Weekend need-to-know: Celebrate the 50th season of the Blue Jays on opening weekend

The 50th season of the Blue Jays is here, and the celebration will be rocking at Rogers Centre all weekend long.

Keep in mind, there is a TTC closure on Saturday and Sunday and multiple GO Transit service adjustments.

Blue Jays opening weekend

The Blue Jays are back for their 50th season and Toronto will be celebrating all season long with milestones and memories from across their storied history.

The home opener will kick off with a special on-field pregame ceremony to honour the 2025 American League champions.

Fans will also get their first look a new concourse renovations and historical installations including the new Hall of Excellence.

Toronto will start their season by facing off against the Oakland Athletics with a three-game series. Opening pitch is at 7:07 p.m. on Friday, with the games on Saturday and Sunday starting at 3:07 p.m. and 1:37 p.m., respectively.

For the home opener, additional subway trains will be running on Line 1 Yonge-University, ensuring fans can easily travel to and from the game. Additional service will also be added on the 510 Spadina streetcar route.

Artists Project 2026

Experience the work of over 250 independent artists at the annual Artist Project fair this year.

At the opening night party on Thursday, attendees will have the chance to meet the artists and discover their art ahead of the weekend. The fair at Enercare Centre will continue Friday and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday’s hours are 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

There will be large scale installations and curator-led art tours alongside the thousands of pieces of art available to purchase.

Tickets are still available online.

Canadian Film Festival

The 20th anniversary of the Canadian Film Festival will feature 16 feature films and 40 shorts all screened at the Scotiabank Theatre.

Marking two decades of bringing Canadian stories to Canadian audiences, this years festival remains dedicated to showcasing homegrown voices.

A full line-up of the films being screened at the indie-spirited festival is available on their website along with tickets and festival passes.

The festival started on March 24 and runs until March 29.

Parkdale Day

The community of Parkdale will come together to enjoy everything that makes the neighbourhood great. There will be five markets, four walking tours, including a dessert tour and an art walk, live music discounts and specials all day Saturday.

It’s happening on Queen Street and all the details can be found on Project Parkdale’s Instagram.

Toronto Vintage Show

Vintage lovers were have a field day this weekend as the bi-annual Toronto Vintage Show, Canada’s largest sale of vintage clothing.

There will be clothing from the 1950s to the early 2000s, including handbags, jewelry and accessories, alongside vintage decor. It’s happening at Queen Elizabeth Building at Exhibition Place from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Tickets are $17 for single day admission.

TTC/GO closures

Extra service for busy sports weekend

The TTC is adding extra service to help sports fans cheer on their teams this weekend.

For the Blue Jays home opener on Fri., March 27, at Roger Centre, additional subway trains will be running on Line 1 Yonge-University, ensuring fans can easily travel to and from the game. Additional service will also be added on the 510 Spadina.

Extra bus service will also be added on the 509 Harbourfront on Sat., March 28 for fans attending the Canada international soccer friendlies at BMO Field.

There will also be additional TTC staff at Queens Quay and Exhibition loops to assist customers, answer questions, and manage crowds, ensuring a smooth experience for all travellers.

Line 2 Saturday and Sunday closures

Subway service on Line 2 between Kipling and Jane stations will be replaced by shuttle buses on Saturday due to planned signal work.

On Sunday only, there will be no subway service on the portion of Line 2 between Ossington and Jane stations for planned signal work. A frequent shuttle bus service will run, stopping at each station along the route. 

509 Harbourfront changes

Until Thurs., April 9, there will be no streetcar service on the 509 Harbourfront route to accommodate infrastructure upgrades. Replacement buses will operate between Exhibition Loop and Queens Quay W. Customers travelling between Spadina Ave. and Union Station can transfer to a 510 Spadina streetcar.

Dundas streetcar diversion

Until 4 a.m. on Mon., March 30, 505/305 Dundas streetcars will divert both ways on Bathurst St., College St., and Spadina Ave. for planned infrastructure work.

Lakeshore East GO service adjustments

Metrolinx will be performing upgrades on Lakeshore East on Saturday and Sunday, including track maintenance. GO trains will run every hour between Durham College Oshawa GO and Union Station.

Kitchener GO service adjustments

There will be no GO train service between Bramalea GO and Union Station due to planned construction on Saturday and Sunday. GO buses will run direct from Bramalea GO to Highway 407 Bus Terminal, where you can connect to the TTC Line 1 subway to Union Station.

Trains will start and end at Bramalea GO and run hourly between Bramalea and Mount Pleasant GO.

There will be no GO Transit service at Bloor, Mount Dennis, Weston and Etobicoke North GO, and no GO train service at Malton GO. Local transit options are available.

You can find more details here.

Stouffville GO service adjustments

Stouffville line trains will run hourly between Old Elm/ Mount Joy and Scarborough GO on Saturday and Sunday. Lakeshore East hourly service to Union Station will be available at Scarborough GO.

Road closures

Dundas Street West 

From 4 a.m. on Thursday, March 26, to 4 a.m. on Monday, March 30, Dundas Street West between Bathurst Street and Spadina Avenue, lanes will be reduced to one in each direction for TTC streetcar rail repairs. Access to Toronto Western Hospital via Dundas Street West and Carlyle Street will be maintained.

From 7 a.m. on Saturday, March 28, to 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 29, westbound lanes on Dundas Street West will be closed between St. Johns Road and Gilmour Avenue for tower crane removal. Eastbound traffic will be maintained at all times.  

Eastern Avenue 

From 10 p.m. on Friday, March 27, to 5 a.m. on Monday, March 30, Eastern Avenue will be closed between Broadview Avenue and Logan Avenue for Metrolinx rail bridge reconstruction work.

Greek OXI Day Parade 

From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 29, Danforth Avenue will be closed to all vehicular traffic from Donlands to Broadview Avenues, along with Chester Avenue from Danforth Avenue to the first laneway north of Danforth Avenue and Euston Avenue from Danforth Avenue to Chatham Avenue. 

Gardiner Expressway long-term closure

As part of the long-term construction plan on the Gardiner Expressway, a stretch of the westbound Gardiner has been reduced from four lanes to three. 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.