Toronto Pride Festival 2025

Pride Month comes to a close with an awesome festival and a series of parades including the trans parade, the dyke march and the final Pride Parade from June 27 to 29, 2025. The major festival location is the Church Street Village but on this weekend you can find celebrations and parties at a number of locations across the city. Saturday was the Dyke Rally and March and it started at 2pm from Church and Charles Street before heading down Yonge Street led by the bikers.

The Dyke March is less corporate that the final Pride Parade and certainly had no floats, just thousands of people in the streets, marching or supporting the parade.

This year's catchphrase is Pride Toronto 2025 Festival: All In!  From their website, "It is a call to come together to stand together in unshakable solidarity. It’s a promise to show up for one another every single day, united in our fight for a future where everyone can live unapologetically as they are." This is important as there have been a few major sponsors that have suddenly dropped out of the festival, probably feeling the heat from that situation to our south, however this is the time they should be doubling down on their support.

Waiting for the parade to start along Yonge Street

Church Street from Bloor to Dundas is home to the StreetFair and it is billed as bigger, bolder and more exciting that ever. Full of hundreds of vendors, music and entertainment all celebrating the city's vibrant queer culture.

A DJ cranks out the tunes

Sunday, June 29 is the final, massive Pride Parade gathering everyone in for a last celebration of Pride beginning at 2pm, skipping Bloor Street and leaving from Rosedale Valley Rd. & Park Rd., West on Church St., then south on Yonge St. and finally ending at Nathan Phillips Square. This one usually has the giant Pride Flag along with lots of floats and squirt guns.

More from the festival, "Pride Parade is back, and bigger than ever! We are committed to creating a truly memorable experience that is inclusive and welcoming for ALL. Whether you’re a long-time ally or part of the 2SLGBTQl+ community, this celebration is for you. The parade kicks off at 2 PM, with over 25,000 marchers and more than 250 groups participating, all united in the mission to promote diversity, acceptance, and inclusion. It’s not just a parade; it’s a vibrant display of pride, strength, and solidarity. Be sure to find your preferred spot along our Pride Route, which starts at the intersection of Rosedale Valley Rd. and Park Rd. and culminates at Nathan Phillips Square."

The entrance to the YOUHOMO fest

The lineup into the event was pretty long

There were also a number of events throughout the city during Pride Month and the finale weekend, such as YOUHOMO fest under the Gardiner Expressway at the Bentway Park.

Track Build underway for Honda Indy Toronto 2025

The enormous task to turn Toronto's Exhibition Place from sport and event central to a world class street course for the 37th edition of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto race is well underway, which is good because in a short time the Indy Cars will be ripping through downtown Toronto. The speedfest will take place July 18-20, 2025 and you can purchase your single day, multiday and pit & paddock entrance tickets online. See the race weekend schedule on my post here.

You can find my posts of the 2025 Honda Indy race weekend as follows.

Welcome to the Honda Indy: Thursday, July 17

Free Fan Friday: Friday, July 18

Saturday Qualifications: Saturday, July 19

Race Day at the Honda Indy: Sunday, July 20

Update July 17: Finishing touches and team setups are underway before the official start of race weekend. Bridge is finished, barriers are up or ready to close off any openings at roads and driveways and the start/finish line has been painted

Update July 12: Most of the barriers and fencing are up in Exhibition Place, except for some entrances and nothing on Lake Shore Boulevard West yet. All Turn 11 grandstands are complete now, they are finishing the suite along Pit Lane and partway through the Princes Blvd suite. The pedestrian bridge has been installed except for the stairs. Some work underway in Thunder Alley. Not started the Turn 10 grandstand. Advertising and tire barriers are being installed.

Turn 1 looking towards start line 

Princes Blvd suite underway

Pedestrian bridge over pit lane area

Turn 6 at the fountain

Turn 8 runoff area 

Update July 1: crews are working Canada Day continuing fencing between Turns 3 and 5. The south Turn 11 Grandstand is also being assembled.

See more of the track build progress after the jump.

Toronto Waterfront Festival 2025 with the return of the Tall Ships

Sugary sweet and ready for fun, the 2025 Toronto Waterfront Festival is on this weekend June 28-29 and this year is the one in three where the Tall Ship fleet comes to town. The annual free to attend festival (except for boat tours and sailing) is now 15 years and full of land and water entertainment, presented by Redpath and happening around Sugar Beach at 11 Dockside Drive. The fun starts Saturday at 10am.

From the festival website, "Tour our fleet of historic Tall Ships and take one out for a sail. Plus, live entertainment, interactive activities, delicious food and tons of nautical fun! Tour the ships – The schooner, the better!"

The ships sailed into Toronto harbour on Friday, June 27 although Empire Sandy is a Toronto based Tall Ship. The nautical entertainment will take place on the George Brown Stage and here is some of the performers coming to the festival.

Tap Dancing Sailors

Fire Dancers

HMCS York Navy Band

Envirodrum band made from recycled materials

Roaming stilt walkers and jugglers

Captain Finn & The Salty Sea Dogs sea shanty singers.

Sugar Beach

The Empire Sandy is Cruising the harbour

The smaller big duck is on site

Canada Day 2025 in the City of Toronto

Canada's birthday comes Tuesday, July 1 and in 2025 it means we have been a country for a modest 158 years, really we are still in our teen years! It began in 1867 with the Canadian Confederation as the British North America Act passes in the British Parliament. Like any birthday party it is time to celebrate and the City of Toronto has plenty of stuff planned for the event including fireworks (just not at Toronto City Hall).

