Father’s Day in Toronto: Where to take dad this weekend

By Patricia D'Cunha and Samantha Knight

This weekend is all about giving back to fathers. While some dads may prefer to chill out at home or in the backyard, others may want to be out and about. This is their weekend, so spend it doing what they like to do. If you and your dad are venturing out and are not sure what to do, below is a planner to help you along.


Events

Taste of Little Italy
World Cup enthusiasts and foodies will converge on College Street starting Friday evening and throughout the weekend for the Taste of Little Italy. If you are hungry for soccer, tasty food, music, and live entertainment, the festival has something for everyone. Some of the yummy food includes wood-fired pizza and various flavours of gelato, as well as tastings and samples to tempt your appetite. Children will also be treated to carnival rides and a learn-to-skate park where they can safely scoot or skateboard.

Beaches Rib Fest
Treat your father to some of the tastiest barbecued meats in the city at the Beaches Rib Fest at Woodbine Park. The three-day festival starts on Friday featuring top-notch barbecue teams serving up pork and beef ribs, smoked sausage, beef brisket, and pork parfait — layers of pulled pork, mashed potatoes, barbecue sauce and other toppings. Enjoy your feast with beer from local craft breweries. There will also be live music and family-friendly fun. Proceeds raised from the event will be donated to Camp Bucko, to help send kids to camp.

Nuit Rose
As part of Pride Month in the city, Nuit Rose returns for its fifth annual festival of queer art and performance on Saturday night. This year’s event theme is “Unbound” — featuring art that crosses both real and imagined borders. The Art Crawl includes programming across West Queen West and the Church-Wellesley Village from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., along with the first parade of Pride month. The Nuit Rose Light Parade gets underway at 9 p.m. at Alexander Street Parkette and ends at Barbara Hall Park with live entertainment. Participants can attend a free lantern-making workshop at The 519 on the afternoon of the parade.

Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival
International dragon boat teams will be descending on Toronto Island this weekend for the 30th annual Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival. The two-day festival will welcome upwards of 200 teams from across Canada, the U.S., the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. The event includes 500-metre and 200-metre races, with mixed, women’s, breast cancer survivors and open teams. Time trials will take place on Saturday. There will also be live entertainment and food vendors for teams to enjoy after their races.

Blue Jays Celebrate Father’s Day
Take your dad out to the ball game this Father’s Day weekend. The Blue Jays will be celebrating Father’s Day on Sunday, transforming the WestJet Flight Deck into the ultimate dad’s den where he can enjoy his favourite things. First pitch is at 1:07 p.m., with the Jays facing the Washington Nationals.

Father’s Day Brewery Crawl
Treat dad to a brewery crawl this Father’s Day. The event kicks off at Big Rock Brewery on Liberty Street at noon, where you and your dad can eat, sample some beers and enjoy a pint in the beer shop. After that, the crawl will head to Junction Brewery, Shacklands Brewery and Big Rock’s Etobicoke brewery before heading back to Liberty Commons. All transportation, beverages and snacks are included in the ticket price. Dog and cat dads are also welcome to attend.

Yorkville Exotic Car Show
If your dad is a car buff, then the Yorkville Exotic Car Show is the place to be this Sunday. Guests can walk the red carpet and see over 100 classic and exotic cars. The eighth annual event runs from noon to 5 p.m., shutting down Bloor Street between Avenue Road and Bay Street. A total of 11 car corrals will be on display, and highlights of the show include the 2018 Acura NSX, 2008 Bugatti Veyron and the 2018 McLaren 720S. Admission is free. Donations and funds raised through sponsorships support Prostate Cancer Canada.

Journey to Conquer Cancer Run or Walk
This Sunday, lace up your sneakers to help raise money for cancer research or patient care programs at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. You can choose which cancer team you want to support and select either the five-kilometre, three-kilometre, or one-kilometre routes. The run-walk starts at 9 a.m. on Orde Street, near Princess Margaret Cancer Centre on University Avenue, with closing ceremonies at 10:30 a.m.

Sunday Afternoons in Trillium Park
Whether you are celebrating Father’s Day or soaking up the Sunday afternoon sun, enjoy some live music near the waterfront at Ontario Place. Trillium Park is place to be for live music on most Thursday nights and Sunday afternoons. Ahead of the show, you can take a walk along the waterfront trail and grab a bite to eat at one of the snack bars.

Road closures

Toronto Waterfront 10K

  • University Avenue will be closed from the south side of Dundas Street West to the north side of Queen Street West from 4:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Saturday
  • The westbound lanes of Lake Shore Boulevard West will be closed from the west side of Bathurst Street to the east side of British Columbia Drive from 4:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
  • Lake Shore Boulevard West will be shut down from the east side of British Columbia Drive to the west side of Remembrance Drive from 4:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
  • Other local roads will also be closed. Click here for a full list.

 

Taste of Little Italy
College Street will be closed between Bathurst and Shaw streets from 6 p.m. on Friday to 3 a.m. on Monday

Highland Creek Heritage Festival
Old Kingston Road will be closed between Watson and Kingston roads, and Morrish Road between Kingston Road and the south side of 226 Morrish Rd. from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday

Thrill of the Grill
Danforth Avenue between Broadview and Jackman Avenues will be closed on Saturday, from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

North by North East
Yonge Street will be closed from Dundas to Queen, and Dundas Square will be closed from Yonge to O’Keefe Lane from 12:01 a.m. on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday.

Journey to Conquer Cancer Run or Walk
University Avenue will be closed between Bloor Street West and Wellington Street on Sunday, from 8 a.m. until noon.

Yorkville Exotic Car Show
Bloor Street West will be closed between Avenue Road and Bay Street from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday.

World Partnership Walk
The following closures will be in effect from 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. on Sunday.

  • King Street West, south curb lane, from David Pecaut Square to Simcoe Street
  • Simcoe Street from King Street West to Wellington Street West
  • Wellington Street West, westbound lanes, from David Pecaut Square to Simcoe Street
  • Wellington Street West from Simcoe Street to University Avenue
  • University Avenue from Wellington Street West to the bottom end of Queen’s Park Crescent

 

Family Fun Fit East End Kids of Steel Triathlon
The westbound lanes of Kingston Road will be closed from the Danforth Avenue split to Birchmount Road from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday

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