Toronto Motorcycle Supershow 2022

The North American International Motorcycle Supershow, delayed from its annual timeslot in the beginning of January, now moved until Spring and back at the Toronto International Centre. The halls are open and full of chrome and rubber from Friday to Sunday, March 25 to 27, 2022. Entrances to the show are at Hall 2, closest to the GO Train entrance, or at the far end of Hall 4 and remember parking is free.

Hitcher on the Supershow stage

You can find everything related to motorcycles at the 46th annual Supershow, presented by NFP, as well as musical entertainment. The layout of the International Centre features the following; Touring & Cruising Halls 1W & 1E, Industry Showcase, touring & Cruising Hall 2E & 2W, the Vintage and Classic Hall 3 and Choppers & Custom Bikes along with Racing & Performance in Hall 4. Hall 4 also has the stage with musical guests Hitcher on Friday and Amy/DC on Saturday (1pm, 3:15pm and 6:15pm).

Beautiful bikes are turned into works of art and compete for $50,000 in cash and awards as they vie for the Canada Cup. The ceremony for the 2022 Cup will be at the Hall 4 Stage on Sunday, March 27 at 3:30pm.

The Hooters girls are on site in Hall 2 near Hall 4

Live Nudes sign, just $100. And no I did not see any nudes!

Shiny chrome and detailed etchings really make the total package

Vendors and motorcycle sales, new and used, along with Live Stunt Shows by Highway Heathens (performing all 3 days of the show) are to be found in the great Hall 2 while restaurants can be found in Hall 3 and Hall 2 - including adult beverages in Hall 2. The crowds on Friday for the "BIG ONE by the Airport" were large and many of the visitors had to walk around the building as usual entrances from within the building were restricted - you could only get in from the outside at Halls 2 and 4.

Looking through the Century of Motorcycle exhibit

Supershow floor plan

Next year's Supershow is planned for January 6-8, 2023.

Honda Indy Toronto 2022 info

“This is an exciting day for Toronto and our race fans! After all the disappointment experienced from missing out on the event the last two years, we are thrilled that the Honda Indy Toronto will return to Exhibition Place July 15th to 17th, 2022,” said Jeff Atkinson, president of Honda Indy Toronto. “We are grateful to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Honda Canada, the province of Ontario and the City of Toronto for working closely with us to make this happen.”

Competing Race Series

The race weekend running Friday to Sunday will feature the NTT IndyCar Series, the NASCAR Pinty's Series, the Sports Car Championship Canada presented by Michelin (SCCC) and the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires – the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship.

Free Fan Friday

Fan Friday will return in 2022 with the Ontario Honda Dealers sponsoring the first day as they will cover the admission costs in exchange for a donation to Make-A-Wish Canada. "Honda Fan Friday will feature a jam-packed schedule of on-track action, Stunt shows, contests, autograph sessions and all kinds of off-track entertainment will be in full gear from gate open to close across the event site, providing something for everyone, race fan or not!"

Map, Seating and General Admission

Overall Honda Indy Map

Seating Map

You can watch the race with General Admission or buy a seat in Grandstands - there are three; Turn 3 Grandstand, Turn 10 Grandstand and Turn 11 Grandstands. Bronze is the lower rows in the grandstands, silver is the middle row and Gold is the upper row seating. Turn 3 Grandstand is coming off of Lake Shore Boulevard as it enters Exhibition Place - lots of action happens there as cars pile up trying to brake into the sharp corner. Turn 10 Grandstand is right in front of the pits with great views of the cars winding through the corners at 9 and 10 while Turn 11 Grandstands (split into two stands) you can see some pits, the long straight away along the start/finish line and easy access to the entertainment and action in Thunder Alley.

Looking at part of Thunder Alley behind the Turn 11 Bandstand

The main entrance gate is located at the east end of the Enercare Centre off of Strachan Avenue on Canada Boulevard.

General Admission viewing

With General Admission viewing you can watch from along the Start/Finish line along Princes' Boulevard, check out the Pinty's Pub & Grill at the north side of Princes' Gates, sit in the shade of the trees along Lake Shore Boulevard, line the Miller Lite Deck between turns 4 and 5 at the far end of Thunder Alley or watch the track between turns 10 and 11 beside Honda World.

