Taylor’s signature red lip is iconic, but you can make your very own vegan, paraben-free version at the Lip Lab. An expert will help guide you towards the perfect colour, formulation and flavour (pomegranate is perfect for fall) based on your complexion and preference.
You can personalize your lipstick even more by choosing a name that will be engraved on the tube. Get creative and start mining Taylor’s rich music catalogue for inspo… Fortnight Framboise, Midnights Mulberry or Reputation Aubergine, anyone?
2. Strum things up at Guitar Heaven
Music buffs need to make a pilgrimage to the mecca that is Steve’s Music Store, a beacon on Queen Street West for musicians since 1965. Splurge on a Baby Taylor guitar (with a custom screen-printed twining rosette and vine motif, plus her signature), or treat yourself to little pick-me-ups like a new guitar strap.
3. Solve your Champagne Problems
Cap the concert with drinks at COC (short for Coffee, Oysters & Champagne), a resto that’s an homage to feminine allure with pink onyx walls, a warm metal bar and channelled velvet banquettes.
Plus there are two secret rooms, including a 1920s-style Parisian speakeasy-style bar accessed behind a wall of bubbly (just the kind of hidden gem a seasoned Easter Egg aficionado like Taylor would appreciate).
4. Seal the deal with a friendship bracelet
Crafties, are you ready for it? Swifties regularly stack armfuls of friendship bracelets to trade with other fans.
Prepare with a pit stop to The Beadery, a Queen West fixture, to peruse the prettiest baubles. The store stocks semi-precious stones like purple Brazilian amethyst that will give your bracelet a luxe glow-up (you may want to keep that version for yourself).
5. Explore official “Tayronto” attractions
To honour the Eras tour, the City of Toronto is designating the path between Nathan Phillips Square (where the Toronto sign will be lit in red) and Rogers Centre “1 Taylor Swift Way” during the month of November.
After the concert run, sign toppers along John Street and Queen Street West will be auctioned off in support of the Daily Bread Food Bank.
Cat fanciers like Taylor (who has two Scottish Folds, Meredith Gray and Olivia Benson, plus a Rag Doll dubbed Benjamin Button) can unite at the Lazy Cat Cafe, where they can grab a latte and cuddle with affectionate felines.
The spruce-green walls and plethora of plants make this a perfect place to recharge, and you can even fill out an adoption form for a cat soulmate if you’re yearning to make the relationship more permanent.
7. Slip on your perfect cardigan
A sparkly bodysuit is de rigueur for Taylor on stage, but late fall calls for more practical fashion fare. You never know what you can unearth when vintage shopping in Toronto’s Kensington Market.
Keep your eyes peeled for a covetable collegiate, tipped Taylor-style cardigan in Exile Vintage, Vintage Depot or Space Vintage. Dress it up with an iron-on star, bird or number patches on the elbows.
8. Have an island dream
It can be chilly in November, but wrap yourself in a cozy velvet Evermore-style cape and take the ferry over to the Toronto Islands for a fall walk.
Pour a maple latte into a thermos, savour the sound of crunching leaves, and take in great views of the Rogers Centre and Toronto skyline through the bare trees.
9. Shake it Off at the ballet
Taylor famously spoofed ballerinas when she donned a tutu and feathered headdress and grabbed a spot at the barre for the Shake it Off video.
Head to the National Ballet’s performance of Giselle (November 20–24, 2024) for the real deal. This uber-romantic, haunting love tale about the redemptive power of love is right up Taylor’s alley.
10. Roll Snake Eyes
Taylor’s symbolic homage to snakes loops throughout her career, from the epic Look What You Made Me Do video to the beguiling snake gestures she’s made at recent concerts.
Get up close (but not too close) to that formidable reptilian power with a visit to the Toronto Zoo’s reticulated python. The zoo’s Wild Encounters education series offers an up-close look at native Ontario snakes on select dates this season.
Plus, Swifties will receive discounted admission and special Taylor-themed experiences from November 12–24, 2024.
Here's everything you need to know before you go to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. Find top things to do, where to eat, events, plus a scavenger hunt contest!
Wendy Jacob is a long-time lifestyle journalist for publications such as House & Home and the Toronto Star. She was born in Paris (the Eiffel Tower one, not the town near Brantford). Secret Toronto Spot: “The bike path that winds beside the Humber River. The trees obscure high rises and in springtime it feels like you’re riding through the English countryside.” Instagram/Threads: @wendycitytov
