Family fun, Valentine’s Day and NBA All-Star Game: now that’s a weekend

It’s a three-pointer of a weekend with the NBA All-Star Game, Family Day and Valentine’s Day all coming together in the GTA.

The game tip-off is at 8 p.m. Sunday at the Air Canada Centre (ACC), but events get underway on Friday.

If you haven’t planned your long weekend yet, we have compiled some events for your perusal. For those heading around town on Monday, below is a list of what’s open and closed.

Also, starting Sunday, the TTC is adding extra trips on several bus routes including 25 Don Mills, 6 Bay, 16 McCowan, and 80 Queensway. Click here for a full list of service changes.

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Family Day: What’s open and closed

 

Open

• Most tourist attractions and museums: Art Gallery of Ontario (10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.), Royal Ontario Museum (10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.), CN Tower (10 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.), Casa Loma (9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.), the Toronto Zoo (9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.), and Hockey Hall of Fame (10 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
• TTC runs on a holiday schedule and GO Transit operates on a Saturday schedule
• Transit riders can also ride the UP Express free this long weekend
• Some malls: Bramalea City Centre (11 a.m. – 6 p.m.), Eaton Centre (10 a.m. – 6 p.m.), Pacific Mall (11 a.m. – 8 p.m.), The Promenade (11 a.m. – 6 p.m.), Square One (11 a.m. – 6 p.m.), and Vaughan Mills (10 a.m. – 7 p.m.), Toronto Premium Outlets (9:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.), and select stores at Yorkville Village (10 a.m. – 6 p.m.).
• Some grocery stores, but call ahead for hours
• Most city-run ice rinks and arenas
• Federal government offices and mail will be delivered

 

Closed

• LCBO and beer stores
• Municipal buildings and banks
• Schools and public libraries
• Post offices located in closed retail outlets

 

Family Day and Valentine’s Day events

Fun fests for kids
Hey kids, want to go bananas this weekend? And parents: do you want to bring back good old-fashioned fun for your children? You can this long weekend in Toronto and Mississauga.

 

Downsview Park will be transformed into an indoor playground for Family Fun Fest with more than 30 rides, jumping castles, giant slides, carnival games and an arcade. There will also be strolling entertainers and interactive stage shows featuring Doo Doo the Clown.

At Kids Fest Toronto, the International Centre will be home to more than 30 inflatable rides, including toddler-appropriate attractions. There will also be interactive games, magic shows, science experiments and mini-putt.

Share the love at Casa Loma
Expect to see lots of couples feeling the love this weekend, with Valentine’s Day this Sunday (hint, hint).

Casa Loma is inviting you to “share the love” with a special event for couples and families as they explore the castle, which is equipped with an underground tunnel that leads to Edwardian stables and a greenhouse.

 

There will be live shows featuring jugglers and ventriloquists to entertain you and your family, as well as an indoor bouncy castle. You can also make your own Valentine’s Day and Family Day cards – homemade cards are so much better than store-bought, don’t you think?

Anti-Valentine’s Day Mixer
On the other end of the spectrum, an Anti-Valentine’s Day Mixer takes place in North York. Battle Sports says it’s designed for people who don’t want anything to do with the holiday. Events planned include shooting arrows at Cupid targets, and relieving some singleton anger in a “rage room.”

History of TTC subway
The TTC is always a subject of contention in the city, but how often do you take the time to applaud its achievements? Over the past 60 years, the subway system has moved billions of passengers and continues to adapt to the needs of the growing population, amid all the bureaucracy.

 

TTC riders can explore the history and complexity of the subway system at Tunnel Vision: The Story of Toronto’s Subway – an exhibit being held at the Market Gallery from Saturday until June 11 – through the lens of photographs, maps, plans, and artifacts.

Munsch Mash
Get ready to laugh like a kid. Relive classic stories from children’s author Robert Munsch in a theatrical adaptation at the Solar Stage. Several of his stories, including Angela’s Airplane and Jonathan Cleaned Up, will be performed in one play. Family Day weekend showtimes: Saturday-Sunday (11 a.m. and 2 p.m.) and Monday (10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m.).

Canadian International Auto Show
You may think the auto show is boring for children, but they love shiny new things so why not make it a family event.

 

More than 1,000 cars, trucks and SUVS, will be on display at the auto show, on from Saturday until Feb. 21 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. There will also be various activities for families on Family Day as well as giveaways.

City-run events in the GTA

 

• City of Toronto: Some of the events include a skating party at Nathan Phillips Square from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., as well as arts, sports and other programs at various community centres.
• Click here for Brampton and Mississauga events.