The City will offer a wide variety of activities and attractions for residents on Monday, May 20, including the annual Victoria Day fireworks display at Ashbridges Bay Park. Many family attractions will be open. City-operated recreation centres, however, will be closed and recreation programs will not operate on Monday.
Fireworks at Ashbridges Bay
The City will present Victoria Day fireworks at Ashbridges Bay Park starting at 10 p.m. on Monday, May 20. The show will feature about 2,000 individual fireworks, with a spectacular finale. Ashbridges Bay Park is located on Lake Shore Boulevard East at the foot of Coxwell Avenue and is readily accessible by public transit. Attendees are encouraged to use public transit and leave personal vehicles at home. Information about TTC schedules and routes is available at http://www.ttc.ca.
City bylaws prohibit the public from setting off or selling fireworks in any City of Toronto park. Enforcement officers will be onsite to help ensure a safe and enjoyable event at Ashbridges Bay Park.
Golf at municipal courses
Toronto’s five municipal golf courses are located on beautiful parklands and offer early-bird rates. These affordable, high-quality and TTC-accessible courses are open daily, including Victoria Day. More information about City-run golf courses is available at http://toronto.ca/golf.
Tennis courts
All public tennis courts will have nets up and will be available for use throughout the Victoria Day weekend. Public sites are free and available to the public. Tennis players are asked to share the courts by limiting their play time to half-hour intervals if others are waiting to use the courts. More information about public tennis courts is available at
http://toronto.ca/tennis.
Riverdale Farm
Riverdale Farm is representative of a 19th-century Ontario farm and is home to heritage breeds such as Shorthorn cows, Tamworth pigs and Cotswold sheep. The farm is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is free. More information is available at http://toronto.ca/parks/zoo and http://riverdalefarmtoronto.ca/ or by calling 311.
High Park’s animal display
Victoria Day is a great time to see the High Park Animal Display’s spring babies. This attraction is open daily from 7 a.m. to dusk. More information is available at http://toronto.ca/parks/zoo.
Toronto Island Park
The City has switched to its summer ferry schedule, offering trips to the islands every 15 minutes. Toronto Island Park is a great place for a scenic picnic, hike or bike ride, and features the interactive Franklin Children’s Garden. Many attractions offered by independent operators are also onsite, including Centreville Theme Park and Far Enough Farm. Ferry tickets can be purchased in advance at http://toronto.ca/ferry. Information about the amusement park and farm are available at http://www.centreisland.ca.
Splash pads
Splash pads will begin to operate across the city on Saturday, May 18, with a few exceptions at sites that are undergoing maintenance or are located on outdoor pool decks. Splash pads operate daily from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and are activated with push-button features. Caregivers are reminded to supervise their children at these are unsupervised water-play areas. Information about splash-pad locations is available at https://www.toronto.ca/swim or by calling 311.
Conservatories
Flowers are in full bloom at Centennial Park Conservatory (151 Elmcrest Rd.) and Allan Gardens Conservatory (19 Horticultural Ave.). Both conservatories are open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is free. Information is available by calling Centennial Park Conservatory at 416-394-8543 and Allan Gardens Conservatory at 416-392-7288, or by visiting http://toronto.ca/conservatories.
Toronto History Museums
Two of the City’s 10 Toronto History Museums – Fort York and Spadina Museum – will be open on Monday, May 20.
At Fort York on Monday, visitors can join a guided tour, take part in a soldier’s drill or watch historic cooking demonstrations in one of the oldest kitchens in Toronto. Visitors can also stop by the Fort York Visitor Centre and explore immersive and interactive exhibits on the history of Toronto and the fort. Tours take place every hour on the hour, drill classes at 11 a.m. and 1 and 3 p.m., with ongoing historic cooking demonstrations.
Spadina Museum will offer regular tours of the 1920s mansion on Monday. Visitors can see through the eyes of the Austin family that made it their home. The Austins were a prominent family whose struggles and triumphs were closely tied to those of Toronto at the start of the 20th century.
The remaining eight historic museums will be closed on Monday, but all of the historic sites will be open over the Victoria Day weekend (Saturday and Sunday). The exception is the Market Gallery, which will be closed on Sunday. Admission fees and activities vary by location. More information is available at http://www.toronto.ca/museum-events.
Toronto Zoo
The Toronto Zoo is offering peak-season hours during the May long weekend, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with the last admission/entry at 6 p.m. Visitor highlights include the opening of the summer exhibit Washed Ashore – Art To Save The Sea, an event called the Little Tikes World’s Biggest Play Date (on Saturday, May 18), daily zoo-keeper talks and the Discovery Zone. More information is available at http://www.torontozoo.com.
City of Toronto Archives
The City of Toronto Archives, located at 255 Spadina Rd., will be closed on Monday, May 20. More information is available at http://www.toronto.ca/archives.
Toronto Public Library
All Toronto Public Library branches will be closed on Sunday, May 19 and Monday, May 20. Branches will be open regular hours on Saturday, May 18. You can download and stream ebooks, magazines, movies and music any time via http://tpl.ca/downloads.
Other municipal facilities and services
City of Toronto emergency and 24-hour services will operate throughout the long weekend. City administrative offices and service counters, City-operated child care centres and Children’s Services district offices will be closed on Monday, May 20 (as well as Saturday and Sunday as usual).