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Toronto's 'Taylor Swift Way' Sign Auction Raises Over $200K for Daily Bread Food Bank

The 22 signs — which helped transform Toronto into Tayronto during Swift's two-week residency in the city — were auctioned off to fans, raising $103,842.96 which Rogers rounded up to $113K and then matched.

Taylor Swift Way
Taylor Swift Way
City of Toronto / LinkedIn

Toronto may be leaving its Taylor Swift era behind, but some fans will take a piece of it home.

The 22 signs marking the path from City Hall down to the Rogers Centre as 'Taylor Swift Way' have been auctioned off, raising over $200K for Daily Bread Food Bank.


The bids themselves hit a combined total of $103,842.96, which Rogers rounded up to $113K — in honour of Taylor's favourite number — and matched, bringing the grand total to $216,842.96.

The signs typically received 15-30 bids, with the highest bid going to the one-of-a-kind "1 Taylor Swift Way" sign, which sold for $12,000 CAD.

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The auction, which ended December 1, will help Torontonians facing food insecurity. Daily Bread tells CBC that 1 in 10 people in the city now access their services, which include 129 member agencies.

"These funds will go very, very quickly," says CEO Neil Hetherington, who is also hoping for a donation from Taylor Swift herself. In 2023, there were 3.49 client visits to food banks in Toronto, a 273% increase since before the pandemic.

For her part, Swift reportedly spent her last night in Toronto at the Inter Steer tavern in Roncesvalles, capping off her massive six-performance stop in the city.

Her concerts made her mark on the city in more ways than one: Swift's time in Toronto saw fans hosting Swift-themed choir performances, spin classes, and club nights. Some fans scored last minute tickets, while others settled for Eras Tour sweaters.

Now, Swift is preparing to close out her behemoth Eras Tour with three dates in Vancouver. As fans try one last time to score tickets, it really is shaping up to be the end of an era.

Taylor Swift performs in Vancouver December 6-8.

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Jane McGarrigle with sisters Anna and Kate
FamGroup

Jane McGarrigle with sisters Anna and Kate

FYI

Obituaries: Remembering Artist Manager/Musician Jane McGarrigle, Singer Marianne Faithfull

This week we also acknowledge the passing of pedal steel pioneer Susan Alcorn and American publishing executive Ben Vaughn.

(Laury) Jane McGarrigle, a Canadian songwriter, musician, music publisher, artist manager and author who worked extensively with her sisters, folk legends Kate & Anna McGarrigle, died on Jan. 24, at age 84, of ovarian cancer.

A Celebrity Access obituary notes that "Jane McGarrigle began her career in music when she was just 14 after she was recruited by nuns to play organ at l’Église de Saint-Sauveur-des-Monts, a historic Catholic church in Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, Canada.

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