What’s open and closed in Toronto this August long weekend

It’s the August long weekend! Monday, August 5 is a civic holiday known as Simcoe Day, in honour of John Graves Simcoe, the founder of York (now Toronto). Thankfully, many city attractions will remain open on Monday, including the CN Tower and the Toronto Zoo. Still, some businesses won’t be operating as usual.

Here’s a list of what’s open and closed this holiday long weekend in Toronto.

Public transit

  • TTC: The TTC will operate on a holiday schedule on Monday. All TTC routes will operate on their Sunday service schedules but will start earlier (at approximately 6 a.m.). Any routes that don’t normally operate on Sundays won’t be in operation. There are no scheduled subway closures this Saturday–Monday. For those attending the Caribana festival (Saturday, August 3), there will be extra subway service on Lines 1 and 2 all day Saturday, and additional streetcar service on the 509 Harbourfront and 511 Bathurst. The streetcar stop at Fleet St. and Strachan Ave. will not be serviced during the event. Also, a dedicated “Toronto Caribbean Carnival” shuttle bus will operate between Dufferin Station and Dufferin Gate Loop to get parade goers to and from the parade safely.
  • Go Transit: Go Transit will operate on a Saturday schedule.

Government services

Municipal, provincial, and federal government offices (including passport offices and Service Canada centres) will be closed.

Toronto Public Library

Toronto Public Library branches will be closed on Sunday, August 4 and Monday, August 5 (and there will be no Bookmobile service). You can return books and other materials when the library is closed, but they won’t be cleared from your account right away. Online services are always available.

Postal and delivery services

Canada Post, FedEx, Purolator, and UPS will be closed on Monday with no collection or delivery of mail. Some post offices operated by the private sector will be open according to the hours of service of the host business.

Banks

All banks will be closed on Monday.

Alcohol

  • LCBO: Most LCBO store locations will be open on Monday. Click here for details about your local store.
  • The Beer StoreOn Monday, 128 select Beer Store locations across the province will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., including five locations in Toronto (452 Bathurst St., 904 Dufferin St., 2625A Weston Rd., 534 Parliament St. and 609 Roehampton Ave.) as well as other locations across the GTA. Click here for the full list. Also, the Beer Store now offers delivery via Skip the Dishes, Instacart, and Uber Eats.
  • Amsterdam Brewery retail stores: Both the Leaside and Harbourfront by the Lake locations will be open as usual on Monday.

Restaurants and eateries

Most restaurants are open for feasting across the city on Monday! Click here for 20 new Toronto restaurants to see and be seen in this summer.

Grocery stores

  • Rabba Fine Foods will be open (all Rabba locations are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).
  • T&T Supermarket College Store will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Eataly Yorkville will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Bloor Street Independent City Market (55 Bloor St.) will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Whole Foods in Yorkville, Square One (Mississauga) and Oakville will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Loblaws: Check your store’s holiday hours before you head out as many locations will be closed. The superstore at 60 Carlton St., however, will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday.
  • Metro: All Toronto locations will be open on Monday. Their giant underground location at College Station (Metro College Park, 444 Yonge St.) is open later than the other locations, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Malls

Most malls appear to be open! Here are the business hours for the most popular malls in Toronto/the GTA that will be open on Monday August 5:

Toronto Eaton Centre will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Markville Shopping Centre (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.), Toronto Premium Outlets (11 a.m. to 7 p.m.), Pacific Mall (11 a.m. to 8 p.m.), Dufferin Mall (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), Fairview Mall (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), Sherway Gardens (10 a.m. to 7 p.m.), Shops at Don Mills (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.), Yorkdale Shopping Centre (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.), and Scarborough Town Centre (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

Entertainment

  • The CN Tower will be open from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
  • The Art Gallery of Ontario will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • The Royal Ontario Museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. There will be free admission and free main floor access initiatives on Monday.
  • Ripley’s Aquarium will be open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
  • Canada’s Wonderland will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.  There will be two nights of fireworks, on Sunday June 30 and Monday July 1, with fireworks starting at 10 p.m.
  • The Toronto Zoo will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 7 p.m. (the Toronto Zoo is open every day, all year).
  • Movie theatres: It’ll be business as usual for theatres.

If you’re looking for fun activities, make sure to check out the eight best things to do in Toronto this long weekend!

Article exclusive to POST CITY