Eats and Beats street fest, Riverdale Art Walk on this weekend

Drop what you're doing because your dance card is now full.

The biggest festival of the year is coming to the east end this weekend as three days of outdoor events hit Riverside. The lighting of the Queen Street Bridge, Riverside Eats & Beats and the Riverdale Art Walk are all taking place from Friday to Sunday. Here's the lowdown:

Eats and Beats, the annual neighbourhood block party, is going on Saturday afternoon from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Stretching from the DVP along Queen East to Jimmie Simpson Park, the sidewalks are filled with music and local restaurants serve up signature eats. The event kicks off June with a sidewalk sale, food tastings, live music, cooking demos, barbecue, kids' activities, workshops, art tours, crafts and more.

A street party celebrating all things bicycle will be going down on Munro Street, while Broadview Ave., south of Queen, will also be closed as An Sibin Pub has a lineup of musical acts playing in the afternoon. Outdoor tasters will be happening on the entire Queen strip in Riverside as more than 75 local shops and organizations are set to take part in the block party.

“We are excited to welcome the world to this year’s Riverside Eats & Beats Festival to taste our mouth-watering culinary fare, move to local beats, and take in the area’s history and vibrant community life," said Anjuli Solanki, Riverside BIA’s executive director. 

The evening before the festival, the Riverside Bridge will be lit up for the first time ever. Everything you need to know about the bridge lighting can be found here. Want free tickets to the lighting and ceremony? Click here

Meanwhile, on both Saturday and Sunday, Jimmie Simpson Park plays host to the 17th annual Riverdale Art Walk. It's a full weekend of showcased art with more than 170 local artists, both established and up-and-comers, displaying their painting, sculpture and photography in the park.

In addition to the many participating artists, art galleries along Queen Street in Riverside and Leslieville will open their doors to promote their own exhibitions.

Bonus: The first 1,000 visitors will receive free popsicles. You just can't beat that.

Check out riverside-to.com for more details.