Weekend need-to-know: Pumpkinfest, Camp Spooky and Leafs home opener

The Thanksgiving long weekend is a great time to feast with family and friends. But if you’re looking for more action than turkey naps can provide, there’s still plenty of options.

As you make your plans, check out what’s open and closed in Toronto on Thanksgiving Monday.

Pumpkinfest

PumpkinFest Toronto takes over Downsview Park for four fun-filled days of autumn bliss starting on Friday. Have kids that need to burn some energy? Then this is the place to be. There’s midway rides, bouncy castles, a PAW Patrol meet and greet, a corn maze, tractor-pulled hayrides, a giant pumpkin patch and even a pie eating contest.

The event runs from Oct. 11-14 between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. at Downsview Park (35 Carl Hall Rd., Toronto). Prices start at $15.

Camp Spooky

Camp Spooky is back at Canada’s Wonderland this fall with a slew of Halloween activities and attractions, including trick-or-treating, rides, a kids’ Halloween costume parade, and meet and greets with Halloween characters. The event, which is included with park admission, runs every weekend at Canada’s Wonderland (9580 Jane St., Vaughan) until Nov. 2.

Leafs home opener

Hope springs eternal as another Toronto Maple Leafs hockey season is now officially underway. On Saturday, Oct. 12, die-hard locals will get their first live look at the Buds under new head coach Craig Berube when they take on Sidney Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins in the season home opener at Scotiabank Arena (40 Bay St., Toronto). The puck drops at 7 p.m.

BONUS: Since the Leafs remind a lot of people of golf, here’s another friendly reminder — Toronto’s municipal golf courses will be open daily throughout the long weekend. Book a tee time here.

TTC service

Starting at 11 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, until 6 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 14, there will be no subway service on Line 2 Bloor-Danforth between Victoria Park and Kennedy due to planned track work. Shuttle buses will operate between Victoria Park and Kennedy.

Until Friday, Oct. 11, subway service on Line 2 between Victoria Park and Kennedy stations will end nightly starting at 11 p.m. for planned track work. Shuttle buses will operate. Regular subway service will resume the following morning at 6 a.m.

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 road closures

Bloor Street West: From 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11 until 3 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, Bloor Street West will be closed between Yonge and Bay Streets due to a crane hoist for construction.

Wellington and York Street: From 7 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, to 11 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13, York Street will be closed between Front Street West and King Street West, and Wellington Street West will be closed between Bay Street and University Avenue for a commercial filming.  

O’Connor Drive: From 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15, to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, O’Connor Drive will be reduced to one lane in each direction between Greenwood and Woodbine Avenues for road resurfacing.  

Other new and ongoing city 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.
• From 11 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 15, to 11 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 15, eastbound Lake Shore Boulevard East will be reduced from two lanes to one lane between Logan and Carlaw Avenues due to road reconstruction on Lake Shore Boulevard East as part of the Port Lands Flood Protection project. Drivers will not be able to right turn onto Carlaw Avenue from Lake Shore. A detour will be in place via Logan Avenue and Commissioner Street.
• 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.
• O’Connor Drive is down to a single lane each way between Bermondsey and Sandra for road reconstruction and sewer and watermain installation until the summer of 2024.
• 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.
• Northbound Yonge Street is reduced to one lane between Wellington and King Streets for TTC construction, which is scheduled to continue into 2024.
• 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. 
• Until mid-October, both eastbound lanes and one westbound lane on Queen Street West will be closed at the York Street intersection for the installation of overhead wiring for the 501 Queen streetcar detour. One westbound lane will remain open.