Three days, three NY anchors.

Friday is the day everyone underestimates. The LCBO is open until 9, every grocery is normal, and most of the long-weekend events open at noon. This is your "do it now" day.

By 5 PM, the patio at Auberge du Pommier is full and Yonge & Eglinton brunch slots for Saturday and Sunday are gone. By 9, you've either bought wine for the weekend or you haven't.

The real work of Friday: book Monday brunch. Most office workers are off, and Monday brunch is the busiest of the three days. Reservations open at MIA at 2140 Yonge, Mars Uptown, Oretta Midtown, and Hazel's Diner usually disappear by Friday afternoon.

Twelve minutes from Yonge & Sheppard. Three days of programming. Workshops alongside regular gallery access, plus Diwan — the museum's restaurant — overlooking the formal garden. This is the long-weekend pick that doesn't require leaving North York.

The headline programming runs all three days, 10:30 AM to 5 PM. Saturday's standout is Patterns in the Wind, a kite-decorating workshop that fits inside a museum visit and gives kids something to take home. Sunday and Monday continue with clay tile workshops, an artist talk and demonstration by Alexandru Sura and Vinay Desai, and Crossing Traditions: Cimbalom and Santoor in Dialogue — a performance from the HAMMERED International Festival of Dulcimers you won't see staged anywhere else this season.

For lunch, Diwan inside the museum is the answer nobody mentions. Persian cuisine, a quiet courtyard, and a price point that doesn't punish you for picking the museum-restaurant option. Reservations recommended; the long weekend isn't quite a secret anymore.

Vaughan Ribfest is closer than you think. About 20 minutes from North York via the 400, parked at Assembly Park (the IKEA plaza). 2026 is the festival's fourth annual run at this Vaughan location, and it's the first year with a $5 admission charge — kids 10 and under remain free. Daily 12 to 10 Friday through Sunday; Monday hours TBC. Championship rib teams, festival food, live music, midway. If your "BBQ plan" is "let someone else cook," this is the answer.

If you're staying north for Sunday, Black Creek's fairytale festival is open day two — same 11 AM to 4 PM hours as Saturday, same ticket price, lighter Sunday crowds. Sheridan Nurseries at 2827 Yonge opens at 8 AM and serves North York. They're established 1913, Bee City Canada listed, and one of the few major retailers explicitly open all three days — including Monday.

Sunday is also Wonderland's biggest fireworks night of the spring: 10 PM, 6,000+ fireworks, custom soundtrack. If you're already at the park, stay. If you're not, save it for Monday at Ashbridges.

Monday is the day Victoria Day actually is. It's also the day every "is X open?" search query peaks. The 30-second answer: independent and culture stays open, big-box and government close, the LCBO is closed, the TTC runs holiday schedule, the Aga Khan, Edwards Gardens, Eaton Centre, and Sheridan are open.

The two best plays are simple. Morning: a free walk through Edwards Gardens and the Toronto Botanical Garden at 777 Lawrence Ave E — outdoor gardens dawn to dusk, visitor centre 9 AM to 4:30 PM, lilacs at peak. Or back to the Aga Khan for day three of programming. Afternoon: a patio at the Shops at Don Mills, JOEY's heated terrace, or a Monday-brunch reservation you booked Friday. Evening: Ashbridges Bay by 8 PM. Bring a blanket.

Sheridan Nurseries at 2827 Yonge is your Monday answer. 8 AM to 6 PM, all the spring shopping you can carry, and a crowd that doubles after 11 once the rest of the city realizes Loblaws is closed and they still need soil. Edwards Gardens is the free Monday walk if you want lilacs, perennials, and the ravine system without buying anything.

One of the rare big-box categories that is open Monday: mattress & furniture. Industry-wide pattern across Sleep Country, The Brick, Mattress Mart, Mattress Miracle: 15–30% off through the long weekend, with the deeper savings often on outgoing models — spring is when new lines arrive, so clearance can beat the surface-level discount. The Brick and Leon's typically run patio/outdoor furniture promos too.