What’s Open and Closed in Toronto on Thanksgiving Weekend 2026
Planning your Thanksgiving long weekend in Toronto? Whether you need to pick up last-minute groceries, take the TTC or find somewhere to spend the holiday, expect some changes to regular hours.
Thanksgiving Day falls on Monday, October 12, 2026, and it is a statutory holiday. Toronto’s holiday-shopping rules require most retail businesses to close on Thanksgiving Day, although several categories of businesses and designated tourist areas are exempt.
Most of the closures below apply specifically to Thanksgiving Monday. Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11 generally operate much closer to normal weekend hours.
Here’s what Toronto residents need to know before heading out.
What’s Open in Toronto on Thanksgiving Day?
Toronto Zoo
The Toronto Zoo will be open on Thanksgiving Monday. The Zoo confirms that it is open every day of the year, and its current fall schedule runs through October 12.
Thanksgiving Day hours: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Location: 2000 Meadowvale Rd.
Some seasonal attractions are also scheduled to operate on weekends and holidays through October 12, weather permitting.
CN Tower
The CN Tower is open year-round, making it another option for Thanksgiving Monday. Its current schedule lists the main observation areas from 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., with last entry at 9 p.m.
The Tower has also scheduled special orange, red and yellow lighting for Thanksgiving on October 12.
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is open 365 days a year, including holidays. The aquarium notes that hours can change seasonally or for private events, so visitors should check the daily schedule before leaving home.
Its currently published early-closure calendar does not list October 12 as an early-closure date.
Casa Loma
Casa Loma is open daily, with its current touring hours listed as 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and last admission at 4:30 p.m.
Some Grocery Stores
This is one area where you shouldn’t assume an entire chain is either open or closed.
Toronto’s holiday rules provide exemptions for certain retailers, and individual grocery-store locations can have different Thanksgiving hours.
For example, Farm Boy has already published its 2026 Thanksgiving hours. Its Harbourfront and Sugar Wharf locations will be open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., while its St. Clair location will be open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Leaside from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Other Farm Boy locations, including Front & Bathurst, Yonge & Soudan, Dupont, Leslieville and Alderwood, are explicitly listed as closed on October 12.
Bottom line: check the exact grocery location before making the trip.
Rabba Fine Foods
Rabba Fine Foods is another option for last-minute essentials. The City of Toronto’s visitor information specifically notes that Rabba stores operate 24 hours, while cautioning that grocery-store holiday hours otherwise vary across the city.
Restaurants and Cafés
Restaurants are permitted to operate on Thanksgiving Day under Toronto’s holiday-shopping rules, but that doesn’t mean every restaurant will open. Individual restaurants set their own holiday schedules.
A number of Toronto restaurants are also offering special Thanksgiving meals during the long weekend, so reservations are worth making ahead of time.
Gas Stations
Need to fill up? Gas stations are among the businesses permitted to remain open on holidays under Toronto’s rules.
Select Pharmacies
Some pharmacies can remain open on Thanksgiving. Toronto’s bylaw specifically exempts qualifying pharmacies under 7,500 square feet, but hours vary by location.
Check your specific pharmacy before heading out.
Shopping on Thanksgiving Monday
This is where things become a little more complicated.
Toronto generally requires retail stores to close on Thanksgiving Day, but there are exemptions for certain businesses and designated tourist areas, including the Toronto Eaton Centre area, Downtown Yonge, Bloor-Yorkville, the Distillery Historic District and part of Queens Quay West.
That means shoppers shouldn’t assume every Toronto mall or store follows the same schedule.
Yorkdale Shopping Centre — Closed
Yorkdale Shopping Centre has confirmed it will be closed on Monday, October 12, 2026.
CF Toronto Eaton Centre — Tourist-Area Exemption
The Toronto Eaton Centre sits within one of the City’s designated tourist-area exemptions, meaning businesses there are legally permitted to open on Thanksgiving.
However, individual retailer and restaurant hours can differ, so check the mall and specific store before visiting.
What’s Closed in Toronto on Thanksgiving Day?
LCBO
Stock up before Monday if you’re planning Thanksgiving drinks.
LCBO stores will be closed on Monday, October 12, 2026. The LCBO’s official 2026–27 calendar specifically identifies Thanksgiving Day as a day when its offices and stores are closed.
St. Lawrence Market
The St. Lawrence Market South Market will be:
Saturday, October 10: 7 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday, October 11: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Monday, October 12: Closed
Those hours are already confirmed on the market’s official 2026 holiday schedule.
Banks and Government Offices
Thanksgiving is a statutory holiday, so City of Toronto offices will be closed on Monday, October 12.
Banks and many other government services should also be expected to close for the holiday; online and ATM services remain the practical alternative where available.
Canada Post
Don’t wait for Monday for your mail. Canada Post does not collect or deliver mail on national and provincial holidays, according to the City of Toronto’s visitor information.
Post-office locations inside other businesses may also be inaccessible or operate differently depending on the host retailer.
Yes. TTC will operate holiday service on Monday, October 12, 2026. All routes will generally follow their Sunday service schedules but begin earlier, at approximately 6 a.m. Routes that don’t normally operate on Sundays generally won’t run. Because individual routes can have different start and end times, riders should check their route before travelling.
Yes, but not on its normal Monday schedule. GO Transit has officially designated October 12, 2026 as a Saturday schedule for Thanksgiving Day. Some GO routes do not offer weekend service, so passengers should check their specific route before travelling.
The biggest thing to remember is that Thanksgiving weekend and Thanksgiving Day are not the same thing when it comes to closures. Most businesses operate normally or with regular weekend hours on Saturday and Sunday, while the major changes take effect on Monday, October 12.
Holiday hours can also change at individual restaurants, pharmacies and retailers, so checking the specific location before leaving home is still recommended.
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