Toronto park washrooms are open for 2026

City of Toronto has opened seasonal park washrooms. Now that is always good news for those that explore the city or use the parks. They were opened on Monday, May 4, 2026. You can find public washroom locations on Toronto’s website www.toronto.ca/washrooms.

Standalone water fountains should be all turned on by May 25, 2026. The fountain at top is in St. James Park along King Street East

From the City's media release.

"City of Toronto staff are in the process of opening more than 1,000 water assets in parks, including washrooms, water fountains and bottle-filling stations across the city. Throughout this month and into June, City crews will continue opening remaining water assets and facilities such as splash and spray pads, outdoor pools, wading pools and fountains.

Key opening dates:

•       Monday, May 4: All seasonal park washrooms will be open, except where capital improvements are underway or repairs are required.

•       Saturday, May 16: More than 140 splash and spray pads are expected to open.

•       Monday, May 25: All remaining standalone water fountains, bottle filling stations and dog fountains will open in City parks. All fountains are tested to ensure the water is safe to drink when they are activated.

•       Saturday, June 6: Lifeguard supervision at 10 beaches begins (10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.).

•       Friday, June 13: Early opening of 15 outdoor pools and wading pools on evening and weekend schedules.

•       Friday, June 20: All outdoor pools open on an evening and weekend partial schedule.

•       Thursday, June 26: All outdoor pools and wading pools open on a full schedule."

“The weather is getting warmer, and I can’t wait to spend more time enjoying our beautiful parks. Having these facilities open means you can pack a picnic, lose track of time, and never have to cut the day short. The parks are yours from morning to evening.”

Berczy Park dog fountain

Forget blossoms because it's baby bird time

Canada's favourite gangster bird, the infamous Canada Goose, stands ready to attack and defend its brood of tiny, golden goslings - so be on guard. Spring is bringing forth a multitude of baby birds in Ontario. From early May the eggs are starting to hatch and tiny, fuzzy little creatures are keeping close to parents.

Usually you can only really see large quantities of goslings, ducklings and baby swans, or cygnets. The rest of the birds hang out in the nest too long and when we finally see them they are almost indistinguishable from their parents.

It's the season of Cherry Blossoms in Toronto

This is it people, we are in the stage 3 to stage 6 of Cherry Blossoms. Those florets are extending (stage 3) or even starting to blossom (stage 5) with Peak Blossom weekend expected during the first week of May. In Toronto peak is usually end of April into the beginning of May. UPDATE: May 2, 2026 the peak blossoms have hit in High Park and brought the crowds out to appreciate the beauty of nature.

Queen's Park

On Earth Day (Wednesday, April 22, 2026) the blossoms at the SE corner of Queen's Park are blossoming and could peak over this weekend - just in time for the Spring Celebration on Saturday, April 25. "Say goodbye to winter and hello to the new season at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario’s Spring Celebration—a free, fun-filled day out for the whole family. Rain or shine, step inside one of Ontario’s most iconic landmarks and discover a full day of spring-themed activities, live entertainment, and unforgettable moments. Whether you’re 5 or 95, there’s something here to put a smile on your face."

Robarts Library

Also starting to see the start of some blossoms popping out is U of T's Robarts Library at 130 George Street. In High Park the Cherry Watch says it is Stage 3 with anticipated peak bloom in 12 days. Plus the Watch has some great tips for visiting the park during Blossom Festival (hint, there are car restrictions).

Spring is busting out down at City Hall

Some of the pretty pink blossoms in Exhibition Place

Other popular Cherry Blossom trees identified by the City of Toronto (with specific locations)including the following.

Birkdale Ravine - 1100 Brimley Rd. Scarborough
Broadacres Park - 35 Crendon Dr. Etobicoke
Cedar Ridge Park - 225 Confederation Dr. Scarborough
Cedarvale Park - 443 Arlington Ave. York
Centennial Park - 151 Elmcrest Rd. Etobicoke
Cherry Street and Villiers Street - 309 Cherry St. Toronto
Edwards Gardens - 755 Lawrence Ave. E. North York
Exhibition Place - 100 Princes Blvd. Toronto East York
High Park - 142 Colborne Lodge Dr. Toronto
Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre - 6 Garamond Crt. North York
John P. Robarts Research Library - 130 St. George St. Toronto
Legislative Assembly of Ontario (Queen's Park) - 111 Wellesley St. W. Toronto
Toronto Island Park Centre Island (Take the ferry at 9 Queens Quay W). Toronto
Trinity Bellwoods Park - 790 Queen St. W. Toronto
University of Toronto Scarborough Campus - 1265 Military Tr. Scarborough
Woodbine Park - 1695 Queen St. E. Toronto
York University - 4700 Keele St. North York

Welcome Spring and beautiful flowers.

