The City of Toronto says it will be designating a stretch of Yonge Street in celebration of the arrival of South Korean boy band BTS at Rogers Stadium this weekend. In July, city council passed a motion, led by Coun. Lily Cheng and seconded by Coun. James Pasternak, to temporarily rename a section of Yonge Street, from North York Boulevard to Finch Avenue, BTS Boulevard. BTS will be coming back to Toronto this Saturday and Sunday as part of its ARIRANG tour. Both shows begin at 8 p.m. In a news release, the city said officials will unveil the new street signs during a press conference Friday morning at 10:30 a.m. The signs will remain in place until Sept. 23. “It’s our way of saying ‘You Never Walk Alone,’ welcoming BTS and ARMY to Korea Town North with open arms,” the notice of motion read. The motion also called for the street signs to be lit purple when the famous South Korean pop band is in town. Taylor Swift has also received a similar honour in Toronto. In 2024, council passed a similar motion, introduced by former Scarborough–Rouge Park city councillor Jennifer McKelvie, to temporarily rename a section of Queen Street West and John Street between Nathan Phillips Square and Rogers Centre, Taylor Swift Way during the artist’s record-breaking Eras Tour. The Arirang World Tour is BTS’s first tour in four years, following a hiatus from all band activities while all seven members fulfilled their mandatory South Korean military duties.
