Vancouver changes tune under Swift spell, with Gastown clock to chime ‘Shake it Off’

By The Canadian Press on December 5, 2024.

Taylor Swift performs during the opening show of the Toronto dates for The Eras Tour on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

VANCOUVER – Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is changing many things in Vancouver, from the tune of Gastown’s iconic clock to traffic patterns as thousands of fans pour into the city ahead of Friday’s first show.

The City of Vancouver is warning of much slower traffic this weekend in the downtown core, not only because of Swift’s three concerts, but because of other events and festivities.

There will be full closures of several major arteries around the BC Place concert venue between noon and midnight on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, including West Georgia and Robson streets, Pacific Boulevard and the Cambie Bridge off-ramps near the site.

The city says in a statement that people need to plan for delays and should walk, bike, ride or take transit to and from the downtown.

The steam clock in Gastown is also being brought in on the Swift action, and has been retuned for the first time to play her hit “Shake it Off” every 15 minutes, with a longer sequence on the hour, starting today through to Dec. 13, which is Swift’s 35th birthday.

The idea started as an April Fools’ Day joke earlier this year, but Walley Wargolet, with the Gastown Businesses Improvement Society, says they decided it would be a joyful way to be part of the Taylor Swift takeover of the city.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2024.