May 1, 2026 Media Release from the City of Toronto

"Cherry blossom peak bloom expected this weekend.

The City of Toronto is predicting that cherry blossom trees will bloom this weekend. Cherry blossoms typically last four to 10 days, depending on weather conditions.

Residents can enjoy cherry blossoms in several locations across Toronto, including city parks and several university campuses. A map of locations and accessibility information is available on the City’s cherry blossoms web page: toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/festivals-events/cherry-blossoms/.

How to enjoy the blossoms
Visitors are asked to protect the blossoms by not climbing the trees and not removing blossoms or branches. Visitors are encouraged to use designated litter and recycling bins for any discarding. City parks contain ecologically sensitive areas, and visitors are asked to stay on paved pathways and trails to help sustain the long-term health of these areas.

High Park
High Park is among the most popular location for visitors to see the cherry blossoms, with tens of thousands visiting annually. To manage visitor volume, there will be no vehicle access (except for TTC and Wheel-Trans) or parking inside High Park for the duration of peak bloom."

Earth Day war against Drake's Ice Wall

And on the day to celebrate the earth and the bounty it provides, the Toronto Fire Department began the destruction of Drake's now famous mountain of ice. And behold the people in the city said, WTF!

The frozen art installation is apparently a publicity stunt to promote the release of Drake's new album. Inside of the 25 foot high pile of ice blocks there hides the release date of his new album "Iceman". When Drake released the teaser info about the ice, fans began to scratch and look for the reveal date (spoiler it is May 15, 2026) which concerned the police. First they blocked off the parking lot which is located at 81 Bond Street, just off Dundas Street East, close to the Eaton Centre, then on Wednesday they began to blast the ice with a fire truck.

People watched as the streets filled with what was fresh, clean water found that passersby were getting soakers walking by the site. A perfect story for opposite Earth Day, the only thing more fitting would be to pour Middle Eastern oil onto the ice and light it up!

@jmhcet #Toronto #firedepartment is going to war over #Drake's frozen #artinstallation ♬ How Bizarre - OMC

Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo 2026

Toronto and area's annual automotive exposition celebrating top vehicular cultures returns to the International Centre this weekend (March 13-15, 2026) with the 11th annual Motorama Custom Car & Motorsports Expo presented by ebay motors. Celebrity Mike Hall of Rust Valley Restorers and Rust Bros (the YouTube channel) will be at the show all weekend with his first appearance Friday at 1pm in Hall 2 (Hagerty Stage) while you can also find entertainment, forums, awards, vendors and the popular Miss Motorama Pinup Pageant happening on Saturday. I'm here early on opening day and the joint is already jammed!

The cars in Hall 1 are great examples of power and beauty.

From their website, "Motorama is a celebration of automotive and racing culture. It’s the largest show of its kind, in Canada, and continues a five-decade tradition of bringing car owners, car clubs, racing series, tracks, racing fans and auto enthusiasts together to kick-off Canada’s car show and racing seasons. The 2026 show will start the second half-century of car shows at the same venue, on the same weekend. ‘Dizzy’ Dean Murray’s inaugural Motion Custom Car Show took place in March 1975."

Taking part in Halls 1 through 3 of the International Centre, the show is divided into the following major areas.

Hall 1A: Canadian vehicles and vendors.
Hall 1B: The Gulf Race Fuels Racing Zone presented by Stoneridge Specialty Insurance and InsideTrackNews.com.
Hall 2: Spring Fever: Modified Cars & Culture join car clubs and feature displays along with the main stage and corporate exhibitions.

Hall 3: Motorama Mayhem with classic and vintage cars, pinups and vintage exhibitions.

