Weekend need-to-know: Victoria Day fireworks, Leafs face elimination in Game 7

Posted May 15, 2025 10:46 am.

Last Updated May 17, 2025 7:53 am.

Fireworks is what Leafs fans are hoping they’ll see Sunday night as the team staved off elimination Friday to force a winner-take-all Game 7. But if not, they can always settle for the regular ones at multiple locations in the GTA in honour of the Victoria Day long weekend.

If you are heading out on Monday, click here for a list of what’s open and closed.

GTA Fireworks

Canada’s Wonderland will host a fireworks display on Sunday at 10 p.m.

The City of Toronto will put on a fireworks display at Ashbridges Bay Park on Monday at 10 p.m. Fireworks on Victoria Day and Canada Day are allowed until 11 p.m. without a permit for residents on their own private property.

If you are planning to venture outside of the GTA, fireworks over Niagara Falls begin on Friday and take place every night at 10 p.m. until Oct. 14.

Maple Leafs face winner-take-all Game 7

The Maple Leafs will face the Florida Panthers in Game 7 on Sunday night in Toronto.

For those unable to secure a ticket to get into the game, the Leafs will host a tailgate party in Maple Leaf Square at Scotiabank Arena.

Passes will be available at 1 p.m. the day before the game and are available only on the Toronto Maple Leafs mobile app. Each person is limited to two passes.

The winner goes on to face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final.

Victoria Day SpeedFest

The first event of the Motorsport Park’s season opens this weekend with the Victoria Day SpeedFest. There will be lots of races to check out including the featured NASCAR race on Sunday afternoon to kick off the 2025 NASCAR Canada schedule.

It will be capped off with some Speedfest fireworks. Full details on how to purchase tickets and the full schedule can be found on their website.

Toronto Halal Bites Festival

A three-day food, culture, and art festival is celebrating diverse halal cuisine, community and artistic expression. The Toronto Halal Bites Festival happening this weekend at Nathan Phillips and Square and will feature live art installations, cultural performances and interactive exhibits.

Organizers are expecting 20,000+ people to attend the festival and the event is free to attend.

It kicks off at 6 p.m. Friday night and runs until 8 p.m. on Sunday.

TTC and GO Transit

TTC

Line 2 closure

Subway service on Line 2 between Woodbine and Broadview stations will be replaced by shuttle buses on Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18, for planned track work. Regular subway service will resume Monday, May 19, at 6 a.m.

GO Transit service update

No GO transit adjustments

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.

A stretch of the westbound Gardiner will also be reduced from four lanes to three for approximately one year. The westbound lane closure will stretch from Park Lawn Road to Grand Avenue in southern Etobicoke. The eastbound lanes along the same stretch will be narrowed, but with no lane reductions, from April 2025 to December 2026.

The eastbound Gardiner will also be reduced to a minimum of two lanes during the day and one lane overnight between Highway 427 and the Humber River, until Saturday morning due to emergency repairs.

Temporary closures

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, Jan. 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.
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.
Until Wednesday, Dec. 31, William R. Allen Road will be reduced to two lanes in each direction at Wilson Avenue for construction as part of the rehabilitation of the Wilson TTC Station bus underpass structure and the Mezzanine Bridge.
Until Monday, June 30, access to the Highway 401 westbound on-ramp from southbound William R. Allen Road will be closed. Detour signs will be in place to divert traffic to access Highway 401 using an alternate interchange nearby.
Bremner Boulevard is reduced to one westbound lane at the intersection with Navy Wharf Court until June. Eastbound lanes remain open.
Until August, Blue Jays Way is closed between Front Street and Navy Wharf Court until August. Local access is maintained.
Navy Wharf Court is closed between Bremner Boulevard and Blue Jays Way until August. Local access for residents of Navy Wharf Court is maintained. At a later stage of construction, the east sidewalk on Navy Wharf Court and Bremner Boulevard will be closed to pedestrians and a detour route will be in place.
Until Sunday, May 18, rolling lane closures will be in effect on Lake Shore Boulevard West between New Brunswick Avenue and Strachan Avenue for road restoration following the completion of underground Toronto Hydro work earlier this year.
Islington Avenue will also be reduced from three lanes in each direction to two lanes where they pass over the Gardiner Expressway for approximately eight months, from April 7, 2025, to November 2025.
From Sunday, May 11 until June, King Street East and Church Street will be reduced to a minimum of one lane in each direction for the first phase of a project to replace a 142-year-old watermain and renew aging TTC streetcar tracks.
From Sunday, May 11 until Saturday, January 10, 2026, Market Street will be closed to vehicle traffic between Front Street West and The Esplanade. The street will be pedestrianized for live entertainment, pop-up market vendors and other events.