City of Toronto to ‘limit activity’ downtown during Taylor Swift shows in November

The City of Toronto is revealing plans to ensure next month’s visit by one of music’s biggest superstars will be a smooth one.

The City says it will be putting in place what it calls a ‘limited activity zone’ near Rogers Centre while Taylor Swift and droves of fans are in town for her six-show run in November.

A spokesperson told 680 NewsRadio that the concerts are expected to put a strain on the city’s infrastructure, and this limit on activity will help ease congestion.

“Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is expected to have a significant impact on Toronto’s transportation network during the two-week period in mid- to late-November during which her six shows are taking place” the City spokesperson said.

“To mitigate the anticipated traffic impacts, the City will implement a Limited Activity Zone around the Rogers Centre and neighbouring downtown areas. Planned work that requires a road occupation permit (such as construction, film, utility cuts) will be limited to certain off-peak hours on non-concert dates and will require approval from the City to take place during this period.”

The limited activity zone will encompass a large section of downtown stretching from Spadina Avenue in the west to Jarvis Street in the east, and from Queens Quay north to King Street.

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The City says emergency work will still be permitted where necessary, and that long-term construction work on the Gardiner Expressway nearby will continue.

“The Limited Activity Zone will help ensure maximum useability of roads, sidewalks and cycleways so residents and visiting Swifties can travel safely and efficiently throughout downtown during the concert period” the City said.

In July, city council voted to rename the route from Nathan Phillips Square to Rogers Centre as “Taylor Swift Way” during her stay, and to light the Toronto Sign at Nathan Phillips Square in red during concert nights.

Swift will be performing six shows at Rogers Centre as part of her ‘Era’s Tour’ next month with scheduled dates of Nov. 14-16 & 21-23, 2024.