Since we’re racing towards Canada Day on Sunday, July 1st, 2012, the questions for Torontonians might be, “What choices do I have for celebrating Canada Day in Toronto? What Canada Day Toronto events are closest to me”?

(Updated 2013-03-20): I plan to check for the 2013 Toronto Canada Day events during June, but many of these Canada Day events in Toronto are annual festivals. So until I link to the as-yet-unwritten “2013 Canada Day in Toronto” article, please check what happened in Toronto in 2012.

Toronto City Hall Recommends Mel Lastman Square for Celebrating Canada Day 2012

Toronto City Hall’s official “special event” for Canada Day 2012 recommends the free celebration at Mel Lastman Square.

This free event includes a fireworks display, as well as music by live bands. Timothy’s World Coffee presents the “pre-show” from 5pm to 8pm. Saidah Bab Talibah, and later the Slkadeliqs (with Justin Nozuka) perform; leading to fireworks at 10:15pm.

The easiest way to find Mel Lastman Square is to take the Yonge subway line to either the Sheppard station or, for true ease of access, the North York Centre.

Other Toronto Parks and Recreation Events

[ Updated 2012-06-25 ]: Thanks to Reddit‘s om_nom_berries for replying about Scarborough’s parade as well as activities in Thomson Park. Let me summarize part of what the City of Toronto’s Parks Forestry and Recreation department has, perhaps just today, posted for Canada Day 2012 in Toronto. This list is generally alphabetical by venue, but sometimes by borough.

• Amesbury Park has pancakes, entertainment and activities from 10am through fireworks at 10pm.
• Ashbridges Bay shoots fireworks at Coxwell and Lakeshore at 9:45, but plan to walk down from Queen Street well before 9pm to avoid being stuck in traffic jams. [ Updated 2012-06-28 ]: The Toronto Star suggested taking the Woodbine 92 bus south from the subway, since it should take you all the way down to Lake Shore Blvd).
• Broadlands Community Centre picnics in the park from 1:30 to 4pm.
• Centennial Park hosts Ribfest during the long weekend, and lights fireworks at 10pm on July 1st.
• East York’s Canada Day Parade starts at 9:30am, departing from 45 Overlea Blvd, through Dieppe Park and ending at Stan Wadlow Park at noon. Also see the Stan Wadlow Park entry, below.
• Milliken Park fireworks will be displayed “at dusk”.
• Scarborough’s Canada Day Parade leaves the Scarborough Civic Centre at 4pm, ending at Lawrence Ave. West and Brimley.
• Stan Wadlow Park‘s activities start at 11am even though the East York parade should only arrive around noon. Put in a 12-hour day by swimming and viewing antique cars, with fireworks around 10:15pm.
• Thomson Park is the site of Scarborough’s Canada Day celebration, from 10am to 4pm.

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Follow the Toronto Parks & Recreation link, Canada Day 2012 in Toronto, to find more details and contact information. I had planned to call 311 for those details, but based on their page, some of the organizers might not be part of Toronto City Hall itself.

Although om_nom_berries also mentioned that entertainment and fireworks have usually been held on Canada Day at Weston Lions Park, on Lawrence Ave. West, I could not find a reference in the Parks and Recreation page for 2012. The Toronto Star reported that Frances Nunziata does hold the Weston Lions Club event on Canada Day. She also mentioned the “Festival of Football“, but the charitable soccer fundraising event I found online is slated for Aug. 18th at Eglinton Flats, at Jane and Eglinton.

City of Toronto Museums for Canada Day 2012

[ Updated 2012-06-28 ]: Some of Toronto’s civic museums also offer special programs for Canada Day, although some might be specific for 2012 and the centenary of the War of 1812. What do they offer?

