What's happening this St. Patrick's Day weekend in Toronto

St. Patrick's Day lands on Monday, March 17th, but celebrations for all things Irish are happening all weekend long across the city. 

Irish Consul General Janice McGann pointed to the city's strong Irish presence for the scale of celebration.

"We've a very large Irish community," she said. "We estimate around 10,000 people with Irish passports here."

Here's everything you need to know this weekend, from events you and the whole family can attend to route closures you should factor into any travel you have planned.

Fun for the whole family

St. Patrick's Day weekend has a number of family friendly events, many of which are outdoors. 

• St Patrick's Day Parade starts at noon Sunday and runs from the corner of St. George Street and Bloor Street W. and ends at Sankofa Square, formerly Yongue-Dundas Square. 

• The Annual St. Patrick's Day Run starts at 10 a.m. Sunday, raising funds for charity partners like Achilles Canada. 

• Niagara Falls and the CN Tower will both be glowing green for St. Patrick's Day.

• Riverdance is on its 30th anniversary tour and runs in Toronto from March 18th onward.

Shaun Ruddy, chair of the St. Patrick's Day Parade Society, says preparing for the worst weather is the most important advice he has for families attending the parade or events outside. 

"We have an info booth and we always have a couple hundred pairs of gloves to put out along the parade route," he said. "We tell people to dress warm, even if it looks like it's going to be a mild day, dress warm. Dress for the weather." 

Route closures on Sunday

Road closures for the St. Patrick's Day Race will be in effect as follows between 9 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

• Bayview Avenue from Pottery Road to River Street.
• Rosedale Valley Road from Park Road to Bayview Avenue.

Roads downtown will be closed for the St. Patrick's Day Parade, from 9 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.

• St. George Street from Bloor Street W. to College Street.
• Devonshire Place from Bloor Street W. to Hoskin Avenue.
• Sussex Avenue from Huron Street to St. George Street.
• Hoskin Avenue from St. George Street to Queen's Park Crescent W.
• Harbord Street from St. George Street to Huron Street.
• Ursula Franklin Street from Huron Street to St. George Street.

From 11:45 a.m. until 3 p.m. there are additional road closures:

• Bloor Street from Huron Street to Yonge Street.
• Yonge Street from Bloor Street to Adelaide Street.

Sunday will see train service added on the TTC's Line 1 Yonge-University and Line 2 Bloor-Danforth, as well additional streetcars on the 505 Dundas and 506 Carlton routes. Parade road closures will also result in TTC bus diversions around the route, which may affect travel time.

MADD Canada offering Uber discounts

"All those events where you expect people to be out celebrating, we do tend to see a spike in impaired driving related collisions," said Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada CEO Steve Sullivan. He says St. Patrick's Day is no exception.. 

To mitigate that risk, he's partnered with Uber to leave QR codes on coasters around the city, providing small discounts for the rideshare app. Toronto is the only city included in the launch of the program, but they hope to expand next year. 

"I hope everybody has a good time. It's the day to be Irish and a good time also means getting home safely for you and your friends and everybody else on the road," Sullivan said. 

Support your local Irish pub

Stout Irish Pub's owner Erin Gamelin said success this weekend is important to help keep the city's local bars, including her own, financially afloat.

Here's some of what those local pubs have planned:

• Tarah Inn in Scarborough is saving official celebrations for the holiday itself, with Irish dancers all day on Monday, and live music late. 

• St. James Gate in Etobicoke is running a special St. Patrick's menu until Monday, with specials like Guinness beef pie, Irish breakfast and, of course, green beer. 

• Whelan's Gate in High Park is opening up at 11 a.m. for those who're taking the day off to celebrate, with free merch for early arrivals, while supplies last.

• Stout Irish Pub in Cabbage Town has Irish dancers performing all weekend, with the goal of raising funds for the dancers to travel and compete in Ireland. 

"It's our busiest day of the weekend of the year. It's an opportunity for us to make up lost revenue that happens in January and February," Gamelin said. "I'm Irish, and if I don't call my mother on Saint Patrick's Day, I get a mouthful from her. I have to get my mother a Saint Patrick's Day card. It is so important to her."