Taylor Swift in Vancouver: Road closures and how to get to BC Place

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If you haven’t already secured a ticket to one of Taylor Swift’s three tour finale shows in Vancouver, you may want to avoid the downtown Peninsula this weekend. And if you plan to attend, make sure you allow enough time to get there.

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The City, Vancouver Police and TransLink are alerting the public to road closures and temporary exclusion zones for non-ticket holders as Swifties head to the Eras Tour shows this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, December 6th, 7th and 8th flow.

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A notice from the City of Vancouver warns that streets and plazas surrounding the BC Place concert venue will only be accessible to those with tickets and that anyone hoping for “Tay-Gate” will be out of luck if they try to enter the area enter.

It encourages those wanting to get to the stadium to walk, bike, drive or take public transportation and to plan for significant delays and major traffic congestion, particularly near BC Place, Rogers Arena and Concord Pacific Place.

The following streets around the stadium will be closed from midday to midnight on all three days:

• 700 and 800 blocks of Beatty Street between Smithe and West Georgia streets
• Pacific Boulevard from the Cambie Bridge exit to Pat Quinn Way
• Exit north to Cambie Bridge
• 100 block of Robson Street between Cambie Street and Beatty Street

These areas are restricted to drivers, taxis and rideshare drivers dropping off passengers, with a maximum stopping time of three minutes:

• Cambie and Hamilton Streets from Smithe to West Georgia Streets
• Pacific Boulevard between Pat Quinn Way and Quebec Street

Pay attention to all detours and temporary no parking signs. To find out about all road closures in Vancouver before you travel, check out the map at vancouver.ca.

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Travel by public transportation is recommended, and TransLink is increasing service on all three concert dates, including a special West Coast Express train on Saturday that runs at midnight. BC Place is a five-minute walk from the Stadium-Chinatown station on the SkyTrain Expo Line and 15 minutes from the Vancouver City Center station on the Canada Line.

Buses are likely to be rerouted and longer than usual wait times are expected due to congestion and closures. To stay informed about disruptions and changes, sign up for alerts at translink.ca/alerts.

For visitors to Vancouver, the easiest way to pay for public transportation is with a contactless credit or debit card. Compass Cards (with a refundable $6 deposit) and Compass Tickets are also available at the SkyTrain and SeaBus stations. A DayPass is recommended for unlimited rides that day. Alternatively, you can purchase your return ticket in advance to avoid long queues after the show.

While the SkyTrains arrive every 90 seconds, expect a rush of people leaving the stadium at the same time and be prepared for waiting times. The weather is expected to be cool and some rain. So dress warmly.

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If you want to bring your car to a transportation hub, you should search for a location at translink.ca/parkandride.

TransLink has several Swift-specific blog posts and a video on how to take the transport to the trade shows at translink.ca. For customer service (6 a.m. to midnight on concert dates), call the carrier at 604-953-3333.

Bike parking stations, including docks for Mobi riders, will be available near BC Place in Dunsmuir and Beatty, Expo and Smithe and Carrall and Seawall.

Cyclists with their own bikes who want to take public transport into the city center can leave them at one of the TransLink bike parking spaces in the city.

Road access to hotels and homes in the immediate area is limited to hotel guests and residents.

Anyone who has a ticket should enter through the barrier with their mobile ticket. Note: If you downloaded to a mobile device before November 16th, you should download again to ensure you have the latest information. Visit bcplace.com for details on bag restrictions and prohibited items.

READ MORE: Countdown to Taylor Swift: Complete coverage of her final Eras Tour concerts in Vancouver.

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