High Park full of blossoms and people

It's a good thing Toronto's High Park is so big because when the cherry blossom festival comes into peak bloom, most of the city moves into the park to witness and document the occasion. On Saturday, May 11 the Sakura cherry trees were indeed in peak bloom and anticipated to remain that way for a few days more - unless the unmerciful weather decides to intervene, but nothing beats a sunny weekend of blossoms!

Adjacent parking lots and streets were full of park visitors as more poured in through the vehicle free roads. Public transit pumped the arteries of people, ebbing and flowing as each new streetcar dropped off its load and continued its journey. Popular spots to park were the lots along Lake Shore Boulevard, currently without the parking machines (so enjoy the free parking until they get installed), and walked north until they hit an entrance to High Park.

See the massive crowds at various spots in the park

Some of the trees did go to leaves, skipping the blossom stage and it looks like most of the trees weren't as full as other years, however the forest of white and pink was still very impressive.

Budweiser Clydesdale team in Toronto

The majestic draft horses of the Budweiser brewery are in Toronto over the weekend, part of a promotion for their new beer - Copper Lager. On Friday they were at Union Station and along King Street, today they were at the LCBO Queen's Quay and tomorrow they will be at the Historic Distillery District (noon to 2pm).

The pilots were dressed in suits of green and their copilot was a cute dalmatian puppy.

World Naked Bike Ride Toronto 2019 in June

Update: see photos of the 2019 ride on my post here

#WNBR is one just month away, patiently waiting for warmer weather to come as Toronto prepares for the annual clothes free protest against oil consumption on Saturday, June 8th.  Co-organizer Gene Dare poses with his bike early in the morning of the 2018 ride in the photo at top.

The ride starts at Coronation Park, just outside Exhibition Place, with people gathering around 10am for socializing and body painting, then the ride will head out onto the roads of downtown Toronto at 1pm. Gene Dare says "Rain or shine, we ride."

Look for more details as we get closer to the date and remember, it's only as bare as you dare. 2018 also had a police escort which has been missing for the past couple of years.

Doors Open Toronto 2019 May 25-26

Knock, knock. Doors Open Toronto celebrates two decades of bringing great buildings to curious visitors and this year's even happens Saturday to Sunday, May 25-26, 2019. This year has over 150 buildings with free admission. Check out Citytv, Black Creek Village, the Design Exchange, Fort York, Historic Don Jail, Old City Hall and many other local buildings and attractions.

The showcase of architectural, historical and significant buildings has "captivated residents and visitors with the history of the city through the buildings which embody its essence. This year will continue the admirable legacy of Canada's largest Doors Openevent and one of the three largest Doors Open events in the world." - Mayor John Tory. "Since its start in 2000, Doors Open Toronto has attracted more than 23.1 million visits to over 730 locations across the city. The 20th anniversary edition builds on the event's tradition of using open doors to open eyes and minds to new possibilities." - Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson, Chair of the Economic and Community Development Committee

There will be walking tours, special Indigenous programming, a focus at Toronto City Hall and panel discussions at the Bentway. Hours and days open over the weekend vary and some locations have paid parking.

Beerlicious Toronto BeerFest returns for 2019

#TFOB has both the Spring Beerfest and the Toronto Festival of Beer, presented by the Beer Store, coming soon to a Toronto near you. Spring marks the beginning of cottage season and why drive hours north when you can beer it up in Fort York's Garrison Common May 18-19. Then in the heat of the summer when you desperately need beer-conditioning, you can find it in Bandshell Park, Exhibition Place during TFOB 2019 from July 26-28.

You don't have long to wait for Spring Beerfest, it is just one weekend away. As as it is a long weekend, feel free to party hearty - longer. Cottage vibes, fun games, good food and entertainment is always one of the best ways to welcome summer. "We are very excited to bring Spring Beerfest Toronto back this May long weekend," said Les Murray, president and owner of Spring Beerfest Toronto. "We know fans are ready to kick-off patio season and this is the perfect place to do it. They might even discover their favourite new beer too!"

Participating beverage companies: Thornbury Village Cider House & Brewery, Georgian Bay Spirit Co, Waterloo Brewing Co., Goose Island Brewery, Pop Shoppe Hard Soda, Catapult Brewing Co., The Big Lemon, Duntroon Cyder House, Great Lakes Brewery, OverHop Brewing Co., Silly Sir Brewing Co., Northern Maverick Brewing Co., Magners Irish Cider, Common Good Beer, Storyteller Beverages, Brickworks Ciderhouse and Mill Street Brewery.

Toronto Festival of Beer

Then mid-year, the Toronto Festival of Beer happens in Exhibition Place ahead of the Canadian National Exhibition. You will be able to judge which one is better and my guess is the Festival of Beer which will have over 400 beers to tempt all tastes.

