Weekend need-to-know: Celebrate Halloween and Día de los Muertos as clocks fall back

Halloween festivities and celebrations of the Día de los Muertos will be happening across Toronto this weekend as clocks are set to fall back one hour on Sunday morning.

There are also several GO Transit adjustments along with the UP Express so remember to check the schedules before heading out the door.

The weather is looking excellent for trick-or-treators with seasonably warm day and dry conditions.

A plethora of parties will be happening in restaurants, Ripley’s Aquarium, the Art Gallery of Ontario and more on Halloween night, but many are already sold out. Here are some events happening for free this weekend to celebrate:

Halloween on Church

Church Street is the place to be this Halloween weekend with six blocks to be transformed into the largest street party in Canada.

For two nights, both Friday and Saturday, there will be entertainment, outrageous costumes, drag queens, and incredible music.

The street party is highlighted by the Witches’ Brew beer garden at Church and Maitland Street, featuring performances on a mega stage.

The party kicks off at 8 p.m. on Friday and 5 p.m. on Saturday, running until midnight on both nights. A full lineup can be found on their website.

Bars in the area will have last call extended to 4 a.m. to keep the party going.

Church will be fully closed to traffic from the north end of the road at Gloucester Street to Carleton Street starting at 5 p.m. until 7 a.m. on Sunday.

Día de Los Mjuertos at Wychwood Barn

Celebrate the Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos at Wychwood Barns where there will be meaningful ceremonies, performances, original artwork and traditional goods.

The 18th annual free event, in partnership with Casa Maíz Cultural Centre, is open to anyone 12 years of age and older on Saturday and will run from 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Halloween and Día de Los Mjuertos at STACKT Market

STACKT Market will be the place to be on both Halloween and Día de Los Mjuertos as the shipping containers will decorated for both celebrations.

On Halloween, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. the Harvest and Scare Market will take over Community Lane for a curated outdoor marketplace with local vendors.

There will be spooky themed photo stations to commemorate your costume along with pumpkin carving and candy apple making.

The next day, the Day of the Dead, will transform STACKT into a full-day celebration of Mexican culture, tradition and community. There will be DJS, face painting and Mexican flavours from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Both events are free to attend.

Thriller Mob TO

Watch Thriller come to life at Canoe Landing Park this Halloween as the Thriller Mob comes to town.

Tickets to participate in the flash mob are sold out, but you can watch the legendary choreography and the Halloween parade on Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m.

You can find out more here.

GO/TTC closures

The TTC is extending subway service on Line 1 Yonge-University and Line 2 Bloor-Danforth by one hour on Sun., Nov.1, due to the end of Daylight Saving Time. Service will continue until approximately 2 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST), with last train departure times varying by station and direction.

Schedules for the TTC’s Blue Night Network buses and streetcars will remain unchanged.

Line 2 Friday early closure

Subway service on Line 2 between St George and Broadview stations will end early at 10 p.m. on Friday for planned maintenance work. Shuttle buses will be operating.

Line 2 Sunday late opening

Subway service on Line 2 between Jane and Ossington stations will be replaced by shuttle buses until 12 p.m. on Sunday due to planned track work.

UP Express service adjustment

There will be no train service and buses will travel directly from the Union Station Bus Terminal to Toronto Pearson Airport terminal 1 on Saturday and Sunday. There will be no service at Bloor, Weston, and Mount Dennis GO/UP stations.

Lakeshore East GO service adjustment

Trains will run on an hourly schedule between Durham College Oshawa GO and Union Station on Saturday and Sunday.

Kitchener GO service adjustment

Train service will only run between Mount Pleasent and Mount Dennis GO stations on Saturday and Sunday. Buses will replace trains between Stratford or Kitchener and the Hwy. 407 Bus Terminal.

Barrie GO service adjustment

There will be no GO train service between Downsview Park GO and Union Station on the Barrie line on Saturday and Sunday. Trains will still operate between Downsview Park and Allandale Waterfront.

Stouffville GO service adjustment

Train service will run between Old Elm GO and Union Station, but southbound trains departing Old Elm will leave up to 27 minutes later than reguarly scheduled on Saturday and Sunday.

You can find more details about all of these service adjustments here.

Road closures

Weekend road closures

Halloween on Church

Church Street will be fully closed to traffic from the north end of the road at Gloucester Street to Carleton Street starting at 5 p.m. Saturday until 7 a.m. on Sunday.

Meadowvale Road Bridge 

The Meadowvale Road bridge (Hillside Bridge) over Little Rouge River has been closed to vehicle traffic following safety concerns identified in a recent inspection. Plug Hat Road is closed from Beare Road to Meadowvale Road, and Meadowvale Road is closed from Plug Hat Road to Old Finch Avenue.

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.