle of the Bands.

Tickets are still available for the sixth annual event that will be happening Friday night, starting at 7 p.m.

Lumière: The Art of Light at Ontario Place

A free light exhibition has transformed Trillium Park at Ontario Place.

Lumière: The Art of Light is an acclaimed annual art event that allows visitors to explore the park and experience light installations developed by local artists.

The theme for 2025 is Neon Dreams: Light and Colour and will feature 14 unique installations from vibrant neon colours to interactive light displays.

The installation began on March 10 and will run through April 4.

TTC/GO closures

Line 1 closure

Subway service on Line 1 between Finch and St Clair stations will be replaced by shuttle buses on Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23, for planned track work.

Regular subway service will resume Monday, March 24 at approximately 6 a.m.

Lakeshore East line adjustment

Starting late evening on Friday, March 21, until end of service on Sunday, March 23, Lakeshore East rail service will be temporarily modified to accommodate critical track work that will bring faster, more frequent service across the network.

During this weekend trains will only run between Pickering GO and Durham College Oshawa GO and will operate every 30 minutes. GO shuttle buses will operate at Pickering GO station and run express to Union Station Bus Terminal.

There will be no GO Transit service at Danforth, Scarborough, Eglinton, Guildwood, and Rouge Hill GO stations. Customers traveling to and from those stations are encouraged to use local transit options.

Stouffville line adjustment

Starting late evening on Friday, March 21, until end of service on Sunday, March 23, Stouffville Line rail service will be temporarily modified to accommodate critical track work that will bring faster, more frequent service across the network.

During this weekend, there will be no GO Train service on the Stouffville Line. GO Buses will replace train service along the Stouffville Line and will only stop at Old Elm, Stouffville, Mount Joy, Markham, Centennial, and Unionville GO stations, before running express to Union Station Bus Terminal.

There will be no GO Transit service at Milliken, Agincourt and Kennedy GO stations. Customers traveling to and from those stations are encouraged to use the TTC.

Road closures

Gardiner Expressway closure

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 closures

• Spadina Avenue streetcars have been replaced by buses between Spadina Station and Queens Quay until at least March 30. Commuters wishing to travel onwards to Union from Queens Quay will need to transfer to a 509 Harbourfront streetcar.
• The Yonge and Bloor intersection will be reduced to a single lane until 2025 for condo construction and sewer installation.
• 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.
• Yonge Street is reduced to a single lane both ways between Wellington and King for underground work at the TTC’s King Station to add new elevators and make it an accessible station. Construction is expected to continue into 2026.
• 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 until 2027.
• Eglinton Avenue West is reduced to a single lane east of Islington and west of Scarlett Road due to tunnelling work related to the multi-year Eglinton Crosstown West Extension project.
• Lane restrictions on Bayview Avenue between Roehampton Avenue and Armistice Drive while the city completes road resurfacing, curb and sidewalk replacement, and traffic signal and pedestrian upgrades. One northbound lane is currently closed on Bayview Avenue between Kilgour Road and Roehampton Avenue.
• Cherry Street remains closed south of Polson Pier due to maintenance on the Ship Channel Lift Bridge (Strauss Trunnion Bascule Bridge). Road users are able to access the Port of Toronto and Cherry Beach via Unwin Avenue. 
• From Sunday, January 12 until the spring, one northbound lane on the Don Valley Parkway (DVP) from the Eastern Avenue on-ramp to Queen Street East will be closed to accommodate work for the Eastern/Adelaide Bridges Rehabilitation Project. One eastbound and one westbound lane on Eastern Avenue will be closed between Sumach Street and Broadview Avenue. One eastbound lane on Adelaide Street will be closed between Sumach Street and Eastern Avenue. 
• Lake Shore Boulevard is down to a single lane through Strachan, from Fort York Blvd to Ontario Place Blvd. Toronto Hydro is installing new electrical systems for the Ontario Place reconstruction and expansion. The lane restrictions will be in place until April 1st, 2025.
• Queens Park Crescent is reduced to a single lane south of Bloor as part of the TTC’s Easier Access Program at Museum Station. The project is expected to be complete by the end of 2025.

For full traffic updates, click here.