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Touring
The ‘Swift Lift’: Here Is How Much Toronto Spent and Earned on Taylor Swift’s 2024 Eras Tour
A new city of Toronto costs and benefits report found that the three levels of Canadian government brought in an estimated $39.7 million from direct and indirect spending from Swift's Eras Tour in 2024 and an economic impact of an estimated $282 million.
The report also shows the city spent over $3.6 million in anticipation and during Swift’s two weekends of concerts.
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The “Blank Space” singer performed across two weekends in the city: Nov. 14, 15, 16 and 21, 22 and 23.
The information was revealed in a briefing note from the city’s department of economic development and culture, which unpacked the impact of Swift’s stop in the city and what it means for the future of large-scale events. The report was presented to city council members last April and has now been provided to Billboard Canada.
Locally, the biggest expense was $2.6 million for the Toronto Police Services. The report specifies that included traffic management, safety and security, as well as pre-concert merchandise sales, post-concert activities, hotel security and staffing at the concerts themselves, as well as paid duties for Metrolinx and Rogers Centre.
Other major costs included $1.7 million for increased TTC service over two weekends. The city reported that TTC revenue increased by $588,000 in comparison to the weeks leading up to Swift's first show.
Additional costs — tallying up almost $600,000 — included funds for emergency staffing, marketing, infrastructure changes, signage and fan activations — which the city says they made up by the time Swift hit the stage.
“While these initiatives incurred costs, the initiatives delivered significant value by driving economic activity, promoting the city’s reputation on a global stage and laying the groundwork for improved delivery of future events,” the report reads.
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During Swift’s stay, the economic impact was an estimated $282 million during the 10 days of the singer’s Toronto tour dates. Coined the “Swift lift,” the report noted a 45% increase in week-over-week spending in the city.
Of the total $282 million earned in economic impact, $152 million was a result of direct spending. Commerce sales company Moneris reported that the increased spending benefitted multiple sectors, including clothing stores, hotels, movie theatres and restaurants, which came during what is typically a “slower season" — proving Swift's impact.
Spending was up 52% at clothing stores, for instance, while restaurant spending was up by 57%. Occupancy at downtown hotels was 80.7%, which was 9.2% higher compared to the same time the previous year. Demand for short-term rentals (such as Airbnb) increased by 163% in November 2024 compared to November 2023 city-wide and by 245% in the area surrounding the Rogers Centre.
Foreign travellers increased drastically, too, with many attendees travelling north of the border. $141 million of spending was attributed to out-of-town concertgoers, while $11 million came from local fans.
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The city received only 20% — $8 million — of that revenue, while the provincial and federal governments get the remaining 80%. The report highlights that the unbalanced payout “underscores the challenges that cities face in fully capturing the financial benefits of hosting major events.” Still, the city doubled what it spent during Swift’s concert period.
City of Toronto
Although it has been over a year since Swift took over the city, the economic impact and collaborative efforts have created a blueprint that can be applied to future events hosted in Toronto, including the FIFA World Cup, which is set to take over the city in June.
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“The successful delivery of the Eras Tour required a coordinated citywide effort, bringing together multiple departments and agencies to ensure a safe, efficient and enjoyable experience for attendees,” the report says.
"The Eras Tour provided Toronto with immense visibility on a global scale. The tour’s extensive media coverage elevated Toronto’s profile by promoting its attractions, culture and hospitality to the anticipated visitors as well as potentially attracting future visitors, positioning Toronto as a go-to city for future high-profile concerts and events."
Challenges included the need for more lead time for planning, streamlining communications across city divisions and the "necessity of robust emergency management strategies for large-scale events."
“The lessons learned from hosting the Eras Tour have laid the groundwork for Toronto to refine and enhance its approach to large-scale event planning and will serve as a valuable foundation for future events such as FIFA 2026,” the report continues.
After Toronto, Swift headed to the west coast to wrap up the final dates of the Eras Tour in Vancouver. They crowd got a special shoutout from Swift on her latest release, The Life of a Showgirl, as their cheers and screams can be heard in the background of the album’s Sabrina Carpenter-featuring title track. The final Vancouver show was released as a concert film called Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final Show.
Swift is one of the most commercially successful pop stars of this generation. She recently broke several Canadian chart records, earning her 15th No. 1 album in Canada with Showgirl, and securing the biggest album debut in the country by any artist in today’s streaming era. She dominated many of Billboard Canada's 2025 year-end charts, too.
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