If you thought downtown Toronto traffic was bad on a normal day, brace yourself. Taylor Swift’s six-night residency at the Rogers Centre has transformed the core into a bustling maze of roadblocks and detours. Starting each day around 1 p.m., road closures across key downtown streets will create a tidal wave of frustrated drivers, commuters, and condo residents trying to navigate the city. And if you’re not a Swiftie headed to the concert, you might want to avoid the area entirely—or prepare for a monumental headache.

Traffic Chaos?

Here’s what you can expect:

1:00 p.m. – Bremner Boulevard Westbound Closure

  • Westbound lanes between Rees Street and Navy Wharf Court are closed daily, while eastbound lanes will remain open for two-way traffic. Expect congestion and delays as drivers detour around the area.

2:00 p.m. – More Downtown Detours

  • Only local traffic is allowed on Bremner between Spadina Avenue and Simcoe Street.
  • Rees Street’s northbound lanes will be closed, with the southbound lanes remaining open for both directions.
  • Blue Jays Way, from Spadina Avenue to south of Front Street, is also restricted.
  • Navy Wharf Court condo residents? Brace for checkpoint controls at Spadina and Bremner, where police will monitor access.
  • Lake Shore Boulevard will be reduced to two westbound lanes near Rees Street, designated for concert drop-offs and pickups.

Post-Show Chaos Starting at 10 p.m., a series of downtown streets will be fully closed as concertgoers flood out of the Rogers Centre:

  • Front Street between Blue Jays Way and Simcoe Street.
  • John Street and Windsor Street, both south of Wellington Street.

Gardiner Expressway Off-Ramps Shutdown at 11 p.m. To manage the flow of traffic from concertgoers, the Gardiner Expressway off-ramps at Spadina Avenue will close until 1 a.m. The city has promised to debrief and adjust road closures daily, but it will be an exercise in patience for those trying to navigate downtown Toronto over these concert nights.

For those who experienced the epic traffic nightmares of Toronto events past, such as the Raptors championship celebration or Canada Day on the Lakeshore, this one ranks up there. If you’re headed to the concert, public transit is your best bet—the TTC and GO Transit have stepped up schedules to accommodate the surge.

What you need to know: Getting around Toronto

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