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.

Track construction June 28: starting from Turn 3 to Turn 8, about 80% of blocks and fencing installed. Turn 3 grandstand and Turn 11 north grandstand almost complete. No pedestrian bridge parts yet.

"We encourage everyone to act fast to secure their spot for three full days of world-class racing, food and fun for the whole family on the festival grounds,” said Jeff Atkinson, president of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. “Your Ontario Honda Dealers Present Free Fan Friday kicks off the action on July 18th as racing from five different series takes the track across the weekend, headlined by Sunday’s IndyCar race which has increased to 90 laps this year.”

The first day, known as Free Fan Friday, will also return in 2025. The Ontario Honda Dealers presents free entrance to the motorsport festival on July 18 with a voluntary donation to Make-A-Wish Canada. You don't need tickets for Fan Friday and seating is first come, first served.

The race track is built around the streets in Exhibition Place and onto Lake Shore Boulevard West before returning to Exhibition Place. The 2.9km, 11-turn track is only a temporary street course and requires massive quantities of concrete blocks, safety fence, scaffolding, stands and suites. We are talking about 2,000 concrete reinforced barriers, 1,200 pieces of 2.4m high steel fencing and 1,600 feet of tire wall barriers (5 tires high). The tires are important and you can find most of them at Turn 1 along Princes' Gates, Turn 3, Turn 5 and Turn 8 as well as the three runoffs (a safe place to go if the car can't get around the sharp turns) - extending the tracks at Turn 3, Turn 8 and through Princes' Gates and onto Strachan Ave. Then you have to add your trackside advertising banners and the start/finish painting in the middle of Princes' Boulevard. The last track prep happens on the westbound lanes of Lake Shore Boulevard West.

In addition to a number of General Admission viewing areas there are four grandstands (Turns 3, 10 and two stands in Turn 11) and two trackside suites near Turn 11. There are three paddocks, two in the Enercare Centre (NTT IndyCar and a supporting series paddock) and one outside near Thunder Alley. There will be a couple of food and beverage areas along and inside the track to keep you hydrated and fed throughout your time at the race.

From the HIT website, "The 2025 weekend schedule, highlighted by the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, will have a full complement of racing series on track. Open-wheel development series USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire and USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire will battle on the 2.874-kilometre (1.786-mile), 11-turn street course. Exciting sports car action from Emzone Radical Cup Canada presented by Michelin and production car racing from the Miata Canada Cup will add to the schedule. Further weekend activities and entertainment elements will be announced at a later date."

NTT IndyCar Preliminary Schedule of Events (Subject to Change)

Friday, July 18, 2025
3:05 p.m. - 4:25 p.m. - NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1

Saturday, July 19, 2025
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. - NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2
2:35 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying/Firestone Fast 6

Sunday, July 20, 2025
8:32 a.m. - 8:57 a.m. - NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm-up
12:22 p.m. - Green Flag - Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto (90 Laps)

From HIT, "The stars and cars of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will take on the 2.874-kilometre (1.786-mile), 11-turn temporary street circuit built on the Exhibition Place grounds near the Lake Ontario shoreline for Round 13 of 17 in the season championship battle. The field will feature Canadian Devlin DeFrancesco, multi-time Toronto winners Scott Dixon, Will Power and Josef Newgarden, three-time series champion and 2025 Indianapolis 500 winner Alex Paou and recent Toronto winners Christian Lundgaard (2023) and Colton Herta (2024)." The best place to see the drivers will be to look for autograph signing events or get tickets for the paddock and pits where you can keep an eye out as the drivers head to and from their racecars.

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.

The smaller big duck is on site

The Empire Sandy is Cruising the harbour

Sugar Beach

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.

WNBR Toronto 2025 coming June 14

In just a little under two weeks the 2025 World Naked Bike Ride Toronto will be winding its way through busy downtown streets in a "global protest against oil dependency and urban pollution". Bikers will gather in Coronation Park beginning around 10am (or earlier) on Saturday, June 14 and will head out on the ride at 1pm.

The WNBR international event has been ongoing since 2001, beginning in Spain, before coming to Toronto in 2004. Covid reduced the numbers for a few years before the crisis passed and riders came back in force.

THE START: JUNE 14, 2025

Coronation Park is located along Lake Shore Boulevard West, just across from Exhibition Place. Limited parking is available in the park, otherwise I would suggest Exhibition Place for parking - or bike to the site. People will meet at the war memorial (shaped kind of like a ship) next to the large Canadian Flag pole near the water's edge.

