Spring weather will bring everyone out this weekend but the DVP will be closed

By Samantha Knight and Patricia D'Cunha

Last weekend, the GTA was in the middle of a nightmarish storm that included snow, freezing rain, ice pellets, strong winds, and rain. But spring weather is about to make its debut this weekend, with sunshine and temperatures in the low-teens. What a difference a week makes. To celebrate, there are several events happening this weekend to draw you out of hibernation and embracing spring.

In Toronto, city crews are also gearing up for the better weather with its spring cleanup and maintenance work on the Don Valley Parkway. The work was supposed to be done last weekend but was cancelled due to the ice storm and was rescheduled to this weekend. If your planning to take the subway into the city this weekend, a portion of Line 1 will be closed for TTC work.


Events

Earth Day
This weekend, people around the world will be gathering to mark Earth Day on Sunday. While some will be taking part in rallies and festivals, others will be cleaning up their communities and raising awareness about conservation.

In Toronto, communities will come together to clean up public spaces, as part of Clean Toronto Together. Schools and businesses will be taking part in the cleanup on Friday, while the rest of the community will be doing so over the weekend.

At Nathan Phillips Square on Sunday, residents will gather for a free event hosted by Gen-Earth. There will be music by local artists, an arts and crafts tent, vendors offering eco-friendly products, organic and non-GMO food and drinks, and an arts and crafts tent. The event takes place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

North of the city, the Earth Day festival at Downsview Park takes on a more rustic vibe with a sing-along by the fire with marshmallows, tree planting, seed ball making, an urban farm open house, and an pop-up garden centre. The fun also includes cleaning up and beautifying the park, and taking part in arts and crafts.

Purple Rain at Hot Docs
Celebrate the life of Prince at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema this Saturday night. To mark the second anniversary of his death, the cinema will be screening Prince’s 1984 movie, Purple Rain. Guests will be able to sing along to their favourites, including “Let’s Go Crazy,” “When Doves Cry” and of course, “Purple Rain.” Doors open at 9 p.m. and the movie begins at 9:30 p.m.

GTA Invasion: Invasive Species Awareness Day
Experts at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus will be talking about creepy critters and invasive species for the GTA Invasive Species Awareness Day on Saturday. The event will explore what’s being done — and what needs to be done — to manage the threat made by these critters on our ecosystems. It features talks from lead scientists, experts and conservation professionals. There are also sessions for children. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Environmental Science and Chemistry building.

Record Store Day
Record stores across the city will be taking part in the 11th annual Record Store Day this Saturday. The event celebrates independent record shops across the globe with parties, in-store performances and special releases. Some of the locations vinyl enthusiasts can visit include Antikka, Mike’s Music, RotateThis, Tiny Record Shop and Kops Records on Queen, Bloor and the Danforth. After a day of digging through crates, a Record Store Day after party will be held at Henderson Brewing Co. on Sterling Road at 8 p.m.

Pop-up Adventure Playground
An adventure playground will be popping up in the heart of the Toronto this Sunday in celebration of Earth Day 2018. The playground will be set up at Trinity Bellwoods Park from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s designed to stimulate imaginative, unstructured outdoor play. In an effort to reduce waste, the pop-up playground is BYOP (bring your own picnic) so guests are asked to bring food and drinks in reusable containers. Anyone who registers for the event will be entered in a draw to win a Springfree trampoline.

Toronto Sandwich Fest
Sink your teeth into delicious sandwiches this Sunday at the Toronto Sandwich Fest. The event will showcase local vendors from across the city at Wychwood Barns. There will be vendor tastings, wine and beer pairings, a sandwich design competition, eating competition and chef demonstrations. Guests can also take part in a silent auction. All proceeds from the Sandwich Fest will go toward The Stop Community Food Centre and the George Brown College Foundation.

Road and transit info

DVP closure
The parkway will be closed in both directions between Highway 401/404 and the Gardiner Expressway from 11 p.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday. The closure is due to annual spring maintenance.

Partial Line 2 closure
The other half of the U on Line 1 will be out of service this weekend for signal work. Subways won’t be running between St. Clair West and Union stations. Shuttle buses will run between St. Clair West and Spadina stations. Dupont, Museum, Queens Park, St. Patrick and Osgoode stations will be closed.

Streetcar diversion
Streetcars on the 509 Harbourfront and 510/310 Spadina routes will divert from 2 a.m. on Saturday to 5 a.m. on Monday due to tunnel maintenance at Harbourfront.

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