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.
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.
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.
Stephen Macklam (left) and Sam Feldman.Courtesy Photos