Special events, such as parades, ceremonies and fundraising events add vibrancy to the neighbourhood, but most involve road closures of some sort. Upcoming special events will be detailed on our social media and will also be announced at General Members' Meetings.
The City of Toronto has listings for all kinds of art exhibits, charity events, sporting games, street markets and more at www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/.
The City of Toronto has listings for all kinds of art exhibits, charity events, sporting games, street markets and more at www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/.
Annual Events
There are numerous scheduled events that take place annually in the area. Often there are unscheduled events such as protests at Queen's Park that may affect the neighbourhood. In order to assist residents with planning, here are the events that typically reoccur each year.
Event |
Website |
Date |
St. Patrick’s Day Parade |
Sunday in March close to St. Patrick's Day March 17th |
|
Toronto Marathon |
First Sunday in May - no local road closures |
|
Ontario Police Memorial Ceremony of Remembrance |
First Sunday in May |
|
Corrections Ceremony of Remembrance |
Early May |
|
Sporting Life 10k |
Second Sunday in May |
|
Gumball 3000 Rally |
Weekend in late May |
|
Run for Women |
Saturday in mid-June |
|
Word on the Street Festival |
Weekend in mid-June |
|
EpiC Day and Purple Walk for Epilepsy Toronto |
Saturday in mid-June |
|
Yorkville Exotic Car Show |
Father's Day Sunday in June |
|
Trans March |
Last Friday in June |
|
Pride and Remembrance Run |
Last Saturday in June |
|
Dyke March |
Last Saturday in June |
|
Pride Parade |
Last Sunday in June |
|
Toronto Jazz Festival |
Friday in late June to Canada Day long weekend in July |
|
Grassy Narrows River Run |
Thursday in mid-September |
|
Open Streets (ActiveTO) |
Sunday in mid-September and mid-October |
|
Jesus in the City |
Sunday in mid-September |
|
Yorkville Run |
Sunday in mid-September |
|
Journey to Conquer Cancer |
Sunday in mid-June/September |
|
Big Toronto Bike Ride |
Saturday in mid-September |
|
National Police Officers' Memorial Run |
Thursday in late September |
|
Global Climate Strike |
Friday in late September |
|
Community March Against Gun Violence |
Saturday in late September |
|
Ontario Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial |
Sunday in early October |
|
Light Up Toronto For Safe Streets |
Sunday in early October |
|
Queen's Park Remembrance Day Ceremony |
November 11th |
|
Santa Claus Parade |
Third Sunday in November |
Upcoming Events - 2023
Details of upcoming events are posted when details have been confirmed. Please keep that many events involve road closures and increased pedestrian traffic, so plan your activities accordingly.
The St. Patrick’s Day Parade starts at 12 noon on Sunday March 20th from the corner of St. George Street and Bloor Street West. The route goes east on Bloor Street, south on Yonge Street, west on Queen Street and ends at Nathan Phillips Square around 1:30 pm. Road closures start at 8 am until about 2 pm. www.stpatrickstoronto.com
Clean Toronto Together is an annual event on Earth Day weekend where residents get together to pick up litter in local parks. Details are still being finalized for this year's event. It will take place on Saturday April 22nd, likely early afternoon for an hour long cleanup of laneways, parks and streets in the Bay Cloverhill neighbourhood. If you are interested in participating, email us at info@baycloverhill.com.
.
.
Bumrun Toronto is a 5k walk/run event on Sunday April 30th to raise awareness of colon cancer screening/prevention. Little Bums is a 500 m event for kids up to and including 12 years. Funds raised go to colon cancer charities, including the Colorectal Cancer Resource & Action Network. The route is Queen’s Park Crescent south to College Street, north on Spadina Road, east on Bloor Street West, south on Bay Street, west on Wellesley Street West before returning to Queen’s Park Crescent West. Road closures start at 8 am. Little Bums race start is at 11:40 am with the main event scheduled for 12 noon. www.bumrun.com
The Ontario Police Memorial Foundation will host the 24th annual Ceremony of Remembrance at the Ontario Police Memorial, Whitney Plaza, 23 Queen’s Park Crescent East, on Sunday May 7th at 11 am. The event will honour police officers who have died in the line of duty, and support their families. The reading of the honour roll starts at 10 am where 5 names will be added to the Memorial. A parade is also scheduled. Street closures from 8 am to 2 pm for Queen’s Park Crescent, Hoskin Avenue, Grosvenor Street, St. Joseph Street and Charles Street adjacent to Queen’s Park. www.ceremonyofremembrance.ca
The Toronto Marathon takes place on Sunday May 7th. There are no road closures in the Bay Cloverhill neighbourhood, but expect road closures along the event route from the start area at Yonge Street and Sheppard Avenue to the finish line at the Queen Elizabeth Building on the Exhibition Grounds. www.torontomarathon.com
March for Life is an anti abortion rally that will be at Queen’s Park on Friday May 12th. Details are being finalized, with the event starting around 11:30 am. A march through downtown Toronto will likely happen between 1:30 pm to 3 pm. www.torontomarchforlife.ca