• Colbourne Lodge, in High Park, freely commemorates the War of 1812 from noon to 4:30pm. They highlight the heroic First Nations, discuss the history and provide participative performances.
• Fort York, of course, commemorates the War of 1812 from 10-5. This venue will charge admission.
• MacKenzie House is also open 10am to 5pm with no admission charge. This year is the 175th anniversary of the Upper Canada Rebellion, an attempt to initiate responsible government.
• Mongomery’s Inn provides a Dominion Day celebration for $10 plus tax, from 1-4pm, at Dundas & Islington.
• Scarborough Museum, near Brimley and Lawrence, freely presents Dominion Day. Check the above link; apparently they need contestants to eat the most pies made from traditional recipes.
• Spadina Museum combines Dominion Day with the Diamond Jubilee, so iron your 1927-style formal costumes and join the free garden party from noon to 4pm. Expect music, refreshments, games and a mystery.
• Todmorden Mills, on Pottery Road, invites you to BYOP (“Bring Your Own Picnic”) although they might top it up with some treats. Also, PWYC (“Pay What You Can”) for admission from noon to 4pm.

Metro Toronto Zoo Begins the African Arts and Culture Festival

Actually, the Metro Toronto Zoo gets a one-day jump on Canada Day by starting its African Arts and Culture Festival on June 30th.

Running through Sept. 3rd, the zoo will showcase performers, interpreters and artists in its African Savanna section.

Although it’s possible to use the TTC 85B bus or 86A bus, I’d rather drive east to the Toronto Zoo if it’s any distance at all. Exit from Highway 401 to northbound Meadowvale Road, and the signs should guide you.

(Added April 5, 2014): CityPASS offers discount tickets to Toronto attractions, including the Metro Toronto Zoo. You buy the voucher online, print it and take it to your first destination; let’s say it’s the zoo. They give you the coupon booklet but remove the zoo tickets. Visit the next four attractions, where helpful staff relieve your booklet of tickets but leave you with the rest of the information. You save over $40 by spending about $70. The voucher is good for almost two years, but you have to use all the discount admission tickets within nine days. This is terrific for tourists looking for multiple things to do in Toronto, or for a hometown stay-cation: use discount tickets to Casa Loma, the CN Tower, Metro Toronto Zoo, Ontario Science Centre and the Royal Ontario Museum in a nine day adventure.

Celebrate Canada Day at Woodbine Park and Ashbridge’s Bay with Canada Day Toronto Events

Signs have been posted around Woodbine Park to advertise Canada Day celebrations for July 1st. The most solid online promise, however, is made by Beaches Living in “Event Listings“: “fireworks…at Ashbridge’s Bay Park”, sometime around 9:30pm.

Toronto’s Eastern Beaches are always good for a day on the sand or on playgrounds. Parking spaces at the foot of Coxwell at Lake Shore Blvd East can fill up quickly on holiday weekends, and the Queen 501 Streetcar will probably still be indisposed due to construction. The best transit bet is the Coxwell 22 bus south from the Danforth subway. Cyclists should use the Martin Goodman Trail; just be prepared to share the asphalt with pedestrians, roller bladers, runners, leashed dogs and small children.

Fireworks at Downsview Park in Toronto

It’s not clear whether the fireworks celebrating Canada Day at Downsview Park on July 1st will be a one-time event to mark “the opening of the national urban park”, or whether this is an annual event in Toronto. The timing is “dusk”, so head for Sheppard Ave at Keele St, or take a 41, 84, 106, 108 (but not 108A) bus. Since I’m not personally familiar with this park, I’d plan on arriving in the afternoon with a picnic dinner; and then ask the locals where the fireworks event will take place.

Queen’s Park Celebrates Canada Day

Ontario’s MPPs are busy with budget planning,  which may explain why the Queen’s Park notice is extremely terse.

They offer “fun and free activities for families” in the park, for an unspecified time. Take the Bloor-Danforth subway or the 506 Carlton streetcar to University Ave. at College St.

