Road closures set to make for weekend of nightmare traffic in Toronto

Getting around Toronto on any given weekend is a challenge, but the coming days and all of the events they hold to kick off the summer season are going to make things even worse than usual for road users.

On top of streets shutting down for things like Do West Fest, there is all of the existing roadwork that is already causing lane closures on various arteries, TTC closures, and happenings that, even though they won't actually shutter any roads, will cause some additional congestion to consider.

Here are the various closures that motorists, surface transit users, cyclists and even pedestrians should keep in mind as they plan their weekend:

Do West Fest

Dundas Street West between Lansdowne and Shaw will be shuttered from 1:00 p.m. on Friday, June 6, to 12 a.m. on Monday, June 9, 2025, for this annual street festival, which sees approximately one million people flood the streets to party and enjoy local businesses.

Toronto police note that north and southbound traffic will be allowed through Lansdowne Avenue, Brock Avenue, Dufferin Street, Dovercourt Road, Ossington Avenue and Shaw Street, with no turning allowed.

"Motorists can expect delays in the area and should consider alternate methods of transportation," they state in a release.

Riverside Eats and Beats Streetfest 

On the other side of the city, a similar shindig is taking place in Riverside, with the following road closures in effect from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 7:

• Broadview Avenue between Queen Street East and the laneway south of Queen Street East
• Carroll Street between Queen Street East and the laneway north of Queen Street East 
• Munro Street between Queen Street East and the laneway north of Queen Street East 
• Saulter Street between Queen Street East and June Callwood Way
• McGee Street between Queen Street East and Graham Place 

Portugal Day Parade 

And, the very same day, residents should be aware of the Portugal Day Parade that will close the following roads from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.:

• Oakwood Avenue between Rogers Road and St. Clair Avenue West 
• St. Clair Avenue West between Robina Avenue and Caledonia Park Road 
• Caledonia Park Road between St. Clair Avenue West and Davenport Road 

Run for Women  

The Run for Women also takes place this weekend, necessitating the following road closures from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 7:

• Queen's Park Crescent East and West between College Street and Bloor Street West
• Westbound lanes on College Street between Queen's Park Crescent and Spadina Avenue 
• Northbound lanes on Spadina Avenue between College and Bloor Streets 
• Eastbound lanes on Bloor Street West between Queen's Park Crescent and Bay Street 
• Southbound lanes on Bay Street between Bloor Street West and St. Joseph Street 
• Westbound lanes on St. Joseph Street between Bay Street and Queen's Park Crescent East 
• Grosvenor Street, Surrey Place and Grenville Street (5:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.)

Ride to Conquer Cancer  

This Saturday proves to be a big day for functions, with the Ride to Conquer Cancer also happening between 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The following streets will be blocked for participating cyclists:

• Northbound lanes on The West Mall between Sherway Drive and The Queensway 
• The West Mall between The Queensway and Bloor Street West 
• Northbound lanes on The West Mall between Bloor Street West and Rathburn Road 
• The west curb lane on Rathburn Road between The West Mall and Renforth Drive 
• Westbound lanes on Rathburn Road between Renforth Drive and Centennial Park Boulevard 
• North curb lane on Centennial Park Boulevard between Rathburn Road to Eglinton Avenue West 

Lakeshore Village Grilled Cheese Challenge 

Yet another food festival, the Lakeshore Village Grilled Cheese Festival, will also shut down a part of the city — Lake Shore Boulevard West between Seventh and Second Streets — from 5 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, June 7.

Ongoing construction projects

Beyond private projects blocking various lanes of traffic, there are numerous major roadwork initiatives that will shutter lanes all over the city.

• Park Lawn Road between the Gardiner Expressway westbound on-ramp and the Gardiner eastbound off-ramp (to Park Lawn) will be closed from 11 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, to 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 8
• Rehabilitation of Eastern/Adelaide and Gerrard Street Bridges  
• For the Eastern/Adelaide and Gerrard Street Bridges Rehabilitation projects, two northbound lanes on the Don Valley Parkway (from Eastern Avenue to north of Gerrard Street), as well as the northbound DVP on-ramps at Eastern Avenue, Queen Street and Dundas Street will be blocked off from 11 p.m. on Friday June 6 to 5 a.m. on Saturday, June 7.
• Meanwhile, a northbound lane on the DVP between Eastern Avenue and Queen Street, and the northbound DVP on-ramp at Eastern Avenue, will also be closed from 11 p.m. on Sunday, June 8, to 5 a.m. on Monday, June 9
• And, multiple restrictions around Carlaw and Lake Shore Blvd. will also extend over Friday, June 6 (from 9 p.m.) to Tuesday, June 10 (to 5 a.m.) for Waterfront Toronto's Lake Shore Boulevard East Reconstruction project: north and southbound lanes will be closed through the intersection, and eastbound travel will be cut to one lane, with no turns permitted aside from right turn from southbound Carlaw Avenue onto Lake Shore Boulevard East 
• Additionally, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, York Street will be closed from Front Street West to Adelaide Street West, along with King Street West between Bay Street and University Avenue, for a movie project.
• From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, Dovercourt Road will also be shut for crane activity at the corner of Bloor Street.

So, allot extra time to get to where you're going, even if you're taking the TTC subway, which will be inaccessible for the duration of both days between Broadview and Woodbine Stations on Line 2 for track work.