Organizer Gene Dare will probably be on site early as riders begin to show up, socialize and begin to apply body paint and decorate their bikes with posters or signs. Gene rides with a large Canadian flag banner and a giant Canadian hat. More and more people will show up around noon until the group conducts a group photo and heads out at around 1pm. 

The group ride starts by heading north on Strachan Avenue. Remember the ride is as bare as you dare!

THE WNBR ROUTE

Overall the ride takes about 3 to 4 hours, but you can join or leave at any point you want, just get dressed when you leave. The route runs through and past many of Toronto's iconic tourist spots, traveling in an approximate clockwise circle before heading back to Coronation Park.

The ride changes a little bit every year, sometimes because of construction or street events, or just to add another Toronto favourite destination to the ride. This is the approximate journey they will take.

Coronation Park (photo op)

Trinity Bellwoods Park

Kensington Market

University of Toronto

Queen's Park (photo op)

Yorkville

Church Street Village

Allan Gardens

Toronto Metropolitan University

Eaton's Centre

Yonge-Dundas Square now Sankofa Square

City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square (with a quick stop in the fountain and photo op)
Down Bay street past Old City Hall

Union Station

Roundhouse Park

Queens Quay east to Sugar Beach Park

Back along the path to HTO Park
Return to Coronation Park

Riders then depart from the group at ride's end or possibly go to the Toronto Islands to party on Hanlan's Point clothing optional beach.

See the 2025 ride post here.

Schitt’s Creek Rosebud Motel rises again

The Canadian comedy show Schitt's Creek came to audiences on January 13, 2015 on CBC and sadly, after only six seasons, the show came to an end. From Rose Mansion to the Rosebud Motel the Rose family provided laughs, tears and great memories, all situated in a town that doesn't exist.

Three main Ontario locations were used for filming including Toronto, some buildings in Goodwood (such as David's Apothecary) and the exterior of the Rosebud Motel in Hockley Valley (Mono). The hotel was actually a working motel called the Hockley Motel, relabeled for the show. You can see the motel without the sign on my post here.

Canadian comedy legends Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara were joined by Emily Hampshire, Annie Murphy, Dan Levy and many others, bring life to a family retreating in crisis, described by the CBC as "When the filthy-rich Roses suddenly find themselves broke they're forced to rebuild their empire within their only remaining asset - Schitt's Creek, an arm pit of a town they once bought as a joke."

The motel changed ownership post show and seemed to have been closed down for awhile now. But suddenly there were reports that the Schitt's Creek Rosebud Motel sign has reappeared on the building - which I can confirm as of May 27, 2025. And the property looks ready to go - either as a working motel, coincidentally named Rosebud Motel, or a possible return to show business for the building.

Hopefully we will soon hear of a series reboot, or a maybe a movie in the future.

Doors Open Toronto 2025 returns this May 24 weekend

Over 150 sites spread around the city are included within the Doors Open Toronto celebration of public and private spaces - open for free for you to visit Saturday, May 24 to Sunday, May 25, 2025. The theme is play and prepare to wait in line for some of the popular spots as the event runs from 10am till 5pm (check the website for non-standard times).

There are also guided neighbourhood tours and Doors Open talks for those that want to find out more information as the tour progresses, although advance registration is required.

Toronto City Hall is once again included in the list of places to visit with the following information provided from the city; "The seat of Toronto's municipal government and internationally recognized as an architectural masterpiece, City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square are among Toronto's most famous landmarks. The masterful mid-century design is the result of one of the largest architectural competitions ever held by a city. An international jury judged 510 submissions from 42 countries around the world. In 1958, Mayor Nathan Phillips announced the winner, Viljo Revell, an architect based in Helsinki, Finland. Construction began in 1961, and the site opened four years later on September 13, 1965."

A great place to check out at City Hall is to "enjoy a remarkable view of downtown from the 27th Floor Observation Deck of Toronto City Hall. The observation deck is only open to the public during Doors Open. Access to this space is limited, so be aware that lining up is required. Take an elevator to the 25th floor and then climb an additional 15 stairs to reach the observation deck. Strollers are discouraged. Stroller parking is on the main floor before entering the elevators."

Keep in mind that part of the city is also working against the other part this weekend as TTC subway service on Line One comes to a halt both Saturday and Sunday. From the TTC's website, "Subway service on Line 1 between Sheppard-Yonge and College stations will be replaced by shuttle buses on Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25, for planned track work. TTC staff will be available to assist customers. Lawrence and Summerhill stations will be closed during these times. All other subway stations will remain open for customers to purchase PRESTO fares, tickets and connect to surface routes."