Civic Holiday 2026 Toronto: LCBO Hours and August Long Weekend Delivery

The August long weekend runs Saturday August 1 through Monday August 3 in 2026, with the Civic Holiday falling on that Monday. In Toronto it is officially Simcoe Day. Elsewhere in the province it goes by whatever the municipality decided — Civic Holiday, John Galt Day, Colonel By Day. Everyone just calls it the August long weekend.

It is also the weekend that catches more GTA hosts off guard than any other. Here is what to expect and when to actually buy.

Is the LCBO open on the Civic Holiday?

This is where it gets genuinely confusing, and where a lot of bad advice circulates. The Civic Holiday is <em>not</em> one of Ontario’s nine statutory holidays. It is a municipal and optional holiday, which means retailers are not required to close and different chains make different calls.

In practice, many LCBO locations do open on the Civic Holiday but run reduced holiday hours, often closing several hours earlier than a normal Monday. Some locations close entirely. It varies by store and it has varied year to year, so the only reliable move is to check your specific store’s hours on the LCBO store locator before you plan around it.

The Beer Store follows a similar pattern — reduced hours at many locations rather than a blanket closure. Grocery stores licensed to sell beer, cider and wine keep their normal store hours, which on a holiday Monday are often shorter than usual.

The smart shopping window

Saturday August 1 is the day to buy. Stores keep full hours, stock is still deep, and you avoid both the Friday-evening crush and the Monday uncertainty entirely.

Friday July 31 after work is the worst possible time. Every LCBO across the GTA sees its heaviest traffic of the summer in that window, parking is a fight, and the popular formats — cases of light lager, ready-to-drink cans, big-format rosé — get thinned out early.

If you are heading to cottage country, buy before you leave the city. Selection north of Barrie narrows considerably on a long weekend and prices at small-town outlets are no better. Our cottage stocking guide covers the per-person maths for a full weekend away.

What to stock for an August long weekend

The backyard and the barbecue

Beer does the heavy lifting for three days of afternoon heat. Light domestic lagers are what people actually reach for when it is 30 degrees — Coors Light and Molson Canadian in cases rather than six-packs. Add Corona Extra and a bag of limes for the crowd that wants something with a wedge in it. The full beer selection is worth a look if you are covering mixed tastes.

Something cold that is not beer

Hard seltzers have taken a permanent share of long-weekend coolers, particularly with guests who want something light and low-calorie in the sun. A White Claw variety pack covers several preferences from one box, which is exactly what you want when you are not sure who is coming.

Wine for the evening

Once the sun drops, the drinking shifts. A crisp white or a rosé carries the late afternoon, and a medium red handles dinner off the grill. Jackson-Triggs Pinot Grigio and Jackson-Triggs Cabernet Sauvignon are the reliable, unfussy pair for a group that is not going to scrutinise the label.

Spirits and the cooler cocktail

For a long weekend, one bottle of vodka and one of tequila covers nearly every warm-weather cocktail people ask for. Vodka soda with lime and the Paloma between them account for most of what gets poured in a backyard in August.

Caribana overlaps this weekend

Worth knowing if you are in Toronto: the Grand Parade for Toronto Caribbean Carnival runs on Saturday August 1, and the after-parties run through the Sunday and into the Monday holiday. Downtown traffic and delivery times are both affected across that corridor. Our Caribana 2026 guide covers the weekend in detail if that is where you are headed.

If you are hosting anywhere near the parade route or the King West after-party strip, order earlier in the day than you normally would. Saturday evening is the single busiest delivery window of the GTA summer.

If you leave it too late

The gap on a long weekend is predictable: retail shuts early or unpredictably, and the party is still going. J&J delivers across the GTA through the long weekend, including the holiday Monday, with an average delivery time of about 35 minutes.

That covers the classic August scenarios — the barbecue that ran four hours longer than planned, the guests who brought four more guests, and the Monday afternoon when you discover the beer fridge was emptied on Sunday night. See how delivery works or check the 24-hour service for the late windows.

Covered all weekend

J&J Alcohol Delivery covers Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Oakville, Burlington and North York, seven days a week and long after the LCBO has closed. Browse the full range at our shop or call (437) 328-0030.