The City of Toronto encourages residents and visitors to take advantage of City-run attractions and recreational opportunities on Simcoe Day – Monday, August 1. Named after Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe, who founded York/Toronto in 1793, Toronto’s annual Civic Holiday celebration (though not as a statutory holiday) is the first Monday of each August.
City-run events
Fort York Historic Site, in partnership with The Ontario Black History Society, will host the annual Emancipation Day celebration at Fort York on August 1 at noon. The event commemorates the 188th anniversary of the Slavery Abolition Act. More information can be found on the Fort York National Historic Site webpage.
The Afro Caribbean Farmers’ Market (www.afrocaribbeanfarmersmarket.com), Canada’s first culturally-specific farmers’ market, runs every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
On Saturday, July 30, the market is located on Little Keele Street, in Toronto’s York-Weston neighbourhood. 1856 and 1993 Keele St., also known as Little Keele Street, will be the vibrant small town backdrop that faces the bustling Eglinton Avenue West corridor.
On Sunday, July 31, the market will be located in Toronto’s Little Jamaica neighbourhood. The Green P Carpark, located at 1531 Eglinton Ave. W., will once again become a festive, fun, food-centred space that celebrates Afro Caribbean culture.
On Tuesday, August 2, the City’s Confronting Anti-Black Racism (CABR) Unit will be hosting an in-person Flag Raising Ceremony and Community Gathering to commemorate the beginning of Emancipation Month 2022. This event will take place at North York Civic Centre at 3 p.m., in Mel Lastman Square outside the building. Event information can be found on the City’s Confronting Anti-Black Racism webpage.
Important reminder about fireworks
The August Civic Holiday is not a designated fireworks day and residents are not permitted to set off fireworks on their property unless they have obtained a permit from Toronto Fire Services. Fireworks are not permitted in City parks or on beaches, balconies, streets, parking lots or other private property. To report the misuse or illegal sale of fireworks, residents can call 311 or submit a service request at www.toronto.ca/311. City Bylaw Enforcement Officers will be monitoring busy parks and beaches to respond to issues. More information about fireworks, including proper use and disposal, is available on the Fireworks webpage.
Public transit and other services
TTC service will operate on holiday service on August 1.
The TTC has added increased service to accommodate those attending the Toronto Caribbean Carnival Grand Parade on Saturday.
Some bus and streetcar routes will also be diverting. We encourage customers to follow @TTCNotices on Twitter, sign up for eAlerts and check ttc.ca for the most up-to-date information. For more information to help plan their trips, Customers can visit the TTC’s webpage.
City services
City emergency and 24-hour services will operate throughout the long weekend. City administrative offices, service counters, and the City Archives at 255 Spadina Rd. are closed on Monday, August 1.
City Drop-off Depots and Transfer Stations will be closed for residential drop-off of garbage, yard waste, recyclables, household hazardous wastes and electronics on August 1. More information is available on the City’s holiday impacts webpage.
Community recreation centres
Community recreation centres will be open for regular program hours on July 30 and 31 but will be closed on August 1 for the Civic Holiday. Residents can call their local community centre for more information.
City parks and pools
City parks, outdoor swimming pools, wading pools and splash pads across the city will be open on Monday. Indoor pools and community centres, including washrooms inside community centres, will be closed. More information and swimming pool schedules are available on the Swim & Water Play webpage.
Beaches
Lifeguard supervision and beach maintenance take place daily at all 10 City beaches from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Please check the status of designated swim beaches on the city webpage.
While at City swimming beaches, the City asks all residents to remember:
Swim zone boundaries are marked at Toronto’s swimming beaches by red and yellow flags. Floating swim markers show the swim zone boundaries in the water. Swimming past or outside of these markers is not permitted. If no flags are flying at a Toronto beach, lifeguards are not on duty, and people should not swim. Stay within the clearly marked swim zones to avoid the dangers of being struck by vessels. Undesignated areas can have dangerous water conditions such as undertows and rip currents.
Golf
All five City golf courses will be open and offer holiday rates on the Civic Holiday. These affordable, high-quality, TTC-accessible courses are open daily over the summer. More information is available on the Golf webpage.
Toronto Island Park
Residents and visitors can enjoy all that Toronto Island Park offers this holiday weekend with all businesses open and ready for a busy long weekend.
Visitors coming to the Island are encouraged to travel during off-peak hours. Arrive before 9:30 a.m. or after 12:30 p.m. and return before 5:30 or after 9 p.m. to minimize long wait times over the weekend. Ferry tickets can be purchased online (www.toronto.ca/ferry) to save time at the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal (at the foot of Bay Street). Information about the park’s amenities is available here.
Tennis courts
Public tennis courts across the City will have nets up and available for use throughout the Civic Holiday long weekend. Public sites are free and open to the public. Tennis players are asked to share the courts by limiting their play time to half-hour intervals if others are waiting to use the courts. More information about public tennis courts is available here.
Conservatories and greenhouses
Both conservatories are open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and are free admission. While Allen Gardens is undergoing renovations, washrooms inside the conservatory are closed. Portable washrooms are available outside by the playground. Visitors can learn more about the Conservatories on the webpage.
Riverdale Farm
Residents and visitors to Toronto can visit a working farm in the City’s centre. Riverdale Farm is open daily, including holidays, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. More information is available on the Zoo and Farm’s webpage.
