City of Toronto Media Relations has issued the following:
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This joint release from TO2015, City of Toronto and
Toronto Police Service was distributed via CNW.
News Release: July 24, 2015
Be Part of the Big Farewell to the Athletes of the
TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games Road closures in place in downtown Toronto for
Closing Ceremony on Sunday, July 26
TORONTO July 24, 2015 — On Sunday, July 26, Canada will
give a rousing send-off to the athletes at the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am Games
Closing Ceremony, and everyone is invited to come into downtown Toronto to be a
part of the celebration!
The fun — and free — activities kick off at 2 p.m. at
Nathan Phillips Square with PANAMANIA Live, presented by CIBC. Get ready to
dance on the square with artists such as Ontario Steel Pan, Calypso Rose with
Kobo Town and the final act of the night, Brazilian legend Sérgio Mendes.
Meanwhile, starting at 5 p.m., the doors will open at the
Pan Am Ceremonies Venue (PAD), located at 1 Blue Jays Way, for spectators with
tickets to the Pan Am Closing Ceremony. The first 10,000 spectators to arrive
will receive a complimentary commemorative Closing Ceremony program!
This one-time-only show will feature international
performers Kanye West and Pitbull, as well as Canadian artist Serena Ryder.
Tickets, starting at $90, are still available at http://www.toronto2015.org/tickets
and at the TORONTO 2015 ticket booth at Nathan Phillips Square.
And to play a special role in this one-night-only show,
be sure to download the free TORONTO 2015 Official Pan Am/Parapan Am Games App,
presented by CIBC, from the App Store and Google Play. Spectators are asked to
complete this download before arriving at the venue.
For those without tickets who still want to watch the
Closing Ceremony as the sun sets on the city and the Pan Am Games, head down to
CBC headquarters at 250 Front Street West where it will be shown on the big
screen in the atrium. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
The night will end with the ceremonial extinguishing of
the flame at the Pan Am cauldron, followed by a dazzling fireworks display at
Nathan Phillips Square, as well as a repeat of the CN Tower fireworks display —
so get your cameras ready!
To help support the festivities, a number of temporary
traffic measures will go into effect in downtown Toronto on Sunday, July 26 to
ensure athletes, coaches, media and officials arrive on time at the Pan Am
Ceremonies Venue.
Drivers and residents in the downtown core near the venue
and the CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletes' Village are advised to plan ahead,
prepare for additional travel time and consider changing their travel routine
by cycling, walking, taking transit, carpooling or retiming travel, where
possible.
The temporary traffic changes on Sunday, July 26 are:
• Bremner Boulevard from Navy Wharf Court to Simcoe
Street will be closed from 3 p.m. to midnight. Bremner Boulevard from Navy
Wharf Court and Van de Water Crescent will remain open to local vehicle traffic.
• The eastbound lanes of Front Street, from John Street
to Simcoe Street, will be closed from 1 p.m. on July 26 to 1 a.m. on July 27.
The two westbound lanes will remain open and will be converted to temporarily
accommodate two-way traffic direction.
• There will be temporary closures along Front Street
East between Trinity Street and Church Street in both directions between 6 p.m.
and midnight. Parking will also be restricted between 3 p.m. to midnight.
• Residents living in the area of the CIBC Pan Am/Parapan
Am Athletes' Village may experience intermittent traffic delays between 6 p.m.
and midnight.
• Wellington Street, from Church Street to John Street,
will be closed from 5:45 p.m. to midnight.
• Rees Street will be closed in both directions from 3
p.m. to midnight.
• All parking and stopping will be restricted on the
south curb lane of Front Street from just west of John Street to east of
Bathurst Street from 11 a.m. until midnight.
• The sidewalk on the south side of Front Street from
Simcoe Street to John Street will be closed from 1 p.m. to midnight.
• The John Street Bridge will be closed from noon until
midnight.
• Rogers Centre stairs (east of Gate 2) will be
barricaded at the top and bottom from 3 p.m. to midnight.
• The Rogers Centre underground parking (south side of
Bremner Boulevard) will be closed to the public on July 26.
In light of these traffic changes, the TORONTO 2015 Pan
Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing Committee (TO2015), the City of Toronto and
Toronto Police Service are reminding the general public to take extra care in
their travels, no matter what mode of transport they choose.
Drivers and cyclists are reminded to slow down, be
prepared for new traffic measures and drive with caution given the changes to
the road network and the increase in pedestrian traffic in the downtown core.
Spectators going to the Closing Ceremony are reminded
that there will be no parking at the Pan Am Ceremonies Venue. Free public
transit is included with your event ticket. A limited number of accessible parking
spots will be available near the venue. Pre-book your accessible parking today
by calling 1.844.695.4313 or booking online at http://www.toronto2015.org/spectator/accessible-parking.
To help plan your travel on regional transit during the
Games, use http://www.triplinx.ca/en/trip-planner/4/JourneyPlanner/Index.
Drivers can also use the handy 2015 Games Trip Planner at https://2015gamestripplanner.ca/
for auto trips or download the app for free.
About TO2015
The TORONTO 2015 Pan American Games will take place July
10–26 and the Parapan American Games August 7–15. The TORONTO 2015 Games are
funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, as well as Lead
Partner CIBC and other partners and sponsors.
The TORONTO 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games Organizing
Committee (TO2015) is tasked with managing and delivering the Games. It is
working to bring some of the world's best athletes and artists to Toronto and
the Greater Golden Horseshoe region, giving Ontarians a unique chance to be
part of the action, and making the region a hub for sport.
For more information about the Games, please visit http://www.toronto2015.org/ or follow
@TO2015, @TO2015_fr (French) or @TO2015_es (Spanish).
This news release is also available on the City's
website: http://ow.ly/Q2irM
About City of Toronto
Toronto is Canada's largest city, the fourth largest in
North America, and home to a diverse population of about 2.8 million people. It
is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently
ranked one of the world's most livable cities. Toronto is proud to be the Host
City for the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games. For information on
non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and
visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca,
call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us @TorontoComms.
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For further information:
TO2015
Media Request Line
416-957-3409
City of Toronto
Strategic Communications
416-392-6967
Const. Craig Brister
Toronto Police Service
Community & Business Liaison
416-305-4621