Weekend need-to-know: Ossfest among events in Toronto; Gardiner/DVP closures, GO service adjustments

A busy summer weekend ahead as Ossfest, the Toronto Chinatown Festival and the Queen East Streetfest take over Toronto streets. Keep in mind, there will be some major road closures Sunday for the triathlon taking place at the waterfront, along with some GO Transit service adjustments due to construction.

OssFest

The party on Ossington is back this weekend. Ossfest will kick off at 11 a.m. on Saturday with performances throughout the day from the top off Ossington Street at Dundas West all the way down to Queen Street. 

A full lineup of acts can be found on their website.

Toronto Chinatown Festival

Enjoy authentic Chinese food, live performances, live and dragon dances and more at the annual Toronto Chinatown Festival.

It kicks off on Saturday at 12 p.m. and runs until 8 p.m. on Sunday along Spadina Avenue. The cultural celebration will be happening on the west side of the street from Sullivan Street to St. Andrews Street.

You can find more details on the Chinatown BIA’s website.

Supertri Toronto

Participants will take part in a run, bike and swim in the Supertri triathlon, to be held in downtown Toronto on Sunday. The race kicks off with a swim in Lake Ontario before hopping on a bike on the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway. It finishes off with a run along Lake Shore Boulevard to the CN Tower.

Over 1,750 athletes are expected to participate in the urban race. There will be road closures on Sunday, you can find more details below.

MixTO

Head down to Trillium Park for a free, family-friendly music event this weekend. Starting on Saturday, there will be live music, DJ sets, food from local vendors and Camp Mixto for kids.

You can find more details on their website. The event is a part of the SummerSeries.

Queen Street East Streetfest

Beaches Jazz Festival will be taking over Queen Street East this weekend with bands, food trucks, street vendors and more.

The event kicks off nightly Thursday at 7 p.m. with the streets shutting down at 6 p.m. and runs through until Saturday.

Queen will be closed from Woodbine Avenue to Beech Avenue.

All the acts you can check out this weekend can be found on their website.

Grooving in the Park

Dance the night away in Woodbine Park at the annual Grooving in the Park.

A fusion of soul, funk, world and house music will be on display on Friday and Saturday at the community-focused dance party. There will be food options, a beer garden and shaded seating.

The full lineup for the festival is available on their website.

Panamerican Food and Drink Festival

Celebrate Pan-American music, folklore, cuisine and culture at the Panamfest this weekend. Put on by ArtsXplosion, a non-profit arts organization, the festival has grown over its 13 years into a landmark summer gathering.

It’s free to attend with performances happening all weekend long at Nathan Phillips Square. A full lineup is available on their website.

TTC/GO closures

Late opening on Line 2

Subway service on Line 2 between St George and Broadview stations will be replaced by shuttle buses until 11 a.m. on Sunday due to planned infrastructure maintenance.

Lakeshore West line service adjustments

On Saturday and Sunday, planned construction is taking place on Lakeshore West, and GO train service will run every 30 minutes.

More details can be found here.

Kitchener line service adjustments

On Saturday and Sunday, GO buses replace train service between Stratford or Kitchener and Mount Pleasant GO stations. GO trains will run hourly between Mount Pleasant and Mount Dennis GO stations. There will be no GO transit service between Mount Dennis and Union Station. 

There will be select GO buses running between Stratford or Kitchener GO and Hwy. 407 Bus Terminal. 

More details can be found here.

Barrie line service adjustments

On Saturday and Sunday, there will be no GO train service between Allandale Waterfront GO and Union Station. GO buses will make all stops between Allandale Waterfront and Rutherford GO, then run direct between Rutherford GO and Highway 407 Bus Terminal.

TTC Line 1 connections are available from Hwy. 407 Terminal. There will be no GO Transit service at Downsview Park GO.

More details can be found here.

UP Express closures

From Saturday until end of service on Sunday, UP Express service rail service will be temporarily modified in support of GO Expansion work.

• On Saturday, GO buses will run direct between Union Station Bus Terminal and Pearson Airport Terminal 1.
• On Sunday, July 26 from approximately 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the UP Express replacement buses will run between Highway 407 Terminal and Pearson Airport Terminal 1. This change has been made to accommodate the Gardiner Expressway closure for the Toronto Triathlon. Customers can transfer to TTC Line 1 between Hwy 407 Terminal and Union Station.

Road closures

Beaches International Jazz Street Festival 

From 6 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, July 23, Friday, July 24 and Saturday, July 25, Queen Street East between Woodbine and Beech Avenues will be closed for the Beaches International Jazz Street Festival. Northbound and southbound traffic will be permitted along Waverly Road, and Lee and Wineva Avenues. 

Dream Wheels on Eglinton Car Show 

From 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 25, Eglinton Avenue West, between Avenue and Russel Hill Roads, will be closed for the Dream Wheels on Eglinton Car Show. 

OssFest 

From 6 a.m. on Saturday, July 25 to 4 a.m. on Sunday, July 26, Ossington Avenue between Dundas Street West and Queen Street West will be closed for OssFest. 

Toronto Chinatown Festival 

From midnight on Saturday, July 25 to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, July 26, the southbound lanes on the west side of Spadina Avenue between Sullivan and St. Andrew Streets will be closed for the Toronto Chinatown Festival.  Northbound lanes on Spadina Avenue and the eastbound and westbound lanes on Dundas Street West will remain open. 

Supertri Toronto (formerly Toronto Triathlon Festival) 

From 2 a.m. to noon on Sunday, July 26, the eastbound lanes of the Gardiner Expressway from the Humber River to the Don Valley Parkway (DVP), and the northbound lanes of the Gardiner Expressway to Eglinton Avenue East will be closed to vehicle traffic for Supertri Toronto. 

Ongoing road closures

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.