Here is the information from the City.

"The City of Toronto invites residents and visitors to come together this Canada Day to enjoy free programming and fireworks displays across the city. From vibrant daytime activities in parks, public squares and Toronto History Museums to stunning fireworks lighting up the night sky, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

Canada Day also offers an opportunity to show support for local communities through the City’s “Love Local” campaign. Whether enjoying food from a neighbourhood vendor, shopping at a community market or joining a local celebration, residents are encouraged to celebrate Canada while supporting local businesses.

Canada Day Programming

Amesbury Park, 151 Culford Rd.
A full day of community-led programming with food vendors, activities, fireworks and entertainment for all ages, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Thomson Memorial Park,1005 Brimley Rd.
A family-friendly festival from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring music, crafts, entertainment, a parade and a pancake breakfast (first come first served).

Stan Wadlow Park, 888 Cosburn Ave.
East York’s traditional Canada Day celebration from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. including live performances, community booths, fireworks and kids activities.

Mel Lastman Square, 5100 Yonge St.
Programming from noon to 10 p.m., featuring live music, a kids’ zone, a food and vendor fair and fireworks at 10 p.m. Organized in partnership with the Yonge North York BIA.

Nathan Phillips Square, 100 Queen St. W.
Free daytime programming featuring face painting, live music and dance performances from noon to 5:30 p.m.

Fireworks displays
The City’s flagship, 14-minute fireworks display will be held at Ashbridges Bay Park located at 1561 Lake Shore Blvd. E. starting at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, July 1.

The City will also host fireworks displays at the following parks starting at 10 p.m.:

- Centennial Park, 256 Centennial Park Rd. (viewing areas will be limited due to construction)
- Amesbury Park, 151 Culford Rd.
- Milliken Park, 4325 McCowan Rd.
- Stan Wadlow Park, 888 Cosburn Ave.
- Mel Lastman Square, 5100 Yonge St.

There will be no fireworks display at Nathan Phillips Square.

Canada Day at Thomson Memorial Park and Milliken Park is funded by the Government of Canada and sponsored by Tim Hortons."

Canada Day long weekend (June 28-July 1) in the Distillery District will also feature celebrations including concert series and fun activities.

There will also be fireworks and celebrations at Harbourfront Centre Campus (235 Queens Quay West) on July 1st from 10:45pm to 11pm.

Traveling to the east coast of Atlantic Canada

Elbows up, time to see what Canada has to offer in the Atlantic provinces, so we headed east from the GTA, through Quebec and into New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Three weeks meant a lot of driving but also a great chance to check out the amazing sights and attractions in the east coast including a few lighthouses, covered bridges and a crap load of lobster traps along with fishing boats, many of them sitting in the front yards while homes were often painted in lovely, bright colours. We were sad that we did not find and moose during the entire trip.

Bright purple, white and pink lupin flowers line many roads in the east coast

We were impressed with the relentless pace of the tides, and the change in water elevation that came with it, especially at the Hopewell Rocks in the Bay of Fundy. The area around the free standing rocks get covered with water, then it drifts away and you can walk up and down the beach checking out the many flower pots.

St. Andrews NB with a delicious seafood dinner and deer prancing throughout the town and hiding in the tall grass

Deciding not to drive right into NB before stopping, we split the incoming trip by stopping in Levis, Quebec for the night, then to St. Andrews along the Bay of Fundy where we were delighted with the number of wild deer that make the town their home. The deer eat a lot of stuff so there are plenty of fences trying to keep them out of gardens and away from the shrubbery. It was our first experience with the famous tides in the bay and the mud that gets exposed along the edge of waterways and of course the first time we had some local seafood. St. Andrews was one of our favourite towns to visit.

More of the Hopewell Rocks

The bay is also home to one of the most famous sights in NB - the Hopewell Rocks, which was definitely worth visiting. There are many more of the monolithic rocks sprouting from the sea bed, worn away from the rocks that used to surround the flower pots, as you walk away from the more famous cluster near the steps down to the sea floor.

Bluenose II in Lunenburg

Looking towards the town of Lunenburg

Peggy's Cove lighthouse

See more of the post after the jump.

WNBR Toronto 2025

The global protest against oil dependency and urban pollution rolled through Toronto on Saturday, June 14, 2025 with another local edition of the World Naked Bike Ride. Just show up, take off your clothes and ride through some of the city's most iconic tourist destinations. It's also a great way to celebrate Bike Month. Photos provided by Toronto's WNBR organizer Gene Dare.

WNBR Toronto organizer Gene Dare

From WNBR Toronto's website, "The World Naked Bike Ride is global protest against the over usage of oil and urban pollution, promoting greater cycling safety on our roads, and encouraging body freedom for everyone. This site visually describes the naked protest and environmental awareness event. You are encouraged to join this legal ride. There is no cost, no registration, no cost to the taxpayer, no corporate sponsors and best of all it originated in Vancouver, Canada, and now occurs in over 80 cities worldwide."

Beginning at the military memorial in Coronation Park, just south of Exhibition Place, the riders ventured on an over 4 hour cruise, stopping at places like Queen's Park and the ever popular Nathan Phillips Square down in the shadow of City Hall before returning to Coronation Park. Many also ended the ride by crossing the harbour to Hanlan's Beach. While bikers screamed out "Less Gas, More Ass" many people watched the ride go by, cheering and taking photos.

See the 2026 ride info after the jump.