Show Hours: Fri-Sat, March 13-14, 2026 (10am-8pm)Sun, March 15, 2026 (10am-5pm).

Mike Hall on the Hagerty Stage

Note: Friday is WD-40 Students’ Day at Motorama, in association with Conestoga College.

@jmhcet A beautiful red #hotrod at the 2026 #motorama ♬ Move It On Over - George Thorogood & The Destroyers

See more of Motorama after the jump.

Lumière 2026 light festival at Ontario Place

Lumière: The Art of Light began on Family Day (Monday, February 16) in Trillium Park on the east side of Ontario Place. The free light festival features fourteen installations and will continue until March 27, 2026 from 6pm to 11pm. Rhythms of Chaos set up prior to the official opening in the photo above.

From their website, "Lumière transforms Trillium Park into a glowing outdoor gallery filled with illuminated art installations. This free experience is ideal for families, art enthusiasts, and anyone who enjoys a winter stroll with a little extra magic. Bonfires: Warm up by the Trillium Park fire pit on opening night, Friday and Saturday evenings, and nightly during March Break (weather permitting)."

Lumiere 2026 theme is "Rhythms of Light: Motion, Sound and Time". This year's event includes the following light installations.

Arbor – MattCreative
Blueberry Babies Signal Path – Winta (Wintana) Hagos
Constellation Range – Jordan Shaw
Echoes of Light – Jordan St. Claire
Möbius Ensemble – Bitbrainz
Moment – M. Joakim
PORTAL – Tonya Hart
Rhythms of Chaos – Binalpreet Kalra, Maggie Wang, Kallie Zhang
Ripples in Time – Gathering
switch/grass – The Treehouse Collective
Urbanombre – Little Dada + the Boys
Voice in Matter – James Craig, Agata Wszolek, Alex Warner
We Move Together – Tyler Burey
WIND II: The Wave – Samuel Kiehoon Lee

The easiest way to get to Trillium Park is to public transit, walk or bike, otherwise you could find paid parking nearby - at Coronation Park or in Exhibition Place. There are also great bathrooms available at the entrance to Trillium Park and the skyline views to the downtown skyline are excellent.

@jmhcet #moment art and light installation in #ontarioplace as part of #lumiere ♬ Let Me Entertain You - Robbie Williams

@jmhcet #rhythmsofchaos art and light installation in #ontarioplace as part of #lumiere the art of light, #Toronto ♬ sonido original - vieja guardia

Toronto Motorcycle and Powersport Show 2026

Ready to ride? Probably not just yet, but it is warming up so come by the Enercare Centre at Exhibition Place from February 20 to 22, 2026 to check out the latest models during the Toronto Motorcycle and Powersport Show. Also get ready for some excitement with Canada’s very own Highway Heathens putting on a motorcycle stunt performance as well as guest Seth Enslow, freestyle motocross superstar.

Highway Heathens put on quick demo before show opens. Their first show is Friday at noon.

TerreMX all-electric motorcycles demos

From the show, "Get ready for an action-packed weekend celebrating the world of motorcycles and powersports! Discover the latest bikes, gear, and accessories from top brands, plus exciting displays and hands-on experiences for riders of all ages. This is more than just a show — it’s the best place to buy. Exclusive show-only deals on motorcycles. Huge savings on riding gear, apparel, parts, and accessories with special promotions you won’t find anywhere else."

There are several areas along the outside of the hall where you can find Moto Intro, ADV Showcase, Yamaha Riding Academy, Electric MX Test Rides, Jordan Szoke Demo and the Westjet EXPLR Zone.

Dylan Wright will be signing autographs in the Honda area over the weekend.

Show Hours:
Fri Feb 20 11am – 8pm
Sat Feb 21 10am – 7pm
Sun Feb 22 10am – 5pm

2026's show has the machines, gear and attractions - like Seth Enslow's legendary Metal Mulisha Honda 250 (featured in Crusty Demons of Dirt 7), to make this a fantastic weekend in Exhibition Place. You can also see the TerreMX all-electric motorcycles demos on an indoor dirt track and a synthetic X-Track.

There is even an app you can download that provides all sorts of info including a floor plan and event schedules, it is called myshowapp and you can use it for multiple shows.

See more of the show after the jump.