What’s open and closed in Toronto this August long weekend | CBC News

City streets will be flooded with colour as Toronto’s Caribbean Carnival makes its return for another year this long weekend but many road closures are in effect ahead of Monday’s civic holiday.

Here’s a list of what’s open and closed on the long weekend, plus all the road closures drivers should be aware of ahead of time:

Staying cool

The city’s outdoor pools, splash pads and wading pools will be open all weekend and on the holiday Monday, with the exception of indoor pools and community centres.

Though last month’s flooding dumped 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools into Lake Ontario, many public beaches have been deemed safe to swim again. You can check status updates here. The city encourages people to swim only within supervised swimming areas when lifeguards are on duty.

Transit

Transit will be running on different hours Monday. GO Transit will operate on its Saturday schedule and the TTC will run on its holiday schedule. On Aug. 3, GO Transit is increasing train service on the Milton line to accommodate more people travelling to the Toronto Carribean Carnival.

Alcohol, groceries, shopping

Most Beer Store and LCBO locations will be closed Monday, but select stores will stay open. Check online to see the holiday hours of your nearest LCBO and Beer Store locations.

Most grocery stores will be open Monday, though hours may vary for the holiday. As for drug stores, select Shoppers Drug Mart and Rexall locations will stay open on the holiday.

The city’s malls will also be open, though most are operating with reduced hours, so check ahead before you go shopping. CF Shops at Don Mills will also host an Olympic Games watch party through the long weekend. Hosted by former Olympians and featuring live musical performances, FanFest will be showing live broadcasts of Olympic events all weekend.

Movie theatres across town will remain open Monday.

Post offices, banks and government offices will be closed Monday. Toronto Public Library branches will be closed Sunday and Monday.

City attractions

Almost all city attractions, from the CN Tower to Casa Loma to the Royal Ontario Museum will be open Monday, though it’s best to check ahead for modified hours. Canada’s Wonderland will have fireworks Sunday night and the Toronto Zoo is celebrating its 50th anniversary this weekend.

The Gardiner Museum and Museum of Ontario Contemporary Art will be closed this weekend due to ongoing work.

Toronto History Museums sites are open on Saturday and Sunday with free activities and programs through the weekend. 

Festivals

The Veld Music festival is on at Downsview Park from Friday to Sunday. This year’s lineup of electronic musicians includes Steve Aoki, Alesso and Martin Garrix.

On the east side of town, the Toronto Food Truck Festival takes place at Woodbine Park all weekend.

Dozens of trucks will be set up with a variety of delicious offerings. The festival runs 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday. Admission is free.

And then there’s Toronto’s Caribbean Carnival.

The city’s biggest celebration of Caribbean culture returns with events running through Sunday. That includes a steel pan festival on Saturday and a rum festival Sunday. The King and Queen showcase will take place Saturday night, with colourful costumes showcased at Lamport Stadium. The St. Lawrence Market will also have Caribbean food, culture and crafts on display on Market Street. The market will be open on Monday too.

The Grand Parade happens Saturday at Exhibition Place and Lake Shore Boulevard from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will also be lots of music, food and dancing and some ticketed events.

Road closures

The Carnival is causing some traffic disruptions around Exhibition Place, where construction on the Gardiner Expressway and King Street W is already slowing things down.

Road Closures for the parade will be in effect all day Saturday and will end Sunday at 7 a.m.:

• Lake Shore Boulevard W. from Fort York Boulevard to Colborne Lodge Drive.
• Lake Shore Boulevard W. westbound between Bathurst Street and Fort York Boulevard is open to local traffic only.
• Strachan Avenue southbound from Fleet Street.

The following Gardiner Expressway ramps will also be closed:

• Westbound Gardiner Expressway on ramp at Jameson Avenue.
• Eastbound Gardiner Expressway off ramp at Jameson Avenue.
• Eastbound Gardiner Expressway on ramp from Jameson Avenue, and Lake Shore Boulevard W. at British Columbia Road.
• Westbound Gardiner Expressway off ramp at Dunn Avenue.
• Lake Shore Boulevard W. will close to traffic from westbound Strachan Avenue to Parkside Drive, and eastbound Lake Shore Boulevard W. from Colborne Lodge Drive to Strachan Avenue.
• The Princes’ Gates will close to vehicle traffic on Saturday starting at 1 a.m..

To assist with the flow of traffic surrounding the carnival, the following streets will be restricted to local traffic only:

• Dufferin Street south of King Street W.
• Dowling Avenue south of King Street W.
• Stadium Road south of Lake Shore Boulevard W.
• Queens Quay W., west of Bathurst Street.
• Springhurst Avenue, west of Jameson Avenue.
• Springhurst Avenue, east of Jameson Avenue.
• Remembrance Drive.