Canada Day fireworks, festivals, parade set for East Toronto this Saturday

East Toronto will have numerous ways to celebrate Canada Day this coming Saturday, July 1.

There are fireworks displays planned for Ashbridges Bay Park in the Beach and Stan Wadlow Park in East York, picnics, barbecues and the annual East York Canada Day Parade.

East York’s parade will the 66th annual, and it begins on July 1 at 10:30 a.m. at Dieppe Park (145 Cosburn Ave.) and heads eastwards along Cosburn to end at Stan Wadlow Park (373 Cedarvale Ave.). The parade route follows Cosburn to Woodbine Avenue, then heads north to Trenton Avenue and eastwards towards the park.

The parade is part of the East York Canada Day Festival which goes from 11 a.m. until the start of the fireworks at night on July 1 at Stan Wadlow Park.

The festival features fun activities, games, a kids midway, food and entertainment. There will also be a craft beer market hosted by Muddy York Brewery.

Slated to perform at the Canada Day festival on the Main Stage in Stan Wadlow Park are children’s entertainer Professor Picklethorn; the Meteor Heist Band; the East York All Stars Blues Band; children’s entertainer Dan the Music Man; The Dave Dunlop Quintet; Bad Luck Woman and her Misfortunes; and Trainwreck. There will also be the East York’s Got Talent event on the Main Stage.at 2 p.m.

The opening ceremonies for the festival are at noon at the Main Stage and the MC is Joe Motiki.

The day concludes with the traditional Canada Day fireworks display at the park starting at approximately 10 p.m.

The East York Canada Day Festival is run by a group of dedicated volunteers with the support of the Government of Canada, The City of Toronto, the East York Foundation, Muddy York Brewery, O’Connor’s Meat Market, Sultan of Samosas, and Blue Door Realty Group Inc.

For more info on the July 1 events in East York, please visit the website at https://eycdc.ca/

Ashbridges Bay fireworks

In the Beach on July 1, there will be the City of Toronto’s fireworks display at Ashbridges Bay, foot of Coxwell Avenue at Lake Ontario, starting at 10 p.m. sharp. The Ashbridges Bay fireworks display will last 14 minutes.

Large crowds are expected to attend the display, which can be viewed from anywhere along the Boardwalk. Toronto police are reminding those planning on attending that the use of fireworks on public properties including beaches, parks, parkettes, and sports fields is illegal.

Due to the large crowds and localized road closures, police are urging people to find alternate methods other than driving to get to the Beach on the night of July 1.

The following TTC bus routes serve Woodbine Beach Park and Ashbridges Bay Park: 22A Coxwell and 92A Woodbine. The TTC plans on adding extra buses to those routes on July 1.

Q107 Canada Day Picnic at Woodbine Park

Also in the Beach this weekend will be the annual Q107 Canada Day Picnic at Woodbine Park, 1695 Queen St. E. – northeast of Lake Shore Boulevard East and Coxwell Avenue.

The Q107 Canada Day Picnic will feature food, fun, music and more on the night of Friday, June 30, and during the day and into the evening on Saturday, July 1.

There will be food trucks and a beer garden presented by Muskoka Brewery.

The fun starts on June 30 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. with bands Reckless Bryan (tribute to Bryan Adams) at 6:30 p.m.; Jukebox Heroes (tribute to Foreigner) at 8 p.m.; and Keep the Faith (tribute to Bon Jovi) at 9 p.m.

On July 1, the picnic goes from noon to 11 p.m. Bands slated to perform are After the Gold Rush (tribute to Neil Young) at noon; Monkey Wrench (tribute to the Foo Fighters) at 1:10 p.m.; Aeroforce (tribute to Aerosmith) at 2:15 p.m.; and Pearl Jamming (tribute to Pearl Jam) at 3:45 p.m.; Sheer Heart Attack (tribute to Queen) at 5:15 p.m.; the AC-DC Show – Canada (tribute to AC-DC) at 6:45 p.m.; Floydium (tribute to Pink Floyd) at 8:15 p.m.; and Desire (tribute to U2) at 9:45 p.m.

For more info on the Q107 Canada Day Picnic, please go to https://www.q107canadadayfest.com/

Neighbours Together on Canada Day in Riverdale Park East

The Neighbours Together on Canada Day 2023 celebration takes place in Riverdale Park East on Saturday, July 1.

The fun starts at 11 a.m. in the park (550 Broadview Ave., south of Danforth Avenue). Most of the activities will be centred around the area at the south end of the park, near St. Matthew’s Clubhouse at 450 Broadview Ave. The event continues until 3:30 p.m.

There will be food, children’s activities, presentations by local community groups and entertainment. Slated events include a Lion Dance, singing and dancing, a martial arts demonstration, a barbecue, a Children’s Corner, and a Canada Day birthday cake.

The main organizer of the Canada Day celebration in Riverdale Park East is the Toronto Chinese Chamber of Commerce of East Toronto. Toronto-Danforth Councillor Paula Fletcher is a co-organizer.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 11 Canada Day celebration

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 11 on Dawes Road is inviting residents to a Canada Day celebration on Saturday, July 1, from noon to 7 p.m.

Taking place on the Legion grounds at 9 Dawes Rd., the celebration will feature live music from 2 to 6 p.m. Slated to perform are Ronnie and The Corvairs.

The event will also feature a bouncy castle, a dunk tank, face painting, refreshments and a barbecue.

Each person will receive one free hamburger or hot dog and one piece of birthday cake, while supplies last.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 10 Canada Day celebration

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 10, 1083 Pape Ave., hosts a Canada Day celebration on July 1 from 1 to 6 p.m.

Everyone is invited to come on out to a fun filled Patio Party and celebrate Canada.

There will be an outdoor BBQ, games, jelly bean guess, and raffles for amazing prizes. DJ Jose will be playing tunes from 1 to 3 p.m.; followed by Karaoke with Bill will be from 3 to 6 p.m.

Canada Day Kick-off with the Two Fours at The Hideout in the Beach

Local band The Two Fours will play their Second Annual Canada Day Long Weekend Launch Party on Friday, June 30. Performing upstairs in The Blue Room at The Hideout, 2282 Queen St. E., the group will kick start the weekend with a musical mix of rock, roll, roots, country, blues, and random genres.

The band’s lineup will be Susan Litchen, sax and flute; Wally Hucker, bass; Mark Porter, drums; and special guest local guitar wizard Sean Turner. All four sing lead and background vocals.

Their two-hour show, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., will feature two sets of highly danceable tunes. Adding to the party atmosphere will be door prizes of mounted and framed classic 45 RPM records. Free on street parking is available.

All tickets to the show include an entry for door prize draws. Tickets at $5 in advance, $10 at the door, are available at the bar downstairs at The Hideout, or by contacting the band, at 416-690-5442, or thetwofours@eol.ca (Only 70 tickets are available.)

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