You can move between the offtrack attractions and the inside of the track by taking a tunnel between the Enercare Centre and Beanfield Centre or cross the track near turn 11.

Entertainment, Thunder Alley and Car Paddocks

A quiet moment in the IndyCar Paddock

When they aren't on the track you can find the series cars in a number of paddocks - the IndyCar Paddock and the Road to Indy Paddock both in the Enercare Centre, along with the Porsche GT3 Cup Paddock and the NASCAR Pinty's Series Paddock located within the inside of the track. You have to buy tickets to the IndyCar Paddock but you can tour the Porsche and NASCAR Paddocks as part of your ticket admission.

At the outdoor NASCAR Paddock

Thunder Alley is inside the track and that is where you can find a number of vendors including food trucks, rest areas, Honda Speed Zone and concert stages. 

At the Truck Stop food zone

IndyCar winners in the Winners Circle

Winners Circle is located between the track and the west end of the Enercare Centre. This is where they bring the winning car and team, along with the 2nd and 3rd place winners and also make the IndyCar race driver introductions.

Getting to Honda Indy Toronto

The best way is using public transit - remember that the race takes over Lake Shore Boulevard so it makes travel by car very tricky in the area. GO Transit Lakeshore Line West stops right at Exhibition Place. There is a Honda Indy entrance gate at this GO stop. Toronto TTC streetcar routes 509 West from Union Station or 511 South from Bathurst Station. There is some parking both in and around Exhibition Place but traffic congestion again recommends public transit.

Building Honda Indy Toronto

It takes about a month to get the Honda Indy ready for race weekend because there is a lot of stuff to get setup. Race owners and operators Kim Green and Kevin Savoree of Green Savoree Racing Promotions overlook construction of the 2.89 km, 11-turn temporary street course with construction starting in early June. It takes over 2,000 concrete blocks, 14,000 feet of fence and over 1,600 feet of tire barriers along with tonnes of steel and plywood to build the grandstands and trackside suites.

"Each year the crew gets more efficient with the construction and tear down process. The logistics of night construction comes at a greater cost to us, but the time savings is significant in completing the track build," said Jeff Atkinson, president of Honda Indy Toronto. "We transform the streets into a world-class race track while showcasing the beauty of our city to a worldwide TV audience."

Winning the pole P1 position

#Toronto #Contest win tickets to the 2022 Motorcycle Supershow

The @MC_SuperShowTO is coming this weekend to the Toronto International Centre March 25-27 and you can enter this contest for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the North American International Motorcycle Supershow.

There are two sets of two of tickets available to be won from the Toronto Grand Prix Tourist blog, courtesy of the N.A. International Motorcycle Supershow. Two random winners will be drawn from those that share this post on twitter (you can find a  shareable twitter "t" link button at the bottom of this blog post), or retweet on twitter. You can also find direct links to my tweets on the links that follow: https://twitter.com/jmhcet/status/1505929362473988104?s=20&t=eEMxfMnef0k0qPpnks-XFA or https://twitter.com/jmhcet/status/1505924485505064963?s=20&t=eEMxfMnef0k0qPpnks-XFA

The contest will run from Monday, March 21 till 3:01PM on Wednesday, March 23. Winners will be contacted through DM by 3:30PM on the 23rd and asked for their names. Details will be provided on how to pick up the tickets when the names have been received and are good for any one of the three days of the show. Good luck to everyone!

The MC Supershow website also has an email coupon offer for $3 off admission for entrance all day Friday or on Saturday after 5PM.

Check out the show on my blog post here.

Toronto Comicon March 2022

Cosplay and comics return to the city during the March break Sci-Fi, Anime, Gaming and Horror convention from the 18th to the 20th in the south building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Show Hours are Friday 10 AM - 7 PM, Saturday 10 AM - 7 PM and Sunday 10 AM - 5 PM.

From the Comicon website; "Everyone is a fan of something, and Toronto Comicon is a place to celebrate all things pop culture. Get an autograph or a photo with your favourite Guest then get the inside scoop about your favourite movies and TV shows at our celebrity panels! Watch professional comic artists battle it out in our popular Sketch Duels, learn from our “How To” workshops, and take photos with your favourite costumed characters! It’s also a great place to buy a unique gift (or treat yourself!) with a huge show floor for the ultimate shopping experience."

