What to know
- Gerrard Street East and St. Clair Avenue West will close for two major street festivals on Saturday and Sunday.
- Rolling closures will affect several downtown streets during the Chariot Fest parade on Saturday.
- TTC streetcars and buses will be diverted, while Fleet Street remains closed near Exhibition Place.
Getting around Toronto could take longer this weekend, as two major street festivals and a downtown parade shut down several busy roads on July 11 and 12.
Drivers and TTC riders will face disruptions on St. Clair Avenue West, Gerrard Street East and Yonge Street, while a continuing closure on Fleet Street and overnight highway construction could create additional delays.
Here are the major Toronto road closures and transit changes to know about this weekend.
Gerrard Street East: Festival of South Asia
Gerrard Street East will be closed between Coxwell and Glenside Avenues for the 24th annual TD Festival of South Asia.
The free festival runs from noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, bringing food vendors, shopping, live entertainment and cultural performances to the Gerrard India Bazaar.
The closure will also affect the 506 and 306 Carlton routes from 1 a.m. Saturday until 2 a.m. Monday.
Streetcars will divert in both directions using Parliament Street, Queen Street East and Coxwell Avenue. Replacement buses will run between Sherbourne Street and Main Street Station, but stops on Gerrard Street East between Greenwood and Coxwell avenues will not be served.
St. Clair Avenue West: Salsa on St. Clair
St. Clair Avenue West will be closed between Winona Drive and Christie Street for the 22nd annual TD Salsa on St. Clair festival.
The event runs from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday, with more than 40 performances, dancing, food vendors and family programming planned throughout the weekend.
TTC changes will be in place from 7 a.m. Saturday until 11:59 p.m. Sunday.
The 512 St. Clair streetcar will operate as two separate sections, with service running west of Robina Avenue and east of St. Clair West Station. Replacement buses will connect Oakwood Avenue and St. Clair West Station using Davenport Road and Christie Street.
The overnight 312 St. Clair–Junction bus will follow a similar diversion, and stops on St. Clair Avenue West between Robina Avenue and Christie Street will not be served.
Yonge Street: Chariot Fest Parade
Rolling road closures will take over part of downtown Toronto on Saturday for the annual Chariot Fest Parade.
According to the event’s official schedule, the parade begins at Yonge and Edward streets at 11 a.m. and travels south along Yonge Street toward Queens Quay. It is expected to end at approximately 1 p.m. before festivities continue at Toronto Centre Island.
Drivers should expect rolling closures and traffic interruptions along the parade route, as well as congestion on nearby streets.
The 19 Bay and 97C Yonge buses will be temporarily changed between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The 19 Bay will turn back using Wellington, York and King streets, while the 97C Yonge will divert using Gerrard, Bay, Wellington, York and King. Stops along Yonge Street between Gerrard and Front streets will be among those temporarily missed.
Fleet Street: ongoing FIFA transit-hub closure
Fleet Street remains fully closed between Angelique Street and Strachan Avenue as part of temporary transportation measures introduced for the FIFA World Cup.
The closure, which is in place 24 hours a day, is expected to remain until July 31. The City said the space is being used for a temporary enhanced streetcar platform designed to move visitors between the waterfront, Toronto Stadium and the FIFA Fan Festival.
Those travelling through the Fort York and Exhibition Place area should continue to use an alternate east-west route.
Highway 401 lane closures
Several Highway 401 construction zones are also scheduled to affect drivers overnight.
One of the most significant is on the westbound express lanes between Leslie Street and Avenue Road, where one left lane will be closed nightly from 10 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Monday.
Eastbound drivers should also expect two alternating lanes to close nightly between Victoria Park Avenue and Neilson Road. That work is scheduled to continue through Aug. 8.
Around Wendell Avenue, three alternating eastbound lanes are scheduled to close overnight from 10 p.m. Friday until 10 a.m. Sunday.
