The Best Events of the Summer

Clear skies, bright sun, long weekends - summer is all about good times! With everyone heading to summer events and attractions comes long lines of traffic, difficult and expensive parking, road closures, and uncomfortably hot cars. Also, with the rise of gas prices, taking GO is a great way to get to your summer outings. Travelling to these events on a weekend? Make sure to take advantage of our Weekend Pass. So leave your vehicle at home and arrive at the event feeling cool, relaxed, and ready for fun!

A trip to Canada’s Wonderland is a summertime staple! There are 17 roller coasters waiting for you thrill seekers, two children’s areas if you’re bringing little ones, and the 20-acre water park Splash Works, for those of us who are just looking to cool off. With a total of over 200 attractions, there’s fun for everyone at Canada’s Wonderland!

• When: All season! 
• Where: 1 Canada's Wonderland Drive, Vaughan, ON
• Cost: Regular daily admission (Ages 3-64, over 48" tall) - starting at $44.99, Junior/Senior daily admission (Ages 3 or older & under 48" tall or guests 65 & older) - starting at $34.99, Season pass - starting at $89/person
• Get There With GO: Take the Barrie line to Maple GO Station, and then connect to the YRT. Starting May 6, 2023, GO Bus routes 47W and 52X will include a stop at Canada’s Wonderland on weekends and holidays.

BMO Field is home to The Boatmen, and it’s a snap to skip the traffic when you travel there with GO Transit.

• When: Upcoming home matches: See the full game schedule here.
• Where: BMO Field
• Get There With GO: Take the GO train to BMO Field! Travel on the Lakeshore West line to Exhibition GO Station, and then take a quick 2 minute walk south on Nova Scotia Ave.

Watch the Toronto FC go for GOALS at BMO Field. If you’ve never seen a Toronto FC game in action, get ready to be caught up in the excitement of professional soccer!

• When: Upcoming home matches: See the full season schedule here.
• Where: BMO Field
• Get There With GO: Take the GO train to BMO Field! Travel on the Lakeshore West line to Exhibition GO Station, and then take a quick 2 minute walk south on Nova Scotia Ave.

Break out that rainbow apparel and get ready to wave your flag — Pride Month is here! Pride Toronto has a full month of events planned, from rallies to live performances to the annual Pride Parade on Festival Weekend, and much more. There’s a Pride event for every vibe! The theme for this year’s Pride Toronto is “Here, There, Everywhere” and its focus is “equal parts protest as it is party.” We’re proud of our long time involvement with Pride Toronto and we’re always happy to help 2SLGBTQIA+ community members and allies get to all the Pride events!

• When: 
• Trans Pride Rally/March/Afterparty - Fri June 23 @ 7 pm - 11 pm
• Dyke Rally/March/Afterparty - Sat June 24 @ 1 pm - 6 pm
• Drag Ball - Sat June 24 @ 6 pm - 11 pm
• Family Pride - Sat June 24 & Sun June 25 @ 10 am - 5 pm
• Pride Parade - Sun June 25 @ 2 pm
• Two-Spirit & Indigenous Pride - Sun June 25 @ 4 pm - 9 pm
• Various other events are occurring throughout the month of June. Check out the full calendar of events on the Pride Toronto website
• Where: Church-Wellesley Village. Visit the Pride Toronto website for the full calendar of events, and check out how Metrolinx is celebrating Pride this year!
• Cost: Varies; many events are free
• Get There With GO: Travel by GO train or bus to Union Station and then take the TTC.

It’s North America’s largest outdoor Asian festival, and it’s completely free to attend! Enjoy three days of cultural events, guest speakers, and fantastic food. With a pledge to bring more culturally diverse activities to the GTA, Taste of Asia boasts performances by foreign and international stars as well as over 150 food vendors, offering a diverse dining experience. There are attractions for all ages, so bring the whole family to Taste of Asia!

• When: June 23 - 25, 2023
• Friday 5 pm - 11 pm
• Saturday 11 am - 11 pm
• Sunday 11 am - 5 pm
• Where: Kennedy Rd & Steeles Ave E, Markham
• Cost: FREE!
• Get There With GO: Take the Stouffville line to Milliken GO Station and then walk to the corner of Kennedy and Steeles.

Green flag, here we come! The Honda Indy returns to downtown Toronto, July 14 - 16, 2023 and we’re ready to hear the sound of those engines. Watching the cars speed around the 2.874 km track is so exciting, but driving your own car to the event can be a frustration-filled headache. Luckily, GO Transit can take you right to the entrance and save you some money with a Combo Pass that includes Honda Indy general admission + roundtrip GO fare to Exhibition GO Station. Let’s GO to the race! 

