Toronto unveils robust preparations for Taylor Swift’s arrival next month

The City of Toronto outlined a robust plan of transit, traffic and security measures Thursday, warning residents to be patient and expect delays as huge crowds flock to the downtown core during Taylor Swift’s six scheduled shows next month.

Swift will perform at Rogers Centre for her sold-out Eras Tour from Nov. 14 to Nov. 16 and the following week from Nov. 21 to Nov. 23, and the city says it is expecting up to 500,000 visitors from outside Toronto.

Tens of thousands of Swifties are expected to use public transit to get to the venue and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, where fan event Taylgate’24 is happening, while overlapping events at Scotiabank Arena could bring up to 20,000 more people downtown.

City officials are advising anyone planning to attend events downtown to take transit, bike share, walk or any other alternative method and avoid driving.

To mitigate the anticipated traffic impacts and ensure residents and visitors can move safely and efficiently around Rogers Centre during the concert period, the city will implement the following road closures and restrictions on concert dates:

• Starting at 1 p.m. the westbound lanes on Bremner Boulevard between Rees Street and Navy Wharf Court will be closed. The eastbound lanes will remain open for two-way traffic.

• At 2 p.m. Bremner Boulevard between Spadina Avenue and Simcoe Street, Blue Jays Way between Spadina Avenue and south of Front Street, and Navy Court Wharf will be restricted to local residents and businesses. Access to condos within the zone will be at a police checkpoint at the Spadina Avenue and Bremner Boulevard intersection. The Marriott Hotel will be accessible from Front Street via Blue Jays Way.
• The northbound lanes on Rees Street will be closed while the southbound lanes will remain open for two-way traffic including an accessible entry point.
• Lake Shore Boulevard will be reduced to two westbound lanes at the intersection with Rees Street for a drop-off/pick-up point.

• At 10 p.m., Front Street between Blue Jays Way and Simcoe Street, John Street south of Wellington Street, and Windsor Street south of Wellington Street will be closed to support crowd control ahead of concertgoers leaving Rogers Centre.

• At 11 p.m., the eastbound and westbound Gardiner Expressway off-ramps to Spadina Avenue will be closed to restrict traffic into the area as concertgoers leave Rogers Centre. Additional spot road closures may be needed for crowd and traffic management.

“We are planning to reopen all roads by 1 a.m., once crowds and traffic have dispersed following the shows,” said Barbara Gray, general manager of Toronto’s transportation services.

City officials previously announced a limited activity zone between King, Jarvis and Bathurst Streets and Queens Quay from November 14 to November 23.  Within this zone, construction, filming and utility cuts will not be allowed on concert dates.  Emergency work will still be permitted where necessary, and long-term construction work on the Gardiner Expressway nearby will continue.

The TTC says it is planning for an additional 20,000 riders on concert days and as such it will have extra service on subway lines 1 and 2 in the hours before and after Swift’s showtimes. They are also planning on more streetcars and buses for some routes, including the 509 Harbourfront and the 510D Spadina. Interim TTC boss Gregory Percy says they are confident they can move everyone around safely and quickly.

“We’ve looked at routes and we’ve re-routed and we’ve added service and we’ve added equipment, we have people on standby and for all the good plans that you have in place, you have 10 times more contingency plans,” said Percy. “We too will be pivoting the night of, we will be staffing up every night of the concerts so we can move quickly to accommodate.”

City officials say while there will be robust crowd management at Toronto’s Union Station with additional staff and signage to guide fans to the concerts. They also suggest using alternate stations in and around the concert venue – such as St. Andrews Station – to help mitigate the crush of people passing through Union Station.

Toronto police say they will work with the event organizers and local stakeholders to manage security measures and crowds. Officials say there will be a significant and visible police presence, both inside and outside the concert venue.

“For Swifties, we are strongly discouraging non-ticket holders from gathering outside the venue as there will be no fan zones set up and we want to keep those areas as clear as possible,” said Deputy Police Chief Lauren Pogue.

Police officials add they have consulted with forces from other countries that have already hosted the Eras Tour and just like any large-scale event they will be constantly monitoring for potential threats.

In August, security challenges at Taylor Swift concerts drew attention after Austrian authorities announced they had arrested suspects and foiled a conspiracy to attack shows in Vienna with knives or homemade explosives. The shows were cancelled.

Pogue said there are “no threats at this time” and law enforcement will continuously monitor security.

City officials anticipate the economic impact of Taylor Swift’s concerts on the city will be in the neighbourhood of $282 million, with visitors accounting for 93 per cent of spending.