Road closures, transit disruptions and festivals coming to Toronto this weekend | CBC News

A triathlon, multiple street festivals and maintenance work are disrupting traffic and transit routes around Toronto this weekend.

It’s already hard enough getting around the city, but with lots going on, here’s a guide to help you plan ahead and get around without any surprises.

Disruptions coming to downtown highways, subway service

Parts of the Don Valley Parkway (DVP) and Gardiner Expressway will close on Sunday for the Toronto Triathlon Festival, the city says. 

The triathlon starts at Exhibition Place Sunday morning. The Olympic distance course takes the cycling portion east along the Gardiner, then up the DVP to Eglinton, before circling back along the same route.

As a result, the DVP will be closed northbound between the Gardiner and Eglinton Avenue Sunday from 1 a.m. to noon. During that same time, the Gardiner will be closed eastbound between Lake Shore Boulevard exit 146 in Etobicoke and the DVP.

The southbound DVP and westbound Gardiner will remain open.

However, that’s not to mention ongoing lane closures on the Gardiner, which has been reduced to two lanes both ways between Dufferin Street and Strachan Avenue for rehabilitation work.

TTC subway service will also be partially closed Saturday and Sunday. Line 2 will be closed between Kipling and Keele stations, due to track work and station improvements. Shuttle buses will operate between those stations until the line fully reopens by 6 a.m. Monday, according to the TTC.

UP Express schedule changes, cancellations

The Union Pearson (UP) Express, which runs between downtown Toronto and the city’s largest airport, will be partially suspended and modified Friday through Sunday. Some UP trips will be replaced by GO buses operating directly between Union Station and Pearson airport, according to Metrolinx. 

Replacement buses will not service Weston and Bloor GO stations. 

Customers can check the UP Express service updates website for details on this weekend’s altered schedule.

Kitchener, Barrie GO line disruptions

The Kitchener and Barrie GO lines will be temporarily disrupted by track work this weekend.

The Kitchener line will run only between Mount Pleasant and Bloor GO stations until 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Some trains on the Kitchener line will also run on an altered schedule Friday, Metrolinx says. 

The Barrie GO line will also be modified Saturday. Before 4 p.m., the line will only run between Allandale Waterfront GO and Downsview Park GO stations.

For commuters who need to use local transit to fill in the gaps, transfers between GO Transit and the TTC are free.

Commuters can get details on schedule and route adjustments for both lines in real time on the GO Transit service updates website.

Street festivals around Toronto

Aside from the Triathlon Festival, food, song and dance will be on display around the city, as a variety of outdoor events take place on what’s supposed to be a sunny Toronto weekend.

Salsa on the Beach, part of the Beaches Jazz Festival, is on all weekend at Woodbine Beach. Admission is free, with dance classes and live Latin music performances on the go for dancers of all levels to enjoy.

Downtown Toronto Ribfest is back and on all weekend. From noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from noon to 9 p.m. Sunday, Torontonians can check out an array of award-winning barbecue at Yonge-Dundas Square. Admission is free.

A few blocks southwest, the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair is taking over Nathan Phillips Square. About 400 artists will showcase their work at the show’s 63rd edition. There will be all types of artwork to take in, including photography, paintings, crafts and graphic designs.

There will also be art tours, live music and dance. Admission is free.