Celebrate moon landing, summertime fun in Toronto this weekend

“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
-Apollo 11 Mission Commander Neil Armstrong

Fifty years ago on July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 lunar module “Eagle” landed on the moon. Several events are taking place in the city to mark the historic day, two of which are featured below. Click here for more moon landing events, compiled by the Toronto Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.

Aside from the moon landing events, there are other fun things to check out this weekend. As you make your plans, consult the list of road and TTC closures below.

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Events

A festival about the moon
The Aga Khan Museum will be hosting a two-day Moon Landing Festival to mark the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. The festival will feature the exhibit, The Moon: A Voyage Through Time, interactive art such as moon crater sketching and making your own moon music, the ROM’s Travelling Planetarium, films and talks about the moon, as well as live music. Admission to the festival is free but $10 for the exhibit.

‘The Eagle has landed’
For those lucky enough to be around in 1969, they were able to sit down in front of their television sets and watch the epic moments of the Apollo 11 journey to the moon. But even they didn’t get to see it all. This weekend, the Ontario Place Cinesphere will be screening the documentary, Apollo 11, in IMAX — which tells the story of the historic mission using archival footage and 70mm film previously unreleased to the public. The documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

Pizza rules the palate
There can never be too much pizza. If you are a pizza connoisseur or just love food, the three-day Pizza Fest at Ontario Place will be your zen place this weekend. The city’s top restaurants will serving up the best pizza pies and other Italian favourites like spaghetti carbonara and meatball sandwiches. You can also learn to make your own pizza and try out some limoncello. After all that, you may want to get some activities in like foosball and bocce.

Community comes together on Bloor
The local arts and culture scene will descend on Bloor Street West between Dufferin Street and Lansdowne Avenue on Saturday for the Big on Bloor Festival. Check out various art exhibits, buskers, live music, and other fun things like skating in the tennis courts, and a show by Clay and Paper Theatre, to name a few.

Last weekend of Summerlicious
If you haven’t taken advantage of this foodie festival, this is your last weekend to do so. Summerlicious ends on Sunday, so hurry and book those reservations. Around 200 participating restaurants are serving up three-course prix fixe lunch and dinner options priced from $23 to $53. You can also learn about the city’s past through food at several historic sites around the city.

Taste of Vietnam
Now that you have food on the brain, let’s keep it going. Next stop … the Taste of Vietnam. This food festival takes place Friday at Nathan Phillips Square on Friday. The square will be filled with beautiful decorations, the sweet smells of Vietnamese food, music, games and a cultural parade.

Transit

Partial Line 1 closure
On both days this weekend, subways won’t be running on Line 1 between Lawrence and St. Clair stations due to work on the Eglinton Crosstown. Shuttle buses and Wheels-Trans service will be running. Riders travelling southbound on Line 1 who require an elevator should exit at York Mills Station.

Road closures

Big on Bloor Festival (Saturday-Sunday closure): Bloor Street West between Dufferin Street and Lansdowne Avenue will be closed from 8 a.m. on Saturday to 3 a.m. on Sunday.

Junior Carnival Parade and Family Day (Saturday closure): McLevin Avenue from Sewells to Neilson roads, and Neilson from McLevin to Neilson Park Road will be closed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Toronto Triathlon Festival (Sunday closure): Eastbound Gardiner Expressway will be closed from the Humber River to the DVP from 2 a.m. until noon on Sunday. The northbound lanes of the DVP will also be closed from the Gardiner to Eglinton Avenue from 2 a.m. until noon. The eastbound curb lane on Lake Shore Boulevard West will be shut down from Budapest Lane to New Brunswick Way/Remembrance Drive from 5 a.m. until 2 p.m.

Youth Day Toronto (Sunday closure): Yonge Street from Dundas to Queen streets, and Dundas Square from Yonge Street to O’Keefe Lane, will be closed from 9 a.m. until midnight Sunday. There will also be restrictions on the curb lanes of Shuter and Church streets.