The final and 149th show in Vancouver brought the curtains down on a tour that has spanned 18 months and travelled to several continents. Photo courtesy Taylor Swift Charts via Twitter (@chartstswift)
Vancouver, B.C., was the latest—and last—city to transform with signage, wayfinding, and out-of-home (OOH) advertising paying tribute to Taylor Swift, as the artist’s record-breaking Eras Tour concluded with three shows at B.C. Place on December 6, 7 and 8. According to the Vancouver Is Awesome website, at least 13 signs dedicated to the pop star were strewn across the city.
The most significant was a large lighted sign reading ’SWIFTCOUVER’ set up along the city’s waterfront. The original ‘VANCOUVER’ sign, set up for an event in 2023, was updated for the concert.
Signs sporting the names of Swift’s songs, such as Betty, Willow, and Anti-Hero were also spotted across the city. These signs were placed in locations visitors tend to frequent, such as English Bay, Gastown, and Science World.
The signs were set up by Destination Downtown, a month-long series of activities that includes a scavenger hunt, a holiday Ferris wheel, live entertainment, and family-friendly events.
With an estimated 70 per cent of attendees for Swift’s final concerts coming from outside of the Greater Vancouver area, the city set up enough signage and wayfinding—including a transit map—to help guests reach their destinations.
The final and 149th show in Vancouver brought the curtains down on a tour that has spanned 18 months and travelled to several continents. The tour’s knock-on effect on local economies, dubbed ‘Swiftonomics’, has reportedly helped revive the hospitality business, which was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.