See more cosplay after the jump.

Fun things to do in Toronto September & October 2022

I love months that begin with holiday weekends, or have statutory holidays in them. And as a bonus, to also have fall colours and temperatures, well that makes a perfect time of the year. Unless Covid-19 rears its ugly head again we should be good to go with public events so here are some events that you can look forward to.

Canadian National Exhibition CNE Fri, Aug 19 to Mon, Sept 5.
Buskerfest Fri to Mon, Sept 2-5 at Woodbine Park in the Beaches.

Canadian International Air Show (CIAS) Sat to Mon, Sept 3-5.

And the world famous Toronto International Film Festival, or tiff Sept 8-18.

Taste of Kingsway Fri to Sun, Sept 9-11

Celebrate Toronto Sat to Sun, Sept 10-11

Illumi: A massive light festival in Mississauga Sept 14, 2022 - Jan 8, 2023

Toronto Ukrainian Festival Fri to Sun, Sept 16-18

Small World Free Music Festival at Old Fort York Garrison Common Fri to Sun, Sept 16-18

Windfest Sat, Sept 17.

Pape Village Summerfest Sat, Sept 17

Celebrate Mexican Independence Day at Nathan Phillips Square Sat, Sept 17

Huron Square Variety Saturday Sat, Sept 17

Roncesvalles Polish Festival Sat to Sun, Sept 17-18

Redpath Waterfront Festival Sat to Sun, Sept 17-18.

Elevate and Just for Laughs Street Festival Fri to Sun, Sept 23-25

Toronto Beer Week Fri to Sun, Sept TBD 
Just for Laughs Festival Toronto JFL42 Thurs to Sat, Sept 22 to Oct 1.

I Love Culture Fri to Sun, Sept 23 to Oct 16.

Red Bull Flugtag at Ontario Place, Free to Attend, Sat, Sept 24.

Geary Art Crawl Fri to Sat, Sept 24-25.

Toronto Oktoberfest Fri to Sat, Sept 30 to Oct 1 in Ontario Place.

Nuit Blanche Sat, Oct 1 (6:51 pm to sunrise). The all night art thing with plenty of videos and light shows as well as Les Rues Des Refuses (hopefully).

Renegade Parade Nuit Blanche Rave

Toronto Everything to do with Sex Show Fri to Sun, Oct 14-16.

Toronto International Snowmobile, ATV and Powersports Show Fri to Sun, Oct 21-23.
Art Toronto Wed to Sun, Oct 27 - 30.

Night of Dread Sat, Oct 29 from 4:30-9pm. Begins at the Dufferin Grove Park with the parade from 6-7pm.
Zoomer Show Sat to Sun, Oct 29-30.
Halloween on Church Mon, Oct 31

Church Street Zombie Walk Mon, Oct 31 TBD.

And just around the corner is opening night of The Royal Horse Show on Friday, November 4, which will be their 10-day Anniversary celebration.

Toronto Winter Stations 2022

The public exhibition along the sandy shores of Woodbine Beach is back in Toronto until March 31, 2022. Five art installations, winners of an annual international design competition, incorporate the utilitarian lifeguard towers and bring visitors to the beach during the harsh conditions of winter.

One Canada

Wind surfer catches air along Woodbine Beach

The 2022 theme of Winter Stations is Resilience - from their website; "Over the course of the last year and a half, we have so clearly witnessed the immense ability of people to withstand and push through challenging and unprecedented times.. In recognition and celebration of this courage, the theme chosen for the 2022 edition of Winter Stations is Resilience: the ability to withstand adversity and recover from difficulties. To be resilient, one is faced with hardship, confronts it, and pushes to overcome it. Whether on a micro or macro scale, families, livelihoods, cities, and countries have experienced loss and isolation – but also – have been presented with great opportunities for adaptation and growth. This year, we not only reflect on all the ways people have had to be resilient, but the ways people have channeled this resilience, be it through communities, movements, support networks and more."

THE HIVE

The five winners showing this year are S’winter Station, ENTER-FACE, THE HIVE, Introspection
and One Canada. My favourite is the HIVE which is a multi-couloured geodesic dome which looked great, provided peace and quiet out of the strong, cold winds blowing off of Lake Ontario. It was so windy when we visited that wind surfers were gaining tremendous height off the waves, gaining quite a bit of altitude before they came back earth.

