Get the best of summer and autumn this weekend in Toronto

By Patricia D'Cunha and Samantha Knight

“The autumn leaves of red and gold …”

For those who are are looking forward to autumn, you won’t have to wait very long as the crisp and colourful season arrives next Thursday.

This weekend, you can immerse yourself in summertime fun like an outdoor street festival and a flea market in the Beach, but if you want to kickstart autumn, a pumpkin patch awaits your arrival in Markham.

There is also a partial subway closure on Line 1 (Yonge-University-Spadina), so plan your route accordingly.

Events

Pumpkinland
“Tonight the Great Pumpkin will rise out of the pumpkin patch,” Linus says in the classic ‘It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.’

Just in time for autumn’s arrival next week, pumpkins will be sprouting all over Whittamore’s Farm, located on Steeles Avenue East near Beare Road, starting Saturday.

 

Children and the young at heart can roam around the farm and choose that perfect pumpkin, navigate through a corn maze, take a wagon ride through the spooky forest, climb a two-storey giant tree fort (and slide down!), and more.

The farm will be transformed into Pumpkinland until Halloween.

Leslieville Flea
The historic Ashbridge Estate in the Beach will be the site of the Leslieville Flea, a market that sells all sorts of things from antiques and salvaged goods to furniture and handcrafted goods.

 

The Ashbridge family, who immigrated to Toronto (formerly York) from Pennsylvania in 1793, occupied the land for 200 years. Two acres of the farmland and the Jesse Ashbridge House (built in 1854) remain on the site.

Open Streets TO
Open Streets TO is back on Sunday, which means parts of the Bloor and Yonge area will be shut down to traffic.

Bloor Street, from Dufferin Street to Hampton Avenue, and Yonge Street, from Bloor to Queen streets, will be transformed into an outdoor street festival that promotes physical activity. It will also cross the Bloor Street Viaduct to the Danforth, its longest route to date.

Ginger Walk
Celebrate your redheaded friends and family this weekend at the second annual Canadian Ginger Walk.

 

The anti-bullying walk includes walking, chanting and hugging at Trinity Bellwoods Park from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m on Sunday.

Attendants are encouraged to bring signs and most importantly, have fun. There will be sunscreen on hand for the event.

Food Truck Festival Ontario
Bring your appetite to the third annual Food Truck Festival Ontario taking place at Downsview Park this Sunday.

There will be 30 food trucks offering sample-sized creations for $6 or less. Some of the food trucks include Smoke’s Poutinerie, The Vegan Extremist, Food Dudes and The Salted Pig. The one-day foodie event also features eating contests, a drinks garden, buskers, a kid zone and an artisan market.

General admission is $12 and children under the age of 13 get in for free.

Kensington Market Jazz Festival
Kensington Market is getting jazzy this weekend with its first-ever jazz festival. The event offers three days of music at nine venues, with over 100 Toronto artists.

 

Some of the venues include The Boat, Supermarket, Handlebar, Poetry Jazz Café and Trinity Common. There will be over 80 shows to choose from between Friday and Sunday, along with a youth stage, art, film, food and fashion.

Tickets will be available at the doors. Click here to view the full lineup.

TIFF closing weekend
If you haven’t had the opportunity to take a selfie with your favourite actors and actresses, this weekend is your last chance.

 

The 41st annual Toronto International Film Festival officially comes to a close on Sunday. The star-studded event kicked off earlier this month and has welcomed the likes of Matt Damon, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.

There’s no shortage of screenings planned for this weekend. Click here to purchase tickets.

TTC and road closures

Subway closure
TTC work continues on Line 1 (Yonge-University) this weekend, which means subway service will be shut down between St. Clair West and Downsview stations. This time, the closure is for signal upgrades. Shuttle buses will be running.

Next weekend, track work will once again close Line 1 from Bloor-Yonge to Osgoode stations. Shuttle buses will stop at all stations.

Road closures for events

Toronto 10-Miler, Half Marathon and 5K: Between 5:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, road closures will be in effect in the area bounded by Unwin Avenue, Leslie Street, Commissioners Street and Lake Ontario.

Roncesvalles Polish Festival: Roncesvalles Avenue, between Grafton Avenue and Dundas Street, will be closed from 5 a.m. on Saturday to 11 p.m. on Sunday.

Bloor West Village Toronto Ukrainian Festival: Bloor Street West from Jane Street to Runnymede Road will be closed from 9:30 a.m. on Friday to 11:59 p.m. on Sunday.

Sunnybrook Foundation – RBC Run for the Kids: Road closures and lane restrictions will be in the Sheppard Avenue, Yonge Street, Dufferin Street and Steeles Avenue area from 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Open Streets TO: Bloor Street/Danforth Avenue from Dufferin Street to Hampton Avenue, and Yonge Street from Bloor to Queen streets, will be closed from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Road work

Ongoing work

Shuter Street, from Yonge to Sherbourne streets, will be reduced to one lane in both directions until Oct. 28 for watermain replacement and road work.

Drivers will encounter lane reductions on Bayview Avenue from Rosedale Valley Road to Pottery Road to build a multi-use trail and for other road work. The closure is expected to last until Nov. 30.

Gerrard Street, from University Avenue to Elizabeth Street, is reduced to one lane until Oct. 15 for watermain and other road work.

Richmond Street West is reduced to one lane of traffic between Church and York streets until Nov. 30 for TTC track work, watermain replacement, and road and sidewalk repairs.

One lane of Queen Street West between Spadina Avenue and Bathurst Street is closed in both directions for watermain replacement and reconstruction work until around Oct. 8.

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