The name of music royalty hangs from Liverpool’s historic buildings. Art installations mark the biggest pop hits. An army of loyal fans is about to invade. But this isn’t Beatlemania. This is Taylor Town.
For one fortnight only, Liverpool will be transformed into a Taylor Swift “playground” to give the US megastar a “proper scouse welcome” as her history-making world tour lands in the UK.
More than 150,000 Swifties will descend on the city for her three sold-out shows at Anfield football stadium next month, while thousands more “Taylor-gaters” are expected to arrive without tickets.
Buoyed by its Eurovision 2023 success – and eyeing a slice of the £1bn riches surrounding Swift’s UK shows – Liverpool is rolling out the red carpet. A dedicated council taskforce, codenamed Taylor Town, has been drawing up its plans for more than nine months.
Eleven Instagram-friendly art installations will be placed across the city from 8 to 16 June, each symbolising one of her 11 albums. There is a baby grand piano, bought for £300 from Facebook Marketplace by Make CIC, a local social enterprise, decorated with living moss to represent Swift’s Evermore “era”.
Fans will be able to pose for selfies on a supersized gold throne – a £400 online purchase – wrapped in snakes and skulls to mark her Game of Thrones-inspired Reputation album.
The University of Liverpool is also getting in on the act with a free Tay Day of lectures about Swift, ending with a “critical karaoke” session in which academics will perform their research to some of the star’s biggest hits.
If that sounds a little mad – well, Swift has that effect. All 600 tickets to the session were snapped up within hours (a similar level of demand to a lecture last week by chief medical officer Prof Chris Whitty).
The idea, said Claire McColgan, Liverpool’s director of culture, is to “turn the whole city into an experience”.
“What we found with Eurovision is that people came who didn’t have tickets – and you’ve got the city which is like a playground