Road closures in effect this weekend as Toronto celebrates Pride

It’s a big, busy weekend for celebrations in downtown Toronto as the city’s annual Pride Month wraps up.

With over a million people expected to attend the 38th annual Pride Parade, and with several other special events happening around town, the City of Toronto is recommending public transit as the option for travel.

Here’s a look at the road closures for this weekend.

Pride events

Starting on Friday at 10 a.m., and lasting until Monday at 6 a.m., Church Street will be closed from Dundas to Bloor Street for the community street festival.

On Friday evening, The Trans Pride March will start at 8 p.m.. at the intersection of Church Street and Hayden. The event kicks off with a rally at 7 p.m. The march will head north to Bloor Street East, then west on Bloor, south on Yonge and east on Carlton Street to Allan Gardens. Road closures along the route will be in effect from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The Pride and Remembrance Run is taking place on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. The 5K race (and 3K walk) will see road closures from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Wellesley Street between Jarvis and Queen’s Park Crescent East, plus Queen’s Park Crescent West between College and Bloor Street West.

Roads will also be closed from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday for the Dyke March. It starts at the intersection of Church and Hayden streets, then heads north to Bloor, west to Yonge, then south until Carlton Street, ending at Allan Gardens. The march starts at 2 p.m., with a rally staging at 1 p.m.

The biggest event of the month’s pride celebrations, the parade, starts at 2 p.m. on Sunday at the corner of Bloor and Church streets. The parade will travel west on Bloor, then south on Yonge, and east on Dundas to Victoria Street. A number of roads will be closed in the parade area for periods between noon and 7 p.m. And Rosedale Valley Road (Park Road to Bayview Avenue) will be closed from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

The Toronto Transit Commission recommends taking Line 1 or 2 to Bloor-Yonge Station to get to the starting point of the Parade, or Line 1 to Dundas Station to get to Yonge-Dundas Square.

Several transit routes will be impacted by the weekend’s festivities. Check the TTC’s website for details.

Other festivities around Toronto

In addition to Toronto Pride festivities, there are road closures all weekend long in Yorkville for the Downtown Jazz Festival. Cumberland Street from Bellair Street to Old York Lane will be closed from Friday at 4 p.m. until the end of Sunday night. As well, Yorkville Avenue will be closed from Bellair Street to Hazelton Avenue all day Friday until Sunday at 6 a.m.

In the west end of the city, there are road closures in effect for two street festivals. Eglinton Avenue West will be closed from Saturday to Monday morning from Ronald Avenue to Dufferin Street for Flavours of Fairbank.

The Junction Summer Solstice festival will see Dundas Street West closed from High Park Avenue to Indian Grove on Saturday at 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. the next day. Keele Street will be open.

And, as is the case for the last Sunday of every month until October, streets in the Kensington Market area will be closed to vehicles starting at noon until 10:30 p.m.