By: Matthew Zheng

Archana Shivraj was sitting in bed on her phone when she saw the news: Taylor Swift is finally coming to Canada.

“I was so shocked,” said Archana, 11, in an interview with CBC Kids News.

“I ran into my mom’s room and was like, ‘Taylor Swift is coming! Can we please, please, please go?’”

Archana, who is from Markham, Ontario, is just one of many Canadian fans (called “Swifties”) who’ve been pleading for months for the singer to come up north.

On Aug. 3, Swift announced new dates for her international Eras tour, including six shows at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, in November 2024.But even though fans like Archana have finally got their wish, many might have a tough time actually going.That’s because any fans outside of Toronto will have to pay for travel to get there. The huge demand and high price of tickets means even those close by could be out of luck.

We asked Archana and another Switftie named Eleanor to share how they’re feeling about those barriers.

Eleanor Reid, 13, from Sherwood Park, Alberta, said Swift’s lyrics are what helped her to build a huge, and sometimes obsessive, fanbase.

“I just love how open she is about her life and mental health,” said Eleanor. “How she expresses herself, but also how much she cares about her fans.”

Like Archana, Eleanor has been a Swiftie since she was super young.

She said she memorized Swift’s entire Red album when she was just three years old.

Not surprisingly, both were devastated when Swift announced an international tour with no Canadian dates.

When Swift announced 14 more European and U.K. stops in early July, with still no mention of Canada, it was another blow.

The singer hadn’t been to Canada since 2018 where she played only two dates in Toronto on her Reputation tour.

Many Swifties, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, begged Swift to reconsider.

“It’s me, hi. I know places in Canada would love to have you. So, don’t make it another cruel summer. We hope to see you soon,” said Trudeau on Twitter while tagging the singer.