The Sporting Life 10k happens on Sunday May 14th, starting at 6:30 am at Yonge Street and Davisville Avenue. The route goes south along Yonge Street, west along Richmond Street, south on York Street, west along Bremner Boulevard, then west along Lake Shore Boulevard West where it ends at the Exhibition Grounds/Ontario Place around 11 am. The goal is to raise over $2 m for Campfire Circle, dedicated to kids and families with childhood cancer. www.sportinglife10k.ca
The Word on the Street Festival will take over Queen’s Park Crescent from Bloor Street to Wellesley Street on Saturday May 27th from noon to 7 pm and Sunday May 28th from 10 am to 6 pm. Normally held in September, the festival commemorates Canadian writing and literacy. Readings from over 100 authors will be featured, as well as an outdoor marketplace. www.toronto.thewordonthestreet.ca
Doors Open will happen on Saturday May 27th and Sunday May 28th. Participating buildings have not yet been announced. www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/doors-open-toronto/
- The Run for Women happens on Saturday June 10th. Road closures are in place from 5 am to 11:30 am. 1,500 walkers and runners participate in a 1k Little Steps, 5k walk/run or 10k run in support of the Department of Psychiatry at Women’s College Hospital. The event starts at Women's College Hospital at 76 Grenville Street at 7 am. During the event, Surrey Place and Queen’s Park Crescent will be inaccessible. The route is a loop from Bloor Street to Bay Street to St. Joseph Street to Queen's Park Crescent West to Wellesley Street West to Queen's Park Crescent East to College Street to Spadina Avenue. Streets between Bay Street and Queen’s Park Crescent will be closed including: Grosvenor Street, Grenville Street, College Street, St. Mary Street and St. Joseph Street. In addition, southbound Bay Street will be closed from Bloor Street to St. Joseph Street, westbound College Street closed from Queens Park Crescent to Spadina Avenue and northbound Spadina Avenue closed from College Street to Bloor Street. The event website is www.runforwomen.ca.
EpiC Day and Purple Walk is Saturday June 17th from 12 noon to 4 pm. Epilepsy Toronto celebrates the strength and resilience of the epilepsy community, with optional fundraising, on a walk from College Park. Participants will be accompanied by a police escort with rolling closures between 1 and 2 pm from College Park: northbound on Bay Street, eastbound on Bloor Street, southbound on Yonge Street, westbound on Queen Street and back northbound on Bay Street, back to College Park. www.epilepsytoronto.org/about-us/events/epic-day-and-purple-walk/
The Journey to Conquer Cancer happens on Sunday June 18th starting at Varsity Stadium at 299 Bloor Street West. Participants walk/run 1, 3 and 5 km routes that pass by Princess Margaret Cancer Centre via Queen’s Park Circle. www.journey2conquer.ca
The 13th annual Yorkville Exotic Car Show returns on Father’s Day, Sunday June 18th. Details are being finalized, expect closures on Bloor Street between Avenue Road and Yonge Street. www.yorkvilleexotics.com
Pride events celebrating the LGBTQ+ community are one of the city’s biggest events. Scheduling has not yet been confirmed, but based on past years, there will be street closures in The Village, centered around Church Street. The Trans March will happen on Friday June 23rd from 8 to 9 pm. The route starts at Bloor and Church Streets, going west along Bloor Street, south on Yonge Street and wraps up at Carlton and Church Streets. The Dyke March travels the same route, and is scheduled for Saturday June 24th from 2 to 4 pm. Also that day is the Pride and Remembrance Run from 9 to 11 am. The 3 and 5 k route starts at Church Street and Wellesley Street, goes along Wellesley, then around Queen's Park Crescent East and Queen's Park Crescent West, returning back to the start location. The colourful Pride Parade will return with eco-friendly vehicles on Sunday June 25th from 2 to 6 pm. The parade will launch from Church and Bloor Streets, travel west along Bloor Street, turning south on Yonge Street and wrapping up at Yonge Dundas Square. www.pridetoronto.com
The 36th Toronto Jazz Festival features indoor and outdoor concerts from Friday June 23rd to Sunday July 2nd at multiple locations in the Yorkville and Bay Cloverhill neighbourhoods. Locations to be announced, expect some road closures on the opening weekend in the Queen's Park area. www.torontojazz.com
The 24th annual Jesus in the City musical street pageant takes place on Saturday September 9th starting at 12 noon with a rally at Queen’s Park. The parade route moves north to Bloor Street, east to Yonge Street, then west on College Street, returning to Queen’s Park for a concert. www.jesusinthecity.com
The Yorkville Run is scheduled for Sunday September 10th from 8:30 am to 10:30 am. This 5k event is enjoyed by 1,500 runners and supports over 30 charities, with a fundraising goal of $1m. The event starts and finishes in the Jesse Ketchum School Courtyard at 61 Davenport Road. Road closures will be eastbound Davenport Road, southbound Bay Street, westbound Dundas Street and northbound University Avenue/Queen’s Park Crescent East/Avenue Road. www.yorkvillerun.com
The National Police Officers’ Memorial Run is a 460 km relay that starts in Toronto on Thursday September 21st and ends in Ottawa on Saturday September 23rd at the annual Police and Peace Officer’s Memorial Service held on Parliament Hill. The event is a tribute to fallen officers. The first leg of the 19th annual run starts at the Ontario Police Memorial at Queen’s Park on Thursday September 21st. www.npomr.org
The Ontario Fallen Fire Fighters Memorial is scheduled for Sunday October 1st. Details to be confirmed. www.opffa.org