Celebrate the Year of the Snake with a fireworks display at Nathan Phillips Square while one of North America’s preeminent events for boaters and water sports enthusiasts brings a touch of summer to winter. Keep in mind, that there is also a subway closure this weekend.
Chinese New Year fireworks
The City of Toronto will celebrate Lunar New Year with a festival at Nathan Phillips Square.
The Toronto Spring Festival will culminate in a fireworks display, the first of its kind in Toronto for the Lunar New Year.
Highlights include an ice-skating showcase with performances by the University of Toronto Ice Skating Club, scheduled for 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
There will also be traditional Chinese performances like Peking opera, face-changing acts, and a modern twist with Chinese-style electronic music.
It will be happening on Saturday from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. and everyone is invited.
Maple Leafs Outdoor Practice
The Toronto Maple Leafs will host their annual outdoor practice this weekend and for the first time, it’s being held at the Prince of Wales rink in Mimico.
There will be a variety of special programming including viewing parties for the game on Saturday night against the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Spectres vs. the New York Sirens along with a Maple Leafs alumni.
It’s free to attend, but it will be first come, first serve. More details can be found here.
Toronto International Boat Show
It’s a bit of summer in the winter as one of North America’s preeminent events for boaters and water sports enthusiasts returns at the Enercare Centre.
Compare and shop for great deals under one roof, and browse more than 1,000 boats, personal watercrafts, and accessories for a wide range of interests from fishing to sailing, stand-up paddleboarding to wakeboarding and e-foiling.
There’s also an array of family-friendly features, seminars, and hands-on activities to experience the outdoor recreational lifestyle including boating on the world’s largest indoor lake for boaters.
For show times and tickets visit: www.torontoboatshow.com
DesignTO Fest
DesignTO is celebrating 15 years of bringing people together to “design a better future that’s sustainable and joyful.”
The 10-day event features 100-plus free events and exhibitions, both online and in-person, across Toronto. Most events and exhibitions are free, but some require an RSVP or purchased tickets.
A full schedule can be found on their website.
TTC/GO closures
Line 1 closure
On Saturday, January 25 and Sunday, January 26, 2025, subway service on Line 1 between Lawrence West and St. George stations will be replaced by shuttle buses for planned track work.
Regular subway service will resume on Monday, January 27, 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 closures
- 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.
- From Sunday, January 12 until the spring, one northbound lane on the Don Valley Parkway (DVP) from the Eastern Avenue on-ramp to Queen Street East will be closed to accommodate work for the Eastern/Adelaide Bridges Rehabilitation Project. One eastbound and one westbound lane on Eastern Avenue will be closed between Sumach Street and Broadview Avenue. One eastbound lane on Adelaide Street will be closed between Sumach Street and Eastern Avenue.