Toronto councillors want a ‘BTS Boulevard’ to honour K-pop supergroup

Toronto city councillors are hoping the council vote will be “smooth like butter” to consider a proposal to temporarily rename a stretch of Yonge Street in honour of the most popular boy band in the world.

Coun. Lily Cheng introduced the motion, seconded by Coun. James Pasternak, to install temporary signs for a stretch of Yonge Street from North York Boulevard to Finch Avenue, renaming it “BTS Boulevard” for the popular K-pop group starting late August until late September.

In the motion, Cheng and Pasternak also call for the Toronto sign to be lit purple on Aug. 22 and Aug. 23, the days of the BTS Arirang World Tour in Toronto.

The seven members took a temporary pause from their K-pop duties in 2022 when they fulfilled their mandatory duties by serving in the South Korean military. The Arirang tour marks their first group-wide concert series since their hiatus.

This is not the first time we’ve seen a motion in honour of a global pop star.

When Taylor Swift came to Toronto for The Eras Tour in 2024, Jennifer McKelvie, who was the councillor of Scarborough-Rouge Park pushed for Queen Street West and John Street, between Nathan Phillips Square and the Rogers Centre, to be designated “Taylor Swift Way.”

In response to McKelvie’s motion, 22 new street signs were installed, temporarily renaming portions of Queen West, John, Front Street and Blue Jays Way in her honour.

Toronto city council will vote on the BTS motion later this month.