High Park animal attraction
Toronto’s oldest animal attraction has been entertaining people for 120 years and is open every day between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Roads within High Park will be closed to vehicular traffic for all three days of the Civic Holiday long weekend. More information is available on the Zoo and Farm’s webpage.
Toronto History Sites
Fort York Historic Site will be open on August 1 for Emancipation/Civic Day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The visitor centre will not be open. General admission to the site is free. Guests can plan their museum visit on the Plan Your Museum Visit webpage.
Entry to all 10 Toronto History Museums is now permanently free for everyone.
Cultural Hotspot Project: Summer Arts Break
Featuring Mestre Sergio Xocolate & Suzanne Roberts Smith: July 30 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Eglinton Square Shopping Centre. Join Mestre Sérgio Xocolate for an authentic Capoeira workshop featuring rich traditional movements, music, songs, dance, drumming and important stories of cultural expression and preservation from the North East of Brasil. Info about the performance can be found on the webpage.
Toronto Zoo
What better place to spend the Simcoe Day long weekend than at the Toronto Zoo, where visitors can discover over 4,000 animals while exploring over 10 km of walking trails and four tropical pavilions? The Zoo’s behind-the-scenes Wild Encounters are back, and timeslots can be booked online on the Toronto Zoo webpage.
From tomorrow until Monday, the Toronto Zoo is hosting a globally recognized celebration of International Day of the Tiger – Presented by Giant Tiger to celebrate tigers at the Zoo and their wild counterparts. For more information, visit the Toronto Zoo’s Tiger Day webpage. The Zoo is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, including August 1. While at the Zoo, visitors can cool off at Splash Island, one of the best splash pads in the city – free with admission.
The Toronto Zoo continues to support community vaccination efforts by hosting GOVAXX mobile bus clinic on July 30 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The GOVAXX bus will be located in the B section of the main parking lot. The clinic will provide COVID-19 boosters for people age 12 and older and first and second doses for people ages 5 to11. To book an appointment, visit the COVID-19 vaccination portal webpage (www.covid19.ontariohealth.ca) or call the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900. Walk-ins will also be accepted.
Union summer at Union Station
Union Summer at Union Stations presented by TD is back at Union Station’s Front Street plaza until Sunday, August 28, running from midday to late evening each day. The Market is designed as an outdoor patio oasis and is a feast for the senses featuring music, live performances, cuisine, film and other entertainment. A complete list of vendors, programming and hours of operation is on the Union Summer webpage.
StrollTO
StrollTO continues to offer free, self-guided walking itineraries for 140 neighbourhoods across Toronto. Itineraries can be accessed on the StrollTO webpage and feature shops, stops, places and spaces where residents and visitors can stop in and show love to Toronto communities: www.strollto.com. StrollTO is produced by the City in association with Founding Sponsor American Express Canada and in partnership with Destination Toronto.
St. Lawrence Market
This long weekend St. Lawrence Market is launching new, expanded hours of operation with events and family-friendly activities.
The Market will be open for the following hours this long weekend:
South Market (main building):
Sunday, July 31, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday Farmers Market (Temporary Market building at 125 The Esplanade):
Friday through Sunday
Sunday only
St. Lawrence Market is celebrating its first Sunday of operation with events and family-friendly activities all day on July 31:
More information is available on the St. Lawrence Market webpage.
Toronto Public Library
All Toronto Public Library (TPL) branches will be closed on August 1 for Simcoe Day. A complete list of TPL branch locations and corresponding hours of operation is available on the TPL webpage. Residents can download and stream eBooks, eAudiobooks, magazines, newspapers, movies and music anytime by visiting the eBooks & Online Content webpage.
Road restrictions for Canada Day long weekend
For all road closure information that may impact travel throughout the long weekend, visit the City’s Road Restrictions & Closures webpage.
COVID-19 vaccination options
Toronto Public Health (TPH) and Team Toronto continue to provide COVID-19 vaccination clinics to residents as part of its ongoing hyper-local, equity-focused vaccination strategy to ensure COVID-19 doses remain as accessible as possible, with opportunities to get vaccinated where residents live, work and play. Over the long weekend, TPH will hold COVID-19 vaccination clinics at community centres, libraries, City-run attractions and shopping malls. In addition, COVID-19 vaccination clinics will be held at the following special events:
TPH encourages residents to stay up-to-date with their COVID-19 immunization, including all booster (third and fourth) doses for the best protection against serious illnesses linked to COVID-19 and its variants. Recent data shows that residents who kept up-to-date with their vaccinations were better protected against serious consequences related to the virus when compared to those who were unvaccinated or under-vaccinated.
First, second, third and fourth doses are also available by appointment or walk-in across the five City-run immunization clinics. Residents can also get their doses at more than 525 local pharmacies offering the COVID-19 vaccine, Indigenous-led vaccination clinics, select primary care offices and other Team Toronto health care partner clinics.
More information is available on the City’s COVID-19: How to Get Vaccinated webpage.
Toronto is home to more than 2.9 million people whose diversity and experiences make this great city Canada’s leading economic engine and one of the world’s most diverse and livable cities. As the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto is a global leader in technology, finance, film, music, culture and innovation, and consistently places at the top of international rankings due to investments championed by its government, residents and businesses. For more information visit the City’s website or follow us on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.