Toronto’s spring weekend comes with a subway shutdown.
Toronto Comicon returns to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre as service cuts hit Line 1 and the Lakeshore West GO corridor.
Spring officially begins Saturday, March 21, but weekend plans will land in the middle of planned transit work. The TTC will close a stretch of Line 1 starting late Friday, March 20.
At the same time, fans will crowd downtown for celebrity Q&As, cosplay and gaming events at Comicon. Other draws include a week-long spring equinox festival at Stackt Market, the Canadian National Blind Hockey Tournament, and the Toronto Short Film Festival.
What’s happening at toronto comicon this weekend
Toronto Comicon runs at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre with a schedule built around pop culture guests and fan-led programming. Organizers list celebrity Q&As, autographs, live Dungeons & Dragons play, anime, comics, and gaming as weekend anchors.
Tickets were still available heading into the weekend, according to the event’s website. The convention centre sits a short walk south of Union Station, which will matter for riders leaning on GO bus replacements.
Cosplay remains one of the weekend’s biggest visual draws, with families and friend groups often arriving early for photos. The convention centre’s downtown location also puts attendees within reach of nearby restaurants and the Entertainment District’s theatres.
Spring equinox events at stackt market: dates and hours
Stackt Market is marking the season change with a week-long Spring Equinox festival that started earlier this week. The program runs through Sunday, March 22.
Organizers say the site will host kid-friendly workshops, DIY activities, a vendor market featuring local makers, live performances aimed at different age groups, plus spring food and beverages. Hours are listed as noon to 8 p.m. daily.
The festival adds a daytime option for families who may not want to commit to a full convention schedule. For other Ontario calendars and ideas outside Toronto, readers often start with broad listings such as London Ontario events to compare travel plans.
Canadian national blind hockey tournament: where to watch in toronto
The Canadian National Blind Hockey Tournament is scheduled all weekend at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. The tournament is free to attend.
Organizers describe it as the largest event in the world for the sport of blind hockey, and say it has helped grow the game over the past decade. Divisions range across children, youth, low vision, development, open, masters and select categories.
For fans unfamiliar with the rules and equipment, the event’s website lays out how the sport is adapted for athletes with vision loss. It also details schedules and how teams move through divisions.
The tournament’s downtown arena location gives it a different audience mix than many rink events, with university students, office workers and families able to drop in between other weekend plans.
Toronto short film festival schedule and ticket advice
The 12th annual Toronto Short Film Festival is screening more than 100 short films over four evenings at Paradise on Bloor Theatre. The festival runs Thursday through Sunday.
Organizers are urging audiences to buy tickets ahead of time because they expect sold-out shows. Filmmakers will also be celebrated nearby at The Ambassador Tavern.
The festival format lets viewers sample many directors in one sitting, rather than committing to a feature-length release. It also pulls crowds into the Bloor corridor at a time when other weekend events are concentrated downtown.
Moviegoers are encouraged to buy tickets ahead of time as they expect sold-out shows.
TTC line 1 closure, GO lakeshore west changes and gardiner construction
The TTC says there will be no Line 1 subway service between St Clair West and St Andrew stations starting at 11:59 p.m. Friday, March 20, until Sunday, March 22. The agency has scheduled the closure for planned track work.
Shuttle buses will run between St Clair West and St George stations. Riders heading to venues near St Andrew, including the convention centre area, should expect longer trips and busier platforms at transfer points.
GO Transit is also adjusting Lakeshore West service on March 21 and 22. There will be no GO train service at Appleby, Bronte, Port Credit, Long Branch, Mimico, or Exhibition GO.
GO says train service will run between Niagara Falls and Aldershot GO, while buses replace train service at West Harbour, Aldershot, Burlington, Oakville and Clarkson to Union Station Bus Terminal. Some late-night service adjustments also apply Friday, March 20.
GO’s construction notice page has the details for riders planning around the weekend work, including station-by-station changes and bus routing information. Readers can check GO Transit construction notices for the latest updates.
Drivers will also face ongoing Gardiner Expressway impacts. A stretch of the westbound Gardiner has been reduced from four lanes to three from Park Lawn Road to Grand Avenue in southern Etobicoke.
Eastbound lanes in the same stretch are narrowed with no lane reductions, with the city’s timeline running from April 2025 to December 2026. For commuters trying to combine events with errands, that long window turns “quick trips” into planning exercises.
Weekend closures have become part of how Toronto moves, especially during major downtown events. A separate recent case, Three firms charged after Thorncliffe Park condo fire, has kept attention on how safety and operations ripple through city infrastructure.
For broader TTC and GO planning, riders can also consult TTC service alerts before leaving home, especially if they are carrying costumes, props, or sports gear.
The Line 1 closure is scheduled to end Sunday, March 22, with regular subway service expected to resume after the planned track work.
