Get Ready to Celebrate Your New Queens Quay!

On June 19th, join Waterfront Toronto as we officially open the revitalized Queens Quay. On the left: Before - A view of the narrow pedestrian area at the Simcoe Slip in 2008. On the right: After - A view of the Simcoe WaveDeck opened in 2009 and the new widened granite promenade to be fully opened June 2015. 

JUNE 2, 2015 I PARKS AND PUBLIC SPACES, DESIGN, COMPLETE STREETS
BY: HEATHER GLICKSMAN

We’d like to celebrate this momentous occasion – the transformation of Queens Quay, Toronto’s main waterfront street with the entire waterfront community. We can’t thank the community enough for their support and patience during this project (see what’s left to do on the street in this blog post). Construction is never fun or easy, but we think most will agree that the new Queens Quay will be worth the wait. The festivities kick off on Friday, June 19 at 6:00 p.m.  at the Simcoe WaveDeck.

The revitalization of Queens Quay is one of Waterfront Toronto’s most important projects, the transformation of Toronto’s main waterfront street from an uninviting and unfriendly-pedestrian thoroughfare into a world-class boulevard that is both beautiful and functional. Soon a grand civic meeting place and a gateway to the lake, the new street will provide a more welcoming, more beautiful and more enjoyable space for residents and visitors alike. 

The new Queens Quay will feature a continuous Martin Goodman Trail, a wide, tree-lined red granite pedestrian promenade on the south side, new TTC streetcar corridor and platforms in the centre, and new sidewalks and landscaping on the north side. (Photo credit: Nicola Betts)

All of Toronto is invited to be a part of the opening ceremony, where we’ll be orchestrating the biggest ribbon cutting Toronto has ever seen. Imagine you, with hundreds of friends, family and neighbours waving a flowing 650-metre long ribbon to celebrate the end of construction and the start of a new era on Queens Quay. If you can’t picture how long 650 metres is, imagine the length of Queens Quay West, from York Street to HTO Park. This will be a ribbon cutting ceremony on a scale you will have to see to believe – so why not get a front-row seat by being part of the action.

Sign up online and register to help us cut the ribbon on your new waterfront boulevard. We’ll contact you directly with more details, but participants should expect to wave the ribbon for approximately 10 minutes and be available by 5:00 p.m. for this unique ribbon cutting ceremony. Remember to share this with your friends, family and neighbours and help spread the word. We hope to see you on the waterfront June 19th!

If you have specific accommodation requirements, or for more information please contact Waterfront Toronto at info@waterfrontoronto.ca or at 416-214-1344.

When: 

Friday, June 19, 2015 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Participants that want to help wave the ribbon will be asked to arrive by 5:00 p.m. to sign in.

Where:

Simcoe WaveDeck, on the south side of Queens Quay West between Lower Simcoe Street and Rees Street. 

Getting here:

Public Transit: Closest TTC subway station is Union Station. Take the 509 Harbourfront streetcar or the 510 Spadina streetcar to Harbourfront Centre. Walk west on the south side of Queens Quay to Simcoe WaveDeck, before Rees Street. Please use theTTC trip planner for additional options.

Parking: We strongly recommend taking public transit, but if you are driving paid parking is available nearby at Harbourfront Centre on Queens Quay West at Lower Simcoe Street and at the Radisson Hotel on Queens Quay West at Robertson Crescent. Other paid parking lots are available on the north and south side of Queens Quay, Lower Simcoe Street and Bay Street.

Accessibility: The new fully-accessible TTC streetcars are running on the 509 Harbourfront streetcar and the 510 Spadina lines. The closest Wheel-Trans pick-up and drop-off location is Harbourfront Centre (235 Queens Quay West).

Share your thoughts, comments and feedback – follow us on Facebook and Twitter – and join the conversation about the opening of the revitalized Queens Quay Boulevard using the #NewQueensQuay hashtag.

Redpath Waterfront Festival

Waterfront Toronto's festivities will also kick off the start of the Redpath Waterfront Festival so be sure to stick around after our grand opening to enjoy this weekend-long celebration. (Photo credit: Redpath Waterfront Festival)

After our official opening, stay for the Redpath Waterfront Festival’s Waterfront Community People¹s Parade and Grand Opening Show. See highlights of the festival’s events including appearances by celebrity dancers Jean Marc Genereux, Blake McGrath and The Next Step as well as the Ultimutts Stunt Dog Show, busker performances and the Swing Shift Big Band.

Celebrate all weekend long with Party on the Promenade, presented by The Waterfront BIA. Enjoy two kilometres of entertainment and activities along the new Queens Quay pedestrian promenade and Martin Goodman Trail from Sherbourne Street to Spadina Avenue.  For a detailed list of events visit http://towaterfrontfest.com.