Ontario Honda Dealers Indy race moves out of Toronto

Wow, that's big news for the Canadian racing scene as the former IndyCar Toronto race in Exhibition Place will be moved to the City of Markham, beginning in 2026 for a period of 5 years. Moving made sense with the planned construction taking place in and around Exhibition Place along with the impact from the 2026 FIFA soccer games that will be held in Toronto and the lack of multi-year contracts with the City of Toronto. If they cancelled one year in Toronto, the event may not recover sponsors, attendance or fan interest, so keep it going somewhere close. So now it is known as the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Markham.

Rumours of moving to Downsview airport were going around along with the problems of moving to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville. But going around the streets of Markam Centre in the city's downtown core near Kennedy and Highway 401 (northeast of Toronto, see draft track at top) was kind of a surprise but at least it is in the GTA. And instead of the usual July race, the 2026 version will be held August 14-16.

"We are excited to welcome the exhilarating experience of INDYCAR SERIES racing hitting our streets in 2026," said Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti. “We are proud to welcome this world-class event to our community. I want to thank Green Savoree Toronto, Penske Entertainment Corp., NTT INDYCAR SERIES, the Ontario Honda Dealers Association and the Province of Ontario for their trust in our city. Markham is ready to build on its strong sports legacy and offer a new home where this celebrated summer tradition can thrive. I am extremely proud of our team at the City of Markham for bringing this initiative across the finish line in just a matter of months."

From the race organizer's, "The temporary track will be built in the eastern precinct of Markham’s downtown, between Kennedy Road, Enterprise Boulevard, Unionville GO tracks and Highway 407. Renowned track designer Tony Cotman of NZR Consulting has led the design process of the temporary circuit which features a 12-turn, 3.52-kilometre (2.19-mile) layout including a double-sided pit lane, thrilling straightaways and technically challenging sectors. The City of Markham has begun early works on the track and festival site in coordination with Metrolinx and other area partners."

Waterfront Toronto's floating art

Floating in Toronto Harbour appears to be a jumbled set of letters, but no, these letters aren't random, they spell "IT COMES IN WAVES", read from back to front, just like waves rolling into shore. This installation is part of a series of art works commissioned by Waterfront Toronto and it is in the Harbour Square Park Basin, just west of the Toronto Island ferry terminal. It is best read from the east side of the park where you can get some separation between the lines of letters to more easily read the words.

@jmhcet Waterfront #Toronto temporary floating #artinstallation by Ben Johnston called IT COMES IN WAVES. #itcomesinwaves ♬ Gilligan's Island Theme - The Hit Party Band

The work is by by Ben Johnston and features large yellow, drifting letters which will remain until early October. It is number five in Waterfront Toronto's temporary floating art series.

High Park Zoo now with baby Highland cows

Free admission gets you into the High Park Animal Display where the cutest new additions to join the zoo are a couple of West Highland Calves; MacDuff and Molly McMoo. The breed originally came from Scotland and has a double fur coat to help protect them from cold and insects. This is Canada's oldest animal display and one of the smaller ones, it's like a small street long, but it is also near the playground area so you can combine the visits if you have children.

One of the new babies gets some grooming

Toronto's website says, "The animals are out engaging with visitors regardless of the weather. Spring is a particularly exciting time at the animal display as many baby animals are born. Come and see our keepers interact with and feed the babies. Meet the newborns and watch them grow up!"

Free admission Open every day 9:00 am - 7:00 pm
Animals: Barbary Sheep, Bison, Capybaras, Emus, Llamas, Mouflon Sheep, Peacocks, Reindeer, West Highlands Cattle and Yaks.

See more of the animals after the jump.

Toronto Buskerfest 2025

Woodbine Park is chock full of entertainment as the annual Toronto International Buskerfest is back again in support of Epilepsy Toronto. The festival moved from downtown Toronto to the eastern Beaches park in 2016 which certainly provided more room along with less impact to traffic, unfortunately it is a little harder to get to the event.

Buskerfest is billed as one of the biggest street performer festivals in North America and features four days of fun, with 100 performers, seven stages, a beer tent and some sporting events thrown in as a bonus. In addition to the staged shows there are a number of performers that wander the grounds, posing for photos and delighting the crowds.

The festival runs from Friday, August 29 to Monday, September 1, 2025 which makes for a fun Labour Day long weekend. Admission is by donation to Epilepsy Toronto.

Festival Hours

Friday, August 29, 4 pm – 11 pm
Saturday, August 30, Noon – 11pm
Sunday, August 31, Noon – 10 pm
Monday, September 1, Noon – 7 pm

See more photos from the festival after the jump.