If their images from previous years is any indication, there may be entertainment from diverse cultural groups, plus photo-ops with smiling politicians.  Even though the host is the provincial government, I’d count these festivities at Queen’s Park as Toronto Canada Day events.

A Canada Day Parade in East York

The East York Canada Day Parade starts at 9:30 at the East York Towne Centre. I’ll tip my hat again to Beaches Online’s “Event Listings“; they list the parade route in greater detail.

Other Picnics and Festivals for Toronto’s Canada Day

Black Creek Pioneer Village celebrates Dominion Day, as it was known in bygone years, from 11am to 5pm. Regular admission prices would apply, I’m certain. Find your way to 1000 Murray Ross Parkway, at Steeles Ave. and Jane St.

Harbourfront Centre spends four days for the July 1st holiday with a plethora of activities on Queen’s Quay. They note quite a few musical entertainers. Follow that link, then click on an artist’s link to find the schedule for that performer. For example, the Airplane Boys perform on June 29 from 10-11pm. Admission is free to that performance thanks to CIBC; this bank calls the festival “Canada Day: Going Global”.

Another southern event is the annual CHIN International Picnic from June 30 through July 2. Admission to the CNE grounds, aka Exhibition Place, is free, thanks to sponsors like ScotiaBank. They too offer musical entertainment. Find your way to Strachan Ave. just north of Lake Shore Blvd W., perhaps by taking transit down from the Dufferin or Bathhurst subway stations.

Here’s a shout-out and thank you to the Toronto.About.com site for the ideas in this section. They have even more ideas, but I left a few behind…including museums and cruises.

Plus a late-breaking “Thanks” to the people using Reddit: Toronto for suggesting the Digital Dreams Music Festival at the Molson Canadian Ampitheatre inside Ontario Place, and various other selected venues on June 30 and July 1, 2012. By the time I wrote this, only the most expensive tickets were left. Decide which artists excite you the most from the DigiDreamsFest site; but my vote for imaginative backstory goes to Major Lazer.

[ Updated 2012-06-25 thanks to the Toronto Star newspaper]: The Multicultural Canada Day celebration takes over Yonge-Dundas Square on Sunday July 1st, 2012 from noon to 9pm. Cultural and heritage entertainment will begin with First Nations dancing, followed by other artists from several continents.

Outdoors with Pride before and on Canada Day 2012

One hopes that the gay, lesbian and indeed all the LGBTTIQQ2SA communities will forgive me for needing a reminder of Pride Week and the outdoors activities. The first two noted here are on June 30, but the signature Pride Parade is spot on Canada Day.

Run or walk the “Pride and Remembrance” 5Km fundraising event on June 30th. Watch the start at Yonge and Wellesley at 10am. You can still register online through June 29th. Follow the link and click on the “Registration is Open!” table of entry fees to get to the input form.

The Dyke March also takes place on June 30, 2012, starting from Church & Hayden at 2pm. The route goes north to Bloor, west to Yonge, south to Carlton and east to Allan Gardens.

The Pride Parade follows on Sunday July 1st, also with a 2pm start time. Heading west from Church along Bloor, the parade turns south on Yonge to Gerrard and ends again on Church Street.

Over the years, Toronto City Hall politicians have shown different degrees of support for Pride Week in Toronto. However, the LGBT community has enough votes that this festival cannot be ignored by elected officials.

The Homework Assignment for Canada Day 2012 in Toronto

If none of the above options for celebrating Canada Day in Toronto tickles your fancy, or are too far from your neighbourhood, then your homework assignment is to keep your eyes open for local celebrations. DeHaan Services welcomes your comments: please tip us off with your recommendations for your favourite Canada Day events in Toronto. We’d like to cover all Toronto summer attractions, especially on Canadian holidays.

Looking for More Annual Toronto Events?

Disclaimer: DeHaan Services has no relationship to the organizers, who do not reimburse me for writing this article.

Thanks for reading about your Canada Day 2012 celebration choices in Toronto.