“Friday night of Toronto’s Festival of Beer features a legendary lineup of hip hop artists on the Bandshell stage,” said Les Murray, President and owner of Toronto’s Festival of Beer. “for fans of classic, old school hip hop, this in the night to join us.” Friday, July 26 headliners Public Enemy Radio will be joined by Wu-Tang Clan’s Raekwon & Ghostface Killah; DJ Jazzy Jeff; Smif-N-Wessun, Black Moon and Rock of Boot Camp Clik; and Toronto’s very own Michie Mee. Headliner for Saturday will be Dwayne Gretzky and Sunday will be Ja Rule and Ashanti. There will also be a Complete Country Stage with top country artists Brett Kissel, Hunter Brothers and Blackie Jackett Jr.

Toronto Collision Tech Conference May 20-23

Growing as a global technology centre, Toronto is hosting North America's fastest growing tech conference at the Enercare Centre in Exhibition Place. Besides trying to answer the question; Is Toronto the new Silicon Valley?, the Collision conference is bringing some heavy hitters in technology to appear before attendees - joined by celebs like Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Damon Wayans Jr and our very own PM Justin Trudeau.

In addition to talks there will be workshops, roundtables and networking as you try to explore the 17 available tracks like Auto Tech where self-driving cars are set to disrupt the industry, Talk Robot with a look at the rise of advanced machinery that will offer both opportunity and major impacts to the job industry, along with some fun stuff at the Pub Summit and the Night Summit.

One area of technology that I can't wait for is self-driving cars and Dmitri Dolgov, CEO of Waymo will discuss “Driverless cities: Self-driving at scale - Elon Musk claims that self-driving cars will take to the roads as early as next year, while a CarGurus survey claimed that one-third of consumers see themselves owning a self-driving car within the next decade. Are we getting ahead of ourselves? We’re looking to Waymo for answers at Collision. They’ve been operating their commercial self-driving taxi fleet in Phoenix, Arizona, since last December, and they’re now building a second headquarters and increasing the number of taxis on the streets. Dmitri Dolgov of Waymo will talk us through the rigorous testing process of autonomous cars, and the long road between test runs in a taxi and mass commercial distribution."

Collision takes place at the Enercare Centre in Toronto from May 20-23, 2019.
Monday, May 20 Pre-registration & opening night 12pm – 8.30pm
Tuesday, May 21 Day 1 8am – 5.30pm
Wednesday, May 22 Day 2 8am – 5.30pm
Thursday, May 23 Day 3 8am – 5.30pm

Blossoms in Niagara 2019

Slightly warmer is all that it takes to start the blossoms in the Niagara region and if you take the drive to wine country you can also do some tasting at the many vineyards throughout the Niagara-on-the-Lake area. Many of the fruit orchards have started blossoming, with row upon row of apple and cherry trees coated in white and pink flowers. PS Ann's favourite wine and vineyard is Angels Gate Winery located in Beamsville.

In Niagara Falls you can visit the Botanical Gardens to see the tree bust out in a fierce showing of spring colours. Southwest Ontario is a great place to explore and it is a little ahead of Toronto with the amount of leaf growth and blossoms.

Toronto Islands preparing for flooding, again

Giant pumps and sandbags are starting to be placed around the islands as the waters of Lake Ontario rise. Spring melt and April showers have raised the level of the great lake and Islanders are worried that there will be a repeat of 2017's extensive flooding. Water levels on the lake are still rising.

The Toronto Region Conservation Area has a shoreline hazard warning in effect from April 30 till May 8, 2019; "This Shoreline Hazard Warning applies to areas along Lake Ontario, and does not apply to conditions along rivers in the TRCA jurisdiction. The International Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Board is forecasting that water levels for Lake Ontario are expected to continue rising until late May or early June . The current Lake Ontario water level is approaching 75.5 m (IGLD 1985 Datum) at Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s tidal observation station at Toronto. For reference, the observed water level for the month of April at Toronto in 2017 reached 75.58m, and the maximum observed (daily) water level during the entire Lake Ontario event in 2017 was 75.93m. Additionally, winds gusting up to 60km/h from the east are expected to bring offshore waves >2.0m in height on Wednesday May 1st."

Quad bikes are back on the island

Sand, shovels and bags stand at the ready

Ferry rides to the Island are inexpensive and a fun way to start your trip

See more of the island flooding and flood restraint works from June 7, 2019 after the jump.

No cherry blossoms in High Park yet

Peak bloom is happening and thousands of people are in High Park on Saturday, May 11.

Sakura cherry trees are progressing towards blossoms, but still the flowers are still in the floret stage, waiting for a few more days to come in a shock of white. From May 4th the park has been closed to vehicular traffic but still the crowds make it in to the park wander through the cherry tree groves, looking for evidence of the coming peak bloom. Update: Blossoms have been busting out all over Toronto and Peak Bloom is on starting May 10.

The park train is running, cost is now $5 for adults and the trains are supposed to come every half hour

Some cosplay in the park

Update May 6, 2019: There are blossoms in the Niagara area and in parts of Toronto, like at the University of Toronto, where the buds have started to blossom.

Toronto students climate strike

Students around the world are striking on Friday, May 3rd, 2019 to support action on climate change. In Toronto they assembled at Queen's Park at 1:30pm for speeches and a rally, then marched down to City Hall.

The large group of young, environmental supporters were winding down their protest by 3pm. Superman and Ivy joined the group to add some hero power.

See more Friday protests after the jump.