Toronto 
The grandest of all Toronto parades returns on August 1st with floats of grandeur, MAS bands, the most extravagant and colourful costumes and a whole lot of festivity.
Toronto Caribbean Carnival
If you are planning to attend this year’s Toronto Caribbean Carnival Parade (you should at least once), here is what you should know about getting to and attending the parade.
Contents:
- When & Where
- How Much
- How to Get There
- Road closure
- How to get to the Exhibition grounds and Lakeshore Blvd West Parade viewing areas:
- TTC Route Changes
When & Where:
It is the 59th anniversary of the Grande Parade this year, and the parade assembles around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, August 1, with the parade starting at around 10 a.m. The entire parade festivities will last until 8 p.m.
Parade Route:
The Parade route is approximately 4 km long. From the parade assembling lots 854, 856, 855 near Dufferin St, the parade will travel via Princes’ Boulevard, Canada Boulevard, and then west along Lake Shore Boulevard West, along Martin Goodman Trail and Marilyn Bell Park.
The parade will turn approximately 100 metres west of Jameson Avenue and travel east on Lake Shore Boulevard West to enter the Exhibition grounds via British Columbia Road, ending the parade at the start location.
You may like:
How Much:
The parade is free to view from Lake Shore Blvd W.
The best places to see it free of charge are Marilyn Bell Park (1095 Lake Shore Blvd W), Inukshuk Park (789 Lake Shore Blvd W) and Martin Goodman Trail. There are washrooms and food service at Marilyn Bell Park and Inukshuk Park.
The viewing from the Exhibition grounds is ticketed and costs:
Kids Aged 6 to 16: $25.00
Adults: $45
Seniors (65+): $25.00
VIP: $210.00
The Centennial Park within the grounds has a kids’ play zone.
The Grand Stage area will have plenty of entertainment, and here is where you can enjoy the opening ceremony.
The VIP zone tickets cost $210 and include VIP grandstand seating & prime Lakeshore view, Caribbean continental breakfast & carnival lunch, complimentary coffee & non-alcoholic beverages.
How to Get There:
Road closure:
As expected, Lake Shore Boulevard West and surrounding roads near the Exhibition grounds will be closed to vehicle traffic from Saturday, August 1 at 12 a.m. and continue until Sunday, August 2 at 6 a.m., including:
- Lake Shore Boulevard West from Fort York Boulevard to Colborne Lodge Drive
- Lake Shore Boulevard West westbound between Bathurst Street and Fort York Boulevard is open to local traffic only
- Strachan Avenue southbound from Fleet Street
The following Gardiner Expressway ramps will close at 12 a.m. on Saturday, August 1:
- Westbound Gardiner Expressway on ramp at Jameson Avenue
- Eastbound Gardiner Expressway off ramp at Jameson Avenue
- Eastbound Gardiner Expressway on ramp from Jameson Avenue, and Lake Shore Boulevard West at British Columbia Road
- Westbound Gardiner Expressway off ramp at Dunn Avenue
- Lake Shore Boulevard West will close to traffic at 12 a.m. from westbound Strachan Avenue to Parkside Drive, and eastbound Lake Shore Boulevard West from Colborne Lodge Drive to Strachan Avenue
- The Princes’ Gates will remain closed to vehicle traffic on Saturday, August 1 starting at 1 a.m.
Restricted Access Points:
To assist with the flow of traffic and minimize disruptions to residents, the following streets will be restricted to local traffic only:
- Dufferin Street south of King Street West
- Dowling Avenue south of King Street West
- Stadium Road south of Lake Shore Boulevard West
- Queens Quay West, west of Bathurst Street
- Springhurst Avenue, west of Jameson Avenue
- Springhurst Avenue, east of Jameson Avenue
- Remembrance Drive
Other streets, although not restricted to vehicles, will be strictly enforced for parking infractions. These streets include those south of King Street West, east of Colborne Lodge Drive, and west of Bathurst Street.
As per the Toronto Police news release, illegally parked vehicles, including tour buses, on Lake Shore Boulevard West, Bathurst Street, Fleet Street, King Street West, Queen Street West, Roncesvalles Avenue, Dufferin Street, and The Queensway will be tagged and towed. This policy applies to all areas, including grassed sections.
Vehicles parked illegally in the Parkdale area and in the Stadium Road area will also be tagged and towed.
How to get to Exhibition Grounds and Free Lakeshore Blvd West Parade Viewing Areas:
The best way to get to the Exhibition Grounds if you are travelling from outside of downtown is to take the Go Train, get off at the Exhibition, and walk.
The ticketed area gates (Princess Gate, Go Station Entrance, Dufferin Gate Entrance) are located at Dufferin St (Centennial Park, 14 Saskatchewan Rd) and Nova Scotia Ave at Manitoba Drive.
If you plan to access free areas, Lakeshore Blvd West will be closed to pedestrians in both directions from Strachan to Dowling Bridge. There will not be any access to Lakeshore Blvd West from the Exhibition grounds as Bridges 7 & 8 will be closed.
To get to Inukshuk Park or Martin Goodman Trail from Exhibition, you will need to walk east along Manitoba Dr. to Strachan Ave., then head south on Strachan Ave to Lake Shore Blvd., cross Lake Shore Blvd to Remembrance Dr. and continue south.
TTC/Go Train:
- From Union Station, you can take the 509 Harbourfront streetcar westbound to Exhibition Loop at Manitoba Drive. Walk south, following signs to the Grande Parade.
- Take Line 2 to Dufferin Station, then take the southbound to Dufferin Gate Loop.
- Another option is to take Line 2 to Dufferin Station. From there, there will be extra express bus service – Carnival Express Shuttle, 929 Dufferin Express or the 29 Dufferin bus – to Dufferin Gate Loop.
Pedestrian access to Marilyn Bell Park is via Dowling Ave and Dowling Bridge.
Lake Shore Boulevard West is closed to traffic from Colborne Lodge Drive and Bathurst Street. Lakeshore Blvd West will be closed to pedestrians in both directions from Strachan to Dowling Bridge.
Another option is to enter via Lake Shore Boulevard West and Parkside Drive and walk to Marilyn Bell Park via Martin Goodman Trail (2.2 km ~30 minutes).
If you are planning to drive, you will have to find parking lots outside of these road closure areas.
TTC Route Changes:
- 80 Queensway: 80 Queensway eastbound buses will divert along The Queensway to Roncesvalles Avenue and Howard Park Avenue from Saturday, August 1 at 12:01 a.m. to Sunday, August 2 at 4 a.m.
- 307 Bathurst: 307 Bathurst buses will divert southbound from Fort York Boulevard via Fleet Street and Manitoba Drive to Exhibition Loop from Saturday, August 1 at 12:01 a.m. to Sunday, August 2 at 4 a.m.
- 503 Kingston Road: 503 Kingston Road streetcar service will be extended to Sunnyside Loop via King Street and The Queensway from Saturday, August 1 at 8 a.m. to Sunday, August 2 at 1 a.m.
- 504B King: 504B King streetcars will be redirected to Sunnyside Loop from Saturday, August 1 at 6:30 a.m. to Sunday, August 2 at 12:30 a.m.
- 510 Spadina: 510 Spadina streetcars will turn back at Spadina and Queens Quay on Saturday, August 1 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Please board the 509 Harbourfront streetcar to continue to Union Station.