ENTER-FACE

See more of the installations after the jump.

MOCA Toronto Opens for Spring Programming 2022

The Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto (MOCA) opens on March 10 with a new season of art exhibitions. The museum will continue with requirements for masks and proof of vaccinations for entry. I know that I have enjoyed going to the museum and look forward to the new exhibitions in 2022.

From March 10 to July 31, 2022 MOCA Toronto will feature several exhibitions including those by "Iranian-born, New York-based artist and filmmaker Shirin Neshat – her first major exhibition in Canada in 20 years – artist Jeffrey Gibson, a Member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and Half Cherokee, and Cuban-born, American artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres."

MOCA is located at 158 Sterling Road, Toronto and their hours are Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 6pm, Fridays from 11am to 9pm and closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

You can also attend an offsite event on opening night "to mark the opening of Iranian-born artist and filmmaker, Shirin Neshat’s exhibition Land of Dreams, MOCA will be hosting a conversation featuring Neshat and Kurdish-born Canadian filmmaker Zaynê Akyol at the Paradise Theatre on March 10th. The conversation will focus on the key themes and concerns of Neshat’s practice that also feature within Akyol’s research: including reflections on Neshat’s Iranian heritage, global issues of displacement, migration, and women’s rights. The conversation will be followed by a Q&A."

Events in Toronto March 2022

We have passed the dog days of winter and entered March with the lifting of most Covid-19 restrictions and thankfully public events are returning to Toronto. As the weather warms there is so much to look forward to from the blossoms of spring to patios opening up once again. Spring comes in March, on the 20th of 2022, when the Vernal (Spring) Equinox comes knocking.

Of course the relaxation of public health and workplace safety measures means that more people will be abandoning, or reducing the work from home (WFH) joys as businesses call back their employees. The sidewalks and the underground path system will begin to fill as will public transit, while traffic congestion will also lead to more and more traffic jams.

Sadly many of the city's annual festivals and events remain cancelled, or held virtually, but there are some great events that are able to return including

Winter Stations in the Beach which has already started and will continue till the end of March - you can see my photos of the exhibition on my post here. Toronto FC's opening game is this Saturday (March 5), better bundle up if you are going to that game. If you want to stay warmer keep Medieval Times in mind as the knights start jousting on March 5th as well.

The Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto opens on March 10 for a new season of exhibitions. Located on Sterling Driver north of the curving Dundas Street West.

For students one of the happiest times of the year is March break which takes place from March 14 to 18 with all schools closed. You can also check out historic Fort York during March break. Mid March is also the time when the sap starts flowing and the Maple Syrup festivals start up.

One of my favourites is definitely coming back for 2022 - Toronto Comicon runs from March 18 to 20 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. I already have my tickets and am looking forward to the comics and the cosplay. Show Hours: Friday 10 AM - 7 PM, Saturday 10 AM - 7 PM and Sunday 10 AM - 5 PM.

There is even an outdoor beer festival taking place at Steam Whistle. Join the cool crowd as they sip brews at the Roundhouse Winter Craft Beer Festival on March 19.

On March 19th, 2022, join us at Toronto’s biggest and baddest après-brew-ski party. Gather your beer-loving pals, retro ski gear, long johns, and all the flannel you can get your mitts on. Early bird tickets are 90% sold out and you know what they say, the early bird gets the beer.

Back after two years is the St. Patrick's Day Parade on Sunday, March 20. "The parade will begin at the corner of St. George and Bloor Street West at 12 pm and proceed down Yonge Street, turning left towards the review stand at Nathan Phillips Square."

For those that like the two wheeled life the North American Motorcycle Supershow is at the International Centre from March 25 to 27. Check out my post here for a contest to win a pair of tickets to the 2022 show.

Earth Hour happens on the 26th of March this year "Every year, at 8:30 pm on the last Saturday of March, millions of people across the world show their support for our planet, raising awareness of nature loss and climate change - the two biggest threats facing our one home."

March 26 is also the start of the 2022 Toronto Biennial of Art which runs until June 5th. They are on a mission to make contemporary art accessible to everyone.