Weekend need-to-know: Celebrate Easter with egg hunts and parades across the GTA

Easter events will be taking over the GTA this weekend with something for everyone.

A long weekend also means some businesses will be closed. Check out what’s open and closed for Good Friday and Easter Sunday here. There will also be a TTC closure on Line 2 on Saturday and Sunday.

GTA Easter Events

Beaches Easter Parade: The annual Beaches Easter Parade will be held on Sunday at 2 p.m. It will kick off on Queen Street East at Munro Park before heading west along Queen and ending at Woodbine Avenue.

Pickering Easter Parade: The annual Easter Parade in Bay Ridges will be happening on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. There will be complimentary burgers and hot dogs, along with games and live entertainment. It starts at Annland Street and runs to Kinsmen Park.

Meet the Easter Bunny at Cloverdale Mall: Until March 30, you can get a picture taken with the Easter Bunny at Cloverdale Mall in Etobicoke. You can reserve your spot online to have a one-on-one meeting with the bunny and also enter the Easter Egg Colouring Contest.

Markham Easter Fun Fest: The Easter Fun Fest will take over the Markham Fairgrounds this weekend with rides, games, and activities galore. Tickets are available now.

Good Friday Procession: Every year during Holy Week, St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Toronto holds an annual Good Friday Procession commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Good Friday Procession starts on Friday at 3 p.m. at St. Francis of Assisi Church, and goes through the Little Italy neighbourhood, before circling back to the church.

One of Kind Spring Sale

The annual One of Kind Spring Sale is happening this weekend featuring over 400 vendors, including artisans, designers and creators from coast to coast.

There will also be daily fashion shows and main stage speakers that allow you to immerse yourself in the creative community of artisans. Tickets are available on their website now.

It kicks off on Wednesday and will run until Sunday at 5 p.m. at the Enercare Centre. The sale will be open late on Thursday until 10 p.m.

Toronto Zoo Spring Marketplace

The annual Spring Marketplace is happening this weekend at the Toronto Zoo. Over 40 artisans and producers will be at the indoor/outdoor market. There will be vendor offerings and seasonal food and beverage as you take in the blossoming Rouge National Urban Park.

Admission to the marketplace is free with a Toronto Zoo ticket.

TTC/GO closures

TTC service updates

There will be no subway service on Line 2 between St. George and Woodbine stations on Saturday, March 30, and Sunday, March 31, 2024, for track work. Shuttle buses will be operating.

GO Transit

No GO Transit closures to report.

Road closures

Weekend temporary road closures

There are no Gardiner Expressway closures this weekend.

Beaches Easter Parade

Full road closure will take place on Queen Street East and parts of Nursewood Road, Woodbine Avenue, and Lake Shore Boulevard East for the Beaches Easter Parade on Sunday, March 31, at 2 p.m.

A number of secondary roads will also be closed or partially closed, affecting traffic flow in the area.

• Road closure: 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (partial road): Queen Street East, from Munroe Park Avenue to Fallingbrook Road
• Road closure: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (full road): Queen Street East, from Munroe Park Avenue to Fallingbrook Road; Nursewood Road, from Queen Street East to #24 Nursewood Road
• Road closure: 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (full road): Queen Street East, from Woodbine Avenue to Fallingbrook Road
• Road closure: 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (full road): Woodbine Avenue, from Queen Street East to Lake Shore Boulevard East//Lake Shore Boulevard East, from Coxwell Avenue to Woodbine Avenue

Ongoing city closures

• O’Connor Drive is down to a single lane each way between Bermondsey and Sandra for road reconstruction and sewer and watermain installation until the summer of 2024.
• The Yonge and Bloor intersection will be reduced to a single lane all ways for condo construction and sewer installation until 2025.
• University Avenue will be reduced to a single lane in both directions between College Street and Queen Street West to complete several infrastructure projects for the next several months.
• Queen Street is fully closed to traffic between Bay and Victoria Streets to accommodate work on a new station for the Ontario Line subway. The closure is scheduled to last for at least four-and-a-half years until 2027.
• Northbound Yonge Street is reduced to one lane between Wellington and King Streets for TTC construction. The project is scheduled to continue into 2024.
• Two northbound lanes of Yonge Street from King Street to Wellington Street are closed for TTC construction until Sept. 30, 2024.
• Two westbound lanes of Lake Shore Boulevard East from Cherry Street to Carlaw Avenue are closed until April 10, 2024.
• Finch Avenue West is reduced to a single lane in both directions from Dufferin to Wilmington for sewer installation until October 2024.
• Eglinton Avenue West is down to a single lane east of Islington and west of Scarlett Road for tunnelling work related to the multi-year Eglinton Crosstown West Extension project.
• Front Street will be reduced to one lane in each direction from Cherry Street to Trinity Street for the installation of a new sanitary sewer and water lines for a new condominium building from 8 a.m. on Monday, March 11 to 5 p.m. on Friday, March 29.
• The Esplanade will be closed to private vehicles between Jarvis and George Streets to replace a gas main and associated gas pipeline work from 7 a.m. on Wednesday, March 13 to 7 p.m. on Friday, April 5. Access will be maintained for TTC bus routes, pedestrians and cyclists with the assistance of Paid Duty Officers and Traffic Control personnel.