There’s no end to the exciting recurring events, from street parties to music festivals, which happen in Ontario during the spring and summer, but what about all the new stuff we can look forward to as warmer temperatures return?
From raucous new concert venues to breathtaking million-dollar projects finally nearing completion, Ontario is brimming with brand-new buildings, attractions and activities that might just make this spring the best one yet.
Here are a few of the new things coming to Ontario this spring and summer for you to start getting excited about.
Rogers Stadium
Step aside, Rogers Centre, there’ll soon be a new kid in town, and it’s poised to be Toronto’s largest concert venue to date, boasting a 50,000-person capacity and a growing lineup featuring some huge names.
Taking over a 44-acre vacant lot at YDZ, formerly Downsview Airport, the stadium is already slated to host Blackpink, Coldplay, Oasis and Hozier, to name just a few.
Rogers Stadium will be Toronto’s largest concert venue. Photo by Live Nation.
The venue officially opens on June 29 with a performance by K-pop phenoms Stray Kids. Though it’s expected to stay for the next few years, it is technically temporary, so don’t miss your chance.
Hard Rock Hotel
Hit the road and head to London (Ontario, of course) or Ottawa because both cities are set to see their very own Hard Rock Hotel locations open up this spring.
In the case of London’s location, the hotel also houses a casino and is a part of Canada’s largest entertainment complex, 100 Kellogg Lane.
London’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino joins Canada’s largest entertainment complex this spring. Photo by Hard Rock Hotel London.
The hotel boasts 164 guest rooms and specialty suites, several food and drink venues, and a dazzling, 32-foot-high, sculptural metallic guitar handmade in London.
St. Lawrence Market North Building
The $128 million replacement for St. Lawrence Market’s North Market building, a breathtaking landmark over 25 years in the making, is almost complete.
Though, judging by comments on the market’s posts, some Instagram users evidently have less-than-stellar reviews of the building’s design, the new space will provide a home for Sunday Farmers’ Markets, which, since 2016, have been held in a temporary tent outside the market.
Farmers’ markets will begin at St. Lawrence’s new North building this April. Photo by Fareen Karim.
Detractors aside, the enormous five-storey building is a marvel in its own right, and the first farmer’s market of the season is set to be held there on Sunday, April 5, and construction is expected to be complete as of June.
Alpen Fury at Canada’s Wonderland
Canada’s Wonderland is at it again as they prepare to unleash their latest rollercoaster on the people of Vaughan and beyond.
Smashing records as the longest, tallest and fastest launch coaster in Canada, the coaster will zoom in and around the park’s central Mount Wonder along a 1,000-metre-long track that will reach top speeds of 115 km/h with nine inversions.
Alpen Fury will be Canada’s fastest, longest and tallest launch coaster. Photo by Canada’s Wonderland.
While the precise opening date for the coaster has yet to be announced, construction appears to be moving along smoothly. The park will open for the season on May 8, and the coaster is likely to follow soon after.
Mirvish Village Park
It’s out with the old and in with the new at Bloor and Bathurst as the Mirvish Village development on the former site of Honest Ed’s progresses full steam ahead.
The mixed-use development will feature rental units, retail spaces, and a large food hall rumoured to include a new Pizzeria Badiali location on top of the stunning new park, which is set to open this spring.
Mirvish Village Park will be the heart of the new development. Image by City of Toronto.
The park, which fronts Market Street, will feature bird-friendly gardens, picnic areas and a water feature that, using interactive water jets, will display animations that honour Honest Ed’s.
Port Lands Park
As part of the ongoing revitalization of Toronto’s Port Lands, an enormous new public park is underway near the mouth of the Don River, and it features some uniquely larger-than-life elements.
Toronto’s revitalized Port Lands project is becoming a breathtaking park. Photo by Jeremy Gilbert.
An enormous two-storey owl structure that visitors can climb inside and explore has already been installed in the area, and it’s soon to be joined by a raccoon friend that doubles as a play structure and a 1600 sq.m. replica of the Cheltenham Badlands. Talk about a glow-up!
