Weekend need-to-know: Blue Jays’ first appearance in the Fall Classic in 32 years

Get out and cheer on the Blue Jays as they make their first appearance in the World Series in 32 years.

World Series Games 1 and 2

The Toronto Blue Jays are hosting Games 1 and 2 of the World Series this weekend and if you didn’t manage to snag tickets, there will be lots of opportunities to cheer on Canada’s team.

The City of Toronto will be hosting a watch party at Nathan Phillips Square on Friday and Saturday nights. There will be a live DJ and Blue Jays trivia in between innings.

Celebration Square, renamed The Bird’s Nest, in Mississauga will also continue to hold watch parties through the World Series.

Both games kick off just after 8 p.m. at the Rogers Centre on Friday and Saturday.

Raptors/ Leafs in action

If it wasn’t a busy enough sports weekend in Toronto already, the Toronto Raptors and the Maple Leafs are in action. Both teams have adjust their start times to not interfere with the World Series.

The Toronto Raptors homeopener against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday will start at 6:30 p.m., moved up from 7:30 p.m. at the Scotiabank Arena.

Meanwhile, the puck will drop at 5 p.m. Saturday for the Maple Leafs against the Buffalo Sabres instead of 7 p.m., also at the Scotiabank Arena.

Day of the Dead Celebration – Día de los Muertos

The main celebration of the 17th annual Day of the Dead will be happening this Saturday at Wychwood Barns.

The celebration includes the art exhibition Collective/Memory, “inspired by the roots of social justice activism and the theories of oppositional consciousness, highlighting artists whose collaborative practices build shared narratives of remembrance and resistance.”

It kicks off 3:30 p.m. and runs until 11 p.m. feature captivating performances, original artwork, and traditional food. A $10 donation to enter is appreciated while seniors and those under 12 can get in free.

Art Toronto

Canada’s international fair for modern and contemporary art kicks off Thursday and runs through the weekend at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Art Toronto will feature two new exhibitions: Arte Sur, a showcase of Latin American art and Generations, an intergenerational portrait of Canadian art.

The fair will play host to 100 national and international galleries, installation and project spaces over its four days.

Tickets are still available on their website.

TTC/GO closures

TTC extra service for the Blue Jays home games

Additional subway trains will be running on Line 1 Yonge-University and Line 2 Bloor-Danforth, ensuring that fans can easily travel to and from the games and festivities.

Construction

• Until 5 a.m. on Thurs., Nov. 6, 71 Runnymede, 77 Swansea and 79 Scarlett Road buses are diverting during sewer reconstruction along Bloor St. W.

• Starting at 7 p.m. on Fri., Oct. 24, to 5 a.m. Mon., Oct. 27, 70 O’Connor, 87 Cosburn and 322 Coxwell Night buses will divert during road repairs at Cosburn Ave. and Coxwell Ave.

• From 11 p.m. on Fri., Oct. 24, until 4 a.m. Mon., Oct. 27, 506/306 Carlton streetcar service will be replaced by buses between Main Street Station and Gerrard St. E. and Parliament St. during TTC infrastructure work at Gerrard St. E. and Logan Ave.

Events

On Sun., Oct. 26, the 72 Pape and 83 Jones buses will redirect from Danforth Ave. during the Greek Independence Day Parade. Between 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., 72 Pape buses will run along Broadview Ave. between Mortimer Ave. and Gerrard St. E. 83 Jones buses will divert from Donlands Station via Greenwood Ave. and Gerrard St. E. from 1:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Additional service on multiple GO lines for the Blue Jays home games

• Kitchener Line: A new trip will depart Union Station at 12:35 a.m., making all station stops and arriving at Kitchener GO at 2:27 a.m. 

• Barrie Line: A new trip will depart Union Station at 12:30 a.m., making all station stops and arriving at Allandale Waterfront GO at 2:13 a.m. 

• Stouffville Line: A new trip will depart Union Station at 12:30 a.m., making all station stops and arriving at Old Elm GO at 1:42 a.m. 

• Milton Line: On Saturday, October 25 only, a new trip will depart Union Station at 12:30 a.m., making all station stops and arriving at Milton GO at 1:30 a.m. 

We’re also adding an extra Milton Line trip to help fans get to the game on Saturday, October 25: A new trip will depart Milton GO at 5:44 p.m., making all station stops and arriving at Union Station at 6:47 p.m.

Frequent GO train service on Lakeshore West and Lakeshore East lines will still be running as normal to get customers to and from the games on Friday and Saturday. 

Road closures

Gardiner Expressway ongoing 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.

For full traffic and closure updates, click here for the latest information from 680 NewsRadio Toronto.