It may only be November, but the Distillery District’s Winter Village will be in full swing starting this weekend and you can catch a glimpse of Santa at the Beaches Santa Claus Parade.
Keep in mind, there will also be GO transit service adjustments this weekend and the UP Express service will be replaced by buses, running between Union Station and Toronto Pearson Airport. More details can be found below.
Here’s what’s happening this weekend.
Distillery Winter Village
The historic cobblestone streets of Distillery District will be transformed once again into the iconic Winter Village, starting this weekend and running until Jan. 3.
The tree lighting ceremony is Thursday night at 6 p.m. and special events accompanying the Winter Village kickoff featuring the festive food and drinks, local artisans, carollers and Santa and his elves that will be around for the entirety of the Christmas season.
There will also be a daily Immersive Nutcracker show that will be projected across the 360-degree floor-to-ceiling digital scape where you can get up close to the towering Nutcracker, Sugar Plum Fairy, Mouse King.
Tickets will be required for entry to the tree lighting ceremony and in the evening, but there is free entry to Distillery before 4 p.m. the whole time.
Beaches Santa Claus Parade
Wave hello to Santa Claus in The Beaches this weekend at the annual parade. It kicks off at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Victoria Park and Kingston Road heading to Centre 55 on Main Street for a post-parade celebration.
The parade will run along Kingston Road with floats, live music and of course, Santa Claus.
Last weekend of Royal Winter Fair
It’s your last chance to get in on the action at the Royal Winter Fair and the last day will be full of rodeo action.
There will be the Royal Rodeo Championship happening on Sunday with bull riding, saddle bronc riding, saddle bronc riding and barrel racing to cap off the 10-day Winter Fair.
You can find more details about other attractions on their website.
Student Life Expo
Find out more about what you want to do after high school at the Student Life Expo this weekend. Representatives from universities, colleges and other organizations will be there to inform and guide students to find success after graduation.
It’s happening at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Nov. 15 from 12 to 5 p.m.
Rosedale Cavalcade of Lights
Be amazed by the annual Cavalcade of Lights in Rosedale this Saturday. From 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., there will be festive events the whole family can enjoy topped off with the tree lighting ceremony in Scrivener Square at 5:30 p.m.
There will be a cozy Apres Ski experience, a Cavalcade Express train and get in the holiday spirit with carol singers. There will also be a little petting zoo outside of Ramsden Park.
You can find more details on their website.
TTC/GO closures
Line 2 weekend closure
Subway service on Line 2 between Victoria Park and Kennedy stations will be replaced by shuttle buses on Saturday and Sunday for planned track work.
Regular subway service will resume on Monday at 6 a.m.
UP Express service adjustments
On Saturday and Sunday, there will be no UP Express train service. GO buses will run direct between Union Station Bus Terminal and Pearson Airport Terminal 1.
There will be no UP Express service at Bloor, Mount Dennis or Weston stations.
Kitchener GO line service adjustments
On Saturday and Sunday, GO trains will only run between Mount Pleasant and Mount Dennis GO. There will be no GO transit service at Bloor GO to Union Station.
There will be select GO buses running between Stratford or Kitchener GO and Hwy. 407 Bus Terminal.
You can find more details about alternative routes to use here.
Barrie GO line service adjustments
On Saturday, and Sunday, there will be no GO train service on the Barrie line. GO buses will run between Allandale Waterfront and Rutherford GO, then direct to Hwy. 407 Bus Terminal.
There will be no GO Transit service at Downsview Park GO.
Full details can be found here.
Road Closures
Ongoing road closures
Gardiner Expressway long-term 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.
