Weekend need-to-know: Santa Claus Parade and One-of-a-Kind show

A busy weekend ahead with something for everyone in Toronto. Taylor Swift will play her final two shows this weekend and Santa Claus is back in town. For those who want to get a jump on Christmas shopping, the One-of-a-Kind show kicks off this weekend.

Here’s what is going on this weekend:

Events

Santa Claus Parade

Santa Claus is back in town this weekend.

The Original Santa Claus Parade returns to Toronto streets this Sunday with hundreds of floats and Santa Claus in his sleigh. If you want to catch a glimpse of Old Saint Nick, the parade starts at Christie Pits Park at 12:30 p.m. and ends at St. Lawrence Market.

Full details and road closures can be found here.

Bloor-Yorkville Holiday Magic

The Bloor-Yorkville BIA will be celebrating the return of the holiday season by illuminating the neighbourhood with a display of festive lighting.

The Village of Yorkville Park will light up on November 23 with a kickoff event from 5 to 7 p.m., and trees along Bloor Street will be lit up for a display to welcome everyone for the holiday season.

Last weekend of Taylor Swift at Rogers Centre

The last three shows of Taylor Swift’s ‘ERAS Tour’ are happening this weekend on Nov. 21, 22 and 23. If you weren’t able to get tickets, there are still lots of events to celebrate Swift’s arrival.

Taylgate ’24 will be happening at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for her full show run. The 150,000 square feet of indoor space will be the place to start the party before the big show 

For a full list of events happening over the weekend, you can find them here.

One-of-a-Kind Show

If you want to get a jump on your Christmas shopping, it’s the first weekend to attend the One-of-a-Kind show and pick out unique gifts for your loved ones.

The 11-day show kicks off on Nov. 21 at the Enercare Centre and runs through Dec. 1.

Tickets are $20 with discounts available for children, students and seniors. More information about the vendors can be found on their website.

TTC/GO Closures

There will be no TTC or GO closures but there will be additional service for the Taylor Swift concerts. You can find full details here.

There will also be additional service for the Santa Claus Parade on Sunday on Lines 1 and 2. There will also be some diversions to make way for the parade:

Service on streetcar routes, including the 503 Kingston Rd., 504 King, 505 Dundas, 506 Carton, and 511 Bathurst, will be operating through gaps in the parade. The following bus routes will be diverting during the Santa Claus Parade and the Holly Jolly Fun Run:

• 13 Avenue Road
• 19 Bay
• 75 Sherbourne
• 94A Wellesley
• 114 Queens Quay East
• 121 Esplanade – River
• 126 Christie
• 300 Bloor-Danforth (from 7 a.m.)
• 501 Queen
• 503 Kingston Road

Road closures

To mitigate the anticipated traffic impacts and ensure residents and visitors can move safely and efficiently around Rogers Centre during the Taylor Swift concert period, the city will implement the following road closures and restrictions on concert dates:

Starting at 1 p.m., the following roads will be restricted to local traffic (residents and businesses) only:

• Bremner Boulevard between Spadina Avenue and Simcoe Street.
• The westbound lanes of Bremner Boulevard between Rees Street and Navy Wharf Court will be closed to traffic. Eastbound lanes will be open for two-way traffic.
• Northbound lanes on Rees Street will be closed. Southbound lanes will remain open for two-way traffic including an accessible entry point.
• Blue Jays Way between Spadina Avenue and south of Front Street.
• The Marriott Hotel will be accessible from Front Street via Blue Jays Way.
• Navy Court Wharf.
• Access to condos will be via a police checkpoint at the Spadina Avenue and Bremner Boulevard intersection.
• Lake Shore Boulevard will be reduced to two westbound lanes at the intersection with Rees Street for a drop-off/pick-up point.
• At 9:45 p.m., the eastbound and westbound Gardiner Expressway off-ramps to Spadina Avenue will be closed to restrict traffic into the area as concertgoers leave Rogers Centre. Additional spot road closures may be needed for crowd and traffic management.
• At 10 p.m., Front Street between Blue Jays Way and Simcoe Street, John Street south of Wellington Street, and Windsor Street south of Wellington Street will be closed to support crowd control before concertgoers leave Rogers Centre.
• All roads and ramps will re-open when traffic and crowds dissipate, which is expected to be by 1 a.m. following each concert. 

Santa Claus Parade

Below are the estimated road closure times for the festivities on Sunday:

• Bloor Street West, from Ossington Avenue to Christie Street, at 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
• Christie Street, from Bloor Street to Barton Avenue, at 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
• Bloor Street West, from Christie Street to Avenue Road, at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Bathurst Street, Barton Avenue to Harbord Street, at 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Spadina Road, from Lowther Avenue to Willcocks Street, at 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Harbord Street, from Spadina Road to Hoskin Avenue, at 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• St. George Street, from Prince Arthur to College Street, at 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Hoskin Avenue, from Harbord Street to Queen’s Park Crescent, at 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Queen’s Park Crescent, from Bloor Street to College Street, at 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• College Street, from Beverly Street to Bay Street, at 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• University Avenue, from College Street to Dundas Street, at 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Dundas Street, from McCaul Street to Bay Street, at 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• University Avenue, from Dundas Street to Front Street, at 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Queen Street West, from Duncan Street to Bay Street, at 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Adelaide Street, from Duncan Street to University Avenue, at 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• King Street West, from Simcoe Street to York Street, at 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Front Street, from Simcoe Street to Sherbourne Street, at 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Wellington Street, from University Avenue to Jarvis Street, at 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Wellington Street, from Yonge Street to Scott Street, at 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
• Bay Street, from King Street to Lake Shore Boulevard from 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Yonge Street, from King Street to Lake Shore Boulevard from 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Jarvis Street, from King Street to Lake Shore Boulevard from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
• The Esplanade, from Yonge Street to Jarvis from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

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.
• 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.
• 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.