Toronto will have ‘Taylor Swift Way’ — here’s how other cities have honoured the pop star’s Eras Tour

In a little more than three months, Toronto will see “crowds go wild at (Taylor Swift’s) fingertips” when the superstar brings her record-smashing Eras Tour to the Rogers Centre in November for six sold-out shows.

On Thursday, city council voted almost unanimously to designate the path between Nathan Phillips Square and the Rogers Centre “Taylor Swift Way” for the month of November. Coun. Josh Matlow (Ward 12, Toronto—St. Paul’s) cast the sole vote against. Also, the Toronto sign in Nathan Phillips Square will be lit up in red on the concert dates.

This move will not cost the city anything, as Coun. Jennifer McKelvie (Ward 25, Scarborough—Rouge Park) said Rogers had agreed to pay for the temporary street signs, which will be donated to the Daily Bread Food Bank to be auctioned off. Cultural and tourism experts say the singer’s visit could provide a much-needed economic boost to the city and its hospitality sector.

Of course, Toronto is not the only city to honour a visit from the pop star. Here’s what cities around the world have done.

Renamed streets

The first city to have a “Taylor Swift Way” was Arlington, Texas.

Kansas City, Mo., already has a Swift Street, but to make it clear whose street it was for the Eras weekend, it was renamed “Swift Street (Taylor’s Version).”

Bellevue, Ky., which already has a Taylor Avenue, renamed it “Taylor Swift Avenue.”

Renamed cities

The Eras Tour opened in Glendale, Ariz., in March 2023, and the rest is history. Glendale mayor Jerry Weiers renamed the city “Swift City” for the concert weekend. At a press conference announcing the news, he said, “All Swifties are encouraged to share their smiles that could light up this whole town on all the social media platforms because the best people in life are free.”

Many other cities followed: Pittsburgh became “Swiftsburgh”; Minneapolis, “Swiftieapolis”; Stockholm, “Swiftholm”; Santa Clara, “Swiftie Clara”; and Gelsenkirchen, Germany, became “Swiftkirchen.”

Question for Toronto mayor Olivia Chow: is “Tayronto” on the table?

Plaques, maps and more

Over the years, Swift has referenced many locations around the world in her songs. Some cities decided to have fun with them.

Nashville, her hometown, unveiled a new bench in her honour with a plaque reading, “For Taylor Swift. A bench for you to read on at Centennial Park. Welcome home, Nashville,” a reference to her song “invisible string.”

London created a special subway map launching a “Taylor trail” to celebrate places across the city that are referenced in her music, such as the West End and Camden Market.

Other cities planned Swift-themed activities.

After nine months of preparation, Liverpool, England, transformed into “Taylor Town” with art installations and a free academic conference on the singer at the University of Liverpool.

Edinburgh launched the “Taylored Taste Trail” with more than 50 local businesses offering Swift-themed sweet treats, brunches, cocktails, mocktails and more.

Key to the city (and honorary mayor)

Arlington, Texas; Taylorsville, Ga.; and Tampa, Fla., all presented Swift with a key to the city.

Tampa went further and invited Swift to be mayor for a day. “We know Glendale changed its name, Arlington made a street sign, and Vegas illuminated their Gateway Arches, but here in Tampa, we’ve got a reputation to uphold. We want to go bigger,” Tampa mayor Jane Castor said. “Mayor Swift has a nice ring to it.”

Christ the Redeemer dressed up

Perhaps the most remarkable honour — and one that truly shows Swift’s impact — came when Rio de Janeiro projected a “Junior Jewels” T-shirt (the one Swift wore in the “You Belong with Me” music video) on its famous Christ the Redeemer statue.

The shirt, with “Welcome to Brasil” written across the chest, features the names of Brazilian cities and states.