The Royal Winter Fair returns to Toronto this weekend with Rosie, the Royal Ambassador, at the helm. Indigenous Veterans will also be honoured with a ceremony at City Hall.
We also could see our first chance of flurries this weekend in the north GTA with temperatures dropping to -3 C overnight on Sunday.
Keep in mind, there is a subway closure on a portion of Line 1 this weekend. Scroll below for details.
Royal Winter Fair
The world’s largest indoor agricultural fair and international equestrian competition, the Royal Winter Fair, is back at Exhibition Place this weekend.
The 10-day festival will feature a new holiday market with handmade crafts and gourmet treats along with incredible restaurants and cooking classes. The #1 ranked indoor horse show in North America will feature international show jumping.
The family-friendly affair will also interactive learning, entertainment and a petting farm where you can feed the animals.
Rosie, a miniature donkey, will be this year’s Royal Ambassador and will make appearances throughout the event.
It kicks off on Friday and runs through Nov. 18. Tickets are available here.
Indigenous Veterans Day
The City of Toronto will be honouring the bravery and the contributions of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples to military service, particularly in the First World War, Second World War, Korean War and peacekeeping efforts around the world on Indigenous Veterans Day.
Everyone is invited to participate in the ceremony which will be attended by the Governor General and the Lieutenant Governor.
On Saturday, the Toronto Sign will be lit the colours of the Medicine Wheel – red, white, yellow and black.
The ceremony will run from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Spirit Garden at Toronto City Hall.
Gardiner Museum reopening weekend
The Gardiner Museum is officially reopening its ground floor this week after a $15.5-million renovation, the biggest capital project in the museums over 40 year history.
The 9,000-square-foot ground floor will feature new Collection Galleries, a fully equipped Makerspace, a Community Learning Centre, and the Gardiner’s first-ever gallery of Indigenous ceramics.
The re-opening is scheduled for Thursday.
TTC/GO closures
Line 1 weekend closure
There will be no subway service on Line 1 between St. George and St. Andrew stations on Saturday and Sunday for planned station work. Shuttle buses will not be operating. For alternate subway or surface routes you can take, click here.
UP Express
Starting on Saturday, November 8 until at 3:32 a.m., on Monday, November 10, UP Express rail service will be temporarily suspended to accommodate critical track work that will bring faster, more frequent service across the network.
During this time, replacement GO Buses will travel direct between Toronto Pearson Airport and Union Station.
There will be no replacement bus service at Bloor or Weston UP/GO stations during this time. Customers travelling to and from Weston and Bloor UP/GO stations are encouraged to use local transit options like the TTC.
GO service adjustments
Kitchener Line
On Saturday and Sunday, there will be no GO train service on the Kitchener Line due to planned construction. GO buses will run between Mount Pleasant, Brampton and Bramalea GO and Highway 407 Bus Terminal, where you can connect to TTC Line 1 to Union Station.
There will be no GO Transit service at Bloor and Weston GO stations and no GO trains at Malton GO.
You can find more details here.
Road closures
Weekend closures
The Esplanade
From 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Saturday, November 8, the Esplanade will be fully closed to vehicles and bicycles between George and Frederick Streets to safely hoist material. The south sidewalk will remain open for pedestrians.
Jordan Street
Jordan Street from King Street West to Melinda Street will be closed from 7 a.m. on Saturday, November 8 until 7 a.m. on Sunday, November 9 for filming. Local traffic access will be maintained.
Bay Street
Bay Street will be closed between Adelaide Street West and Richmond Street West from Saturday, November 8 at 8 p.m. until Sunday, November 9 at 2 a.m. for an urgent HVAC hoist.
Gardiner Expressway closure
As part of the long-term construction plan on the Gardiner Expressway, a stretch of the westbound Gardiner has been reduced from four lanes to three. The westbound lane closure will stretch from Park Lawn Road to Grand Avenue in southern Etobicoke. The eastbound lanes along the same stretch will be narrowed, but with no lane reductions, from April 2025 to December 2026.
For full traffic and closure updates, click here for the latest information from 680 NewsRadio Toronto.