In less than three weeks, Taylor Swift and tens of thousands of Swifties will take over Toronto when the pop-star brings her highly anticipated Eras Tour to the Rogers Centre.
Swift, alongside opener Gracie Abrams, will perform six sold-out shows over two weeks: Nov. 14 to 16 and Nov. 21 to 23.
Here’s an index of all things Taylor Swift and Toronto ahead of opening night.
Inside Taylor Swift’s long history with Toronto
This visit is just the latest on a list of Swift’s appearances in Toronto spanning nearly two decades.
She first graced the stage at what is now Scotiabank Arena in 2006, opening for Rascal Flatts when she was just 16 years old.
Since then, she has made multiple stops in Toronto to play sold-out shows while touring for her albums.
Outside of touring, Swift most recently made an appearance at TIFF in 2022 where she screened her short film “All Too Well” to a sold-out theatre.
How the city landed the Eras Tour
To the disappointment of many fans, Toronto and Canada as a whole were initially excluded from the Eras Tour, but after a pleas from fans — and one from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — Toronto eventually scored an entire six days all for itself.
After her Toronto shows, Swift heads to Vancouver’s BC Place from Dec. 6 – 8 to close out the tour.
Eras Tour Toronto: Everything you need to know
Swift will be the first artist to perform six shows at the Rogers Centre, where tickets sold out soon after they hit the market, where some now listed for resale at thousands — and even hundreds of thousands — of dollars.
To keep things simple, the Rogers Centre will only accept digital tickets scanned through the Ticketmaster app, and each attendee needs to have their own personal ticket.
Concertgoers should keep in mind that fan signs, hard plastics, and metal spikes and chains on clothing are not permitted inside the Rogers Centre.
Parking around the concert venue can be pricey, so the Rogers Centre recommends attendees use public transit. But for those who can’t avoid driving and will need to park, the Rogers Centre has suggested using spothero.com, to find and pre-book spots.
Taylor Swift Way: Toronto to rename downtown streets
In preparation for the pop superstar’s arrival, Toronto city council voted to temporarily rename Queen Street West and John Street, between Nathan Phillips Square and the Rogers Centre, “Taylor Swift Way” during the month of November.
Rogers has agreed to pay for the street signs, which will be donated to Daily Bread Food Bank for auction once out of use.
The city will also play its part in making sure the tour goes over swiftly by implementing a “limited activity zone,” to prevent any construction, filming and utility cuts from being done around the Rogers Centre on days Swift will perform in an effort to ease congestion.
The zone will span between Jarvis Street and Spadina Avenue going east to west, and from King Street to Queens Quay north to south.
TTC upping service on Eras Tour nights
The TTC recently announced that it will have extra staff working during the tour in anticipation of an additional 20,000 riders a night.
Between 5 and 8 p.m., and 11 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. on concert nights, Line 1 trains will run every three minutes, and Line 2 every four minutes.
The 509 Harbourfront streetcars will also resume regular service between Union and the Exhibition Loop, with at least four additional streetcars during the tour.
Other preparations include additional busses on the 19 Bay bus and 510D Spadina replacement bus lines, and a ride guide for the Eras Tour to be released soon.
Rogers Centre upgrades 5G network
As it turns out, the Eras Tour puts a significant strain on cellphone networks, which is part of the reason why Rogers spent $8 million to upgrade its 5G network.
Multiple shows from the Eras Tour set records for being some of the largest events for data-moving and consumption at their respective venues.
Using a similar method as in Union Station and Pearson International Airport, hundreds of antennas were installed around the Rogers Centre to increase cell capacity, allowing Swifties to livestream, download and upload as much as they please.
With the completion of the work in October, the Rogers Centre now has the equivalent capacity of 33 cell towers, which is about three times the capacity it had before.
How much is Taylor Swift expected to lift Toronto’s economy?
The term “Swiftonomics” refers to the boost local economies see when Swift and the Eras Tour come to town. For Toronto, the Swiftonomic impact is anticipated to be valued at $282 million, with $152 million coming from direct spending, according to Destination Toronto.
The tour is expected to draw in a total of 240,000 attendees, and 60,000 of them will also be making their way to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for the pre-concert “Taylgate” event running each concert day.
Torontonians renting to Swifties for as much as $850 a night
With Destination Toronto estimating that 93 per cent of the $152 million in direct spending will come from tourists, some savvy Torontonians are capitalizing on the opportunity by listing their homes as short-term rentals during the tour.
Despite November in Toronto typically being a quieter month for events and therefore cheaper for hotel and short-term rental bookings, that’s not the case this year.
Average daily short-term rental rates in Toronto for Swift’s six upcoming concert dates are up by around 70 per cent compared to the same time period last year. Recent searches for one-bedroom rentals across Airbnb, Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace have found listings ranging from $250 to $850.
