Eras Tour: how this Toronto councillor wants city to welcome Taylor Swift

One city councillor wants Toronto to welcome the biggest pop star in the world in style and designate a downtown route “Taylor Swift Way” in November when the “Eras Tour” stops in the city.

A motion submitted by Coun. Jennifer McKelvie is asking the city to display the honorary signs along the route from the Rogers Centre to Nathan Phillips Square for the whole month in honour of the Grammy-winning singer.

If approved during next week’s council meeting, a section of John Street and Queen Street West will be known as “Taylor Swift Way,” while the Rogers Centre, where Swift will play from Nov. 14 to 16 and Nov. 21 to 23., will be designated as “1 Taylor Swift Way.”

In a statement peppered with Swift lyrics, McKelvie said the six-night concert will be an opportunity for Toronto “to show off our great reputation and our place in this world.”

She hopes that after Swift makes “the whole place shimmer” at the Rogers Centres, fans will walk along “Taylor Swift Way” to “calm down” and have their photos taken with the Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips Square, which will be lit in red on all six nights of the Eras Tour.

“It’s our way to show Taylor she’s the 1 we’ve been waiting for, that she has brought us much happiness and that we will love her evermore,” said McKelvie.

The councillor noted that all honorary signs will later be donated to the Daily Bread Food Bank and auctioned off to support the organization.

There is also a planned “Taylgate” near Rogers Centre for fans who may not have been lucky enough to snag a ticket. The fan experience at Metro Toronto Centre will run daily between 1 p.m. and 11 p.m. during Swift’s concert dates.

The event will include a live DJ mixing Swift’s hits, sing-along spaces and a space to create friendship bracelets.