Winter will officially begin on Saturday and a festival at Kensington Market will mark the event. Meanwhile, skating is back at Harbourfront.
There are no TTC closures this weekend.
Kensington Market Winter Solstice Festival
The Winter Solstice will be marked by the annual festival of Kensington Market this Saturday. For the longest night of the year, there will thousands of decorated revelers with hand made lanterns, shadow play and rooftop masking antics.
There will also be fire breathers, spinners, a Fire Finale and a community feast.
It kicks off at 6 p.m. on Saturday and runs until 10 p.m.
DJ Skate Nights at Harbourfront
DJ Skate Nights are back at Harbourfront as the new rink is set to re-open on Saturday after two years without it at the waterfront.
On Saturday nights, skate rental will be free in partnership with the Waterfront Business Improvement Area where you can skate to vibrant beats spun by some of Toronto’s hottest DJs.
The skate nights will be on until Feb. 15. More details can be found on their website.
Toronto International Ballet presents The Nutcracker
For two nights only this weekend, the Toronto International Ballet Theatre will be putting on its version of the Nutcracker, a touching and magical rendition of a timeless holiday favourite.
The two performances are happening on Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. at St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts and tickets are still available.
Toronto sports action
If you like to celebrate the holidays by checking out Toronto’s best in sports, then this weekend is for you. The Toronto Spectres will kick things off at Coca-Cola Coliseum, facing off against the Montréal Victoire at 2 p.m.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will then take on the NY Islanders at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday evening. Puck drops at 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, the ice will be transformed to a basketball court for Sunday night as the Raptors face off against the Houston Rockets at 6 p.m.
TTC/GO closures
No TTC closures.
Lakeshore West rail service will be temporarily modified until end of service on Sunday, December 22 to allow for critical track work along the corridor.
During the weekends listed, Lakeshore West trains will operate hourly between Union Station and West Harbour GO stations.
GO Bus connection times will also be adjusted, there may be longer than usual wait times.
Road closures
Gardiner Expressway 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.
Temporary closures
- Intermittent lane closures will be in effect on Wilson Avenue between Dufferin Street and Billy Bishop Way until late November for the replacement of a natural gas pipeline.
- Park Lawn Road is down to a single lane from north of Lake Shore Boulevard to the Gardiner Expressway due to the construction of a proposed GO station in the area.
- Spadina Avenue streetcars have been replaced by buses between Spadina Station and Queens Quay, and until the end of the year, there will be no 510 service between Spadina Station and Union Station. Commuters wishing to travel onwards to Union from Queens Quay will need to transfer to a 509 streetcar.
- The Yonge and Bloor intersection will be reduced to a single lane until 2025 for condo construction and sewer installation.
- University Avenue will be reduced to a single lane in both directions between College Street and Queen Street West to complete several infrastructure projects for the next several months.
- Queen Street is fully closed to traffic between Bay and Victoria Streets to accommodate work on a new station for the Ontario Line subway. The closure is scheduled to last until 2027, at least four-and-a-half years.
- Eglinton Avenue West is reduced to a single lane east of Islington and west of Scarlett Road due to tunnelling work related to the multi-year Eglinton Crosstown West Extension project.
- Lane restrictions on Bayview Avenue between Roehampton Avenue and Armistice Drive while the city completes road resurfacing, curb and sidewalk replacement, and traffic signal and pedestrian upgrades. One northbound lane is currently closed on Bayview Avenue between Kilgour Road and Roehampton Avenue.
- Cherry Street remains closed south of Polson Pier due to maintenance on the Ship Channel Lift Bridge (Strauss Trunnion Bascule Bridge). Road users are able to access the Port of Toronto and Cherry Beach via Unwin Avenue.
