2024 Year in Review: Vancouver’s Taylor Swift era

After more than 150 shows across five continents over nearly two years, the global phenomenon that was Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour came to an end right here in Vancouver.

It was a tour like no other, generating more than $2 billion worldwide, but that wouldn’t have been possible without her fans, the Swifties.

“This is the concert to go to. I feel like it’s the concert of the decade,” said one Swiftie.

“I have been waiting for this for nearly two years,” said another. “The outfits, the makeup, the jewelry, it’s gonna be like a church experience.”

In the case of Vancouver, that church was BC Place. Many struggled just to get tickets to one of the three nights of concerts at the more than 54,000-seat venue.

“I was actually waitlisted for the first sale,” one fan told 1130 NewsRadio on the night of the concert. “And I didn’t get these tickets until two days ago.”

The sound from the events was deafening, and the response from the crowd had Swift herself tearing up — but she wasn’t the only one.

Some local charities brought in “transformative” amounts of money from auctioning off tickets to the show and hotel suites.

Howard Blank with Point Blank Entertainment helped some charities with ticket auction events and says he saw pairs of tickets go for up to $50,000 and suites going for $200,000 or $300,000.

“When a charity is given a pair of tickets with, say, a $2,000 face value, and they can do 10 or 20 times that value. It’s unbelievable,” said Blank. “And the great thing is, many charities can offer a tax receipt based on the difference. So it’s a win-win.”

The restaurant and hospitality industry also benefitted from the ‘Swift Effect.’

Ahead of the shows, Ian Tostensen, president and CEO of the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association, said he expected downtown visitors to open their wallets at local restaurants, spending tens of millions of dollars over the three days.

“This is likely more like about, we estimate 30 million, 35 million. So, it’s just off the charts in terms of impact,” said Tostensen.

A report by Moneris says Vancouver saw a 154 per cent increase in spending during Swift’s three days in the city. But, most importantly, she brought the thrill of a great show to thousands and thousands of fans.