‘O Christmas Tree’: Toronto lights up the season with Cavalcade of Lights

Are you in the Christmas spirit yet? This time of year can be stressful to some with increased expenses and chaotic crowds. So slow down and take the time to experience the season.

And what better place to do so than in the GTA. After all, there is truly “no place like home for the holidays.” In Toronto, the main event this weekend is the Cavalcade of Lights, where the city’s official Christmas tree will be lit up with merriment.

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Events

Cavalcade of Lights
The Christmas season is already in full swing in Toronto, with last weekend’s Santa Claus Parade and tree lighting events, and various ongoing festive markets. But it doesn’t really feel jolly until the city’s official Christmas tree is lit at Nathan Phillips Square.

The Cavalcade of Lights celebrates its 50th anniversary on Saturday with the annual tree-lighting, fireworks, a skating party and various live performances.

 

The event kicks off at 7 p.m. with an audience sing-a-long led by Choir! Choir! Choir!. The performance of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ will be followed by other musical acts accompanied by an orchestra. Soon after, the 60-foot tree will light up the square with 525,000 energy-efficient lights (covering 3,810 metres) and more than 700 ornaments.

After that (before the fireworks), the Red Pepper Spectacle Arts will dazzle the night with a procession of giant puppets, fire artists, stilt walkers and a street band. Then, it’s time for the fireworks. Afterward, the evening continues with a performance by Juno Award-winning folk-rock duo Whitehorse and ends with a skating party.

104th Grey Cup
Now that the precious Grey Cup has arrived in the city, it’s time for a team to take home the trophy.

 

The 104th Grey Cup Championship will be held on Sunday at the newly renovated BMO Field. All eyes will be on the Calgary Stampeders and the Ottawa Redblacks, as they battle it out to become the 2016 CFL champion.

The Stampeders last won the Grey Cup in 2014. Sunday’s game gets underway at 6:30 p.m.

Light Up Riverside
Another neighbourhood in Toronto will soon be aglow with the Christmas spirit. Riverside is the latest community to host its own tree lighting celebration, with an event on Saturday.

It takes place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Mustard Seed Courtyard on Queen Street East near Broadview Avenue. A 16-foot tree will be lit, and that will be followed by live music, photos with Santa Claus, an indoor craft sale, and refreshments.

The Santa Train
Hop on board the Santa express this weekend and get up close and personal with old St. Nick. The York Durham Heritage Railway says Santa will be riding its trains departing from the Uxbridge station on Saturdays and Sundays until Dec. 18.

 

Trains will be decorated and there will be on-board entertainment. The best part is the jolly old elf will visit children at their seats. Upon departure, children will also receive a gift bag.

Santa Passports can also be purchased online in advance for $10. The passport includes candy cane hot chocolate, a surprise present, writing and mailing a letter to Santa, decorating an ornament, and Santa’s reindeer soap.

Adopt-a-Street-Tree
Ever walk down an older street in Toronto and marvel at the huge arching trees that line it? Now, you can learn how to care for the trees on your street, in the hopes that they reach the same grandeur.

On Saturday, the City of Toronto and the Local Enhancement and Appreciation of Forests (LEAF), is hosting a free information session at the Gladstone Library on Bloor Street West near Dufferin Street from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. You can learn about the ongoing pilot projects and how to take care of trees on commercial streets.

Best of the West Food Tour
Take a bite out of Dundas West and Ossington this weekend, with the Best of the West Food Tour. The tour will be held on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy a diverse range of tastings from some of the best establishments in the neighbourhood. The tour guide will take foodies through gourmet shops, bakeries, eateries and sit-down restaurants. Six food and drink tastings are included.

Holidays in Harmony
‘Tis the season for Christmas music. The Royal Conservatory of Music is hosting an afternoon of free music from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.

 

The event features a main concert showcasing the Conservatory’s choir and faculty, followed by a holiday sing-a-long with the acapella group Cadence. There will also be music appreciation lectures, a vocal workshop, and violin, viola, cello, guitar and piano classes. Registration is required and space is limited.

Drone Fair Ontario
A high-flying event is coming to the University of Ontario Institute of Technology this weekend.

Drone Fair Ontario is the first event of its kind in Eastern Canada. It aims to bring together vendors, innovators, professional pilots and enthusiasts in order to educate and elevate drone technology.

The event will also celebrate the local and international industries that use drones. There will be speakers, a flying demonstration area, a University Challenge and a FPV (first person view) Drone Race. The fair runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

TTC and road closures

Line 3 closure
The Scarborough RT will be closed for business this Saturday. There will be no service on the entire line from McCowan to Kennedy stations.

This is so TTC crews can complete track work. During the closure shuttle buses will be running and stopping at all stations on Line 3. Wheel-Trans buses will also operate between Kennedy and Scarborough Centre stations upon request. Regular service is set to resume at 8 a.m. on Sunday.

Road closures

Bremner Boulevard, from Rees Street to Lower Simcoe Street, will be closed until 11:59 p.m. on Saturday for the Grey Cup street festival.

The following road closures will be in effect from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday for the Cavalcade of Lights: Queen Street West from Bay Street to University Avenue, York Street from Richmond Street West to Queen Street West, Hagerman Street from Elizabeth to Bay streets, and Elizabeth Street from Foster Place to Hagerman Street. The 501 Queen Street streetcar will be replaced with bus service between Jarvis and Shaw streets. The buses will be diverted in the area.

On Sunday, a Santa Claus Parade will be held in the Beach, resulting in the following road closures: Walter Street, from Kingston Road to Swanwick Avenue, from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., and westbound Kingston from Victoria Park Avenue to Walter Street from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Also on Sunday, Weston Road from St. Phillips Road to Jane Street will be closed from noon to 4 p.m. for the Weston Santa Claus Parade.