Toronto's New Year's Eve festivities: Road closures and Union Station access restrictions to manage crowds

Addressing overcrowding at Union on New Year's Eve Toronto is making changes to how Union Station can be accessed on New Year's Eve after overcrowding was an issue in previous years.

The City of Toronto is taking steps to ensure New Year’s Eve revelers enjoy the festivities and get home safely.

Starting at 10 p.m. on Tuesday until 1 a.m. on Wednesday, a number of road closures will be in effect in the downtown core, including eastbound Queens Quay West, Bay Street from Front Street to Queens Quay West and York Street from Front Street to Queens Quay West. Additional road closures may be added if required, the city said in a news release.

After midnight, once the city’s firework display on the waterfront is over, access to Union Station will also be restricted to ensure crowds move smoothly through the station to their destination.

Public transit users will be required to enter Union through the Brookfield Place doors on Bay Street, just south of Front Street, however if overcrowding begins, customers may have to line up outside on Bay Street, the city said.

This move comes after thousands of people attempted to make their way home through Union Station following last year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations. The overcrowding, which was exacerbated by a fight on a subway train, resulted in long delays for some travellers. Similar overcrowding has been an issue in previous years on New Year’s Eve at Union, the TTC added.

New Year's Eve celebrations in Toronto

On Dec. 31, the City of Toronto will ring in the new year with a celebration along the waterfront that will feature fireworks, music and pop-up performances.

The fireworks display can be viewed from Sugar Beach Park at 11 Dockside Dr., Harbour Square Park at 25 Queen's Quay W., Harbourfront Centre at 235 Queen's Quay W., HTO Park, 339 Queen's Quay W., and HTO Park West at 375 Queen's Quay W.

The pop-up performances are set to begin from 10 p.m. at Sherbourne Common at 61 Dockside Dr. and at the Toronto Music Garden at 476 Queens Quay West, which will also be showing short films from the National Film Board of Canada.

The city is urging people who want to attend those festivities to take the TTC. People can access the event by exiting at St. Andrew, Osgoode, King, or Queen stations on Line 1.

The TTC will be free all night and there will be extra bus, subway, and streetcar service to accommodate the expected increase in riders.

Subway service will be running till 3 a.m. and the overnight buses and streetcars will run till 8 a.m. The last subway train from Union will depart at 2:30 a.m.

Blue Night Network buses and streetcars will operate all night, the city said.

Free transit times are listed on the city's website under Getting Around.

A list of all of the New Year's Eve events in the city can be found here.