It’s going to be an action-packed few days in Toronto.
A month of Pride celebrations culminates this weekend with the annual parade and a slew of other festivities set to take place. The TD Jazz Festival is kicking off 10 days of events, and NXNE’s Port Lands Music Festival starts Friday.
Plus, the Toronto Argonauts will start their regular season at BMO Field against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday.
(There’s also the Toronto Craft Beer Festival, the Global Village Festival, Junction Summer Solstice Festival and much more).
All of the weekend’s festivities, as well as a significant amount of construction around the city, are expected to make getting around tougher than usual. The city is encouraging those travelling to take transit wherever possible.
Here’s a brief look at road and transit closures:
Friday
• The Trans Pride March is taking place Friday evening in the area of Yonge and Carlton streets, starting from Church and heading west on Bloor. Roads along the route will be closed from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Saturday
• The Dyke March, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. follows the same route as the Trans March, ending at Allan Gardens. Roads will be closed from noon to 6 p.m.
• The 5k Pride and Remembrance Run takes place on Wellesley Street between Jarvis and Queen’s Park Circle, and Queen’s Park between College and Bloor Streets. Roads will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to noon.
Sunday
• More than 150 groups are expected to march in the Pride parade on Sunday, which starts at 2 p.m. and runs until 7 p.m., with road closures starting at 8 a.m. The parade route begins on Church Street and Bloor Street East and follows Yonge Street, ending near Yonge-Dundas Square.
All weekend
• As of 6 p.m. Friday, Church Street will be closed from Carlton to Hayden until Monday 6 a.m. for the Pride Streetfair.
• Yorkville Avenue, from Bellair Street to 101 Yorkville Avenue, and Bellair Street, from Yorkville Avenue to Cumberland Street, are closed starting Friday at midnight until Monday morning for the TD Toronto Jazz Festival.
• The TTC’s Line 3 (Scarborough RT) is closed. The TTC website has a full list of diversions and service changes for the weekend.