• When: July 14 - 16, 2023
• Where: Exhibition Place
• Cost:
• Your Ontario Honda Dealers present Honda Fan Friday - FREE General Admission
• 2-Day General Admission + GO Transit Round Trip - $80
• Saturday General Admission + GO Transit Round Trip - $55
• Sunday General Admission + GO Transit Round Trip - $65
• Children aged 12 and under are FREE with a ticketed adult
• PRESTO Perk - Show your PRESTO card to get FREE access to the paddock during the Honda Fan Friday event
• Buy tickets at hondaindy.com/GO!
• Get There With GO: Take the Lakeshore West line to Exhibition GO Station. You’ll arrive right by Entrance 2 on the Honda Indy Festival Map.

The theme of this year’s Global Black Pride is Honouring our Past, Securing our Future. It is a testament of being unapologetically Black with the commitment to work towards justice and freedom for the Black LGBTQI community. This year will be the first in-person event partnership with Blackness Yes! And Pride Toronto - events will include a Human Rights Conference, Queer Black Brunch, Blockobana, Blackness Yes! and more. Founded in 2020, Global Black Pride is an activist-led event celebrating diversity and excellence of Black LGBTQI around the world. Join the global movement to fight for freedom, liberation, and justice for all Black LGBTQI communities!

• When: July 2023
• Where: varies
• Get There With GO: Directions depending on which event.

The Toronto Caribbean Carnival returns this year with its music, costumes, and pageantry. The tradition of parading through the street was founded as a celebration of emancipation from slavery. This is the 55th anniversary of the Grande Parade in Toronto, with both free and paid elements happening along the Lake Shore. GO makes it easy to get there without worrying about navigating around road closures. Other events include the King & Queen Showcase, a Steel Pan Showcase, and Carnival Flavours - featuring Caribbean food and drinks.

• When: July 2023
• Where: 955 Lake Shore Blvd W., Toronto, ON
• Get There With GO: Take the Lakeshore West GO train line to Exhibition GO Station. Then it’s a 10 minute walk south via Manitoba Dr. and Princes’ Blvd.

Calling all country music fans! Don’t miss Canada’s largest camping and country music festival.

• When: August 2023
• Where: Burl’s Creek Event Grounds, Oro-Medonte, ON
• Get There With GO: Take the Barrie line to Allandale Waterfront GO Station, and then take a shuttle bus to Burl’s Creek Event Grounds.

The rides, the games, the FOOD, the fun! The Canadian National Exhibition has all that plus stunt and talent shows, exhibits showcasing photography and technology, live music, the Air Show, and more. Let’s GO to the Ex!

• When: August- September 2023
• Where: Exhibition Place
• Get There With GO: Take the Lakeshore West GO train line to Exhibition GO Station and you’re there!

It’s the biggest comics, sci-fi, horror, anime, and gaming event in Canada! FAN EXPO Canada returns this summer so you can immerse yourself in fan culture again. Meet celebrities, attend panel discussions, cosplay, shop, and more.

• When: August 2023
• Where: Metro Toronto Convention Centre
• Get There With GO: Travel by GO train or bus to Union Station. Proceed to the upper level of the station and use the SkyWalk. Follow the signs for the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Save with GO

GO can save you more than just the stress of driving and parking - we can save you money, too! Less money spent on travel means more money for all the summer excitement!

PRESTO Perks

Don’t forget to take advantage of savings to attractions and events all around the GGH with your PRESTO card!

Weekend Passes

When you’re travelling on the weekend, a Weekend Pass is the way to GO. Use a $10 One-Day Pass for unlimited GO travel on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday. Use a $15 Weekend Pass for unlimited GO travel all weekend long, including holiday weekends. Squeeze in as much fun as you can while the summer weekends last!

Fare Discounts

Our fare discounts have made travelling with GO more affordable than ever. Our Youth and Post-Secondary Student fare has increased from 22.5% to 40% off the regular adult fare. Our Co-Fare discount has increased to 100% off on most local transit agencies. That means that your local fares are now FREE when you connect to or from GO Transit. We’re saving you more, so you can DO more.

Kids GO Free

When school’s out for summer, it’s time for family fun! Remember that kids aged 12 and under always ride free on GO. It’s affordable to bring the whole family on GO Transit!

Summer Events Are Just A GO Ride

Say goodbye to traffic jams and parking headaches and say hello to a relaxing ride. Take the GO and don’t miss out on a minute of summertime fun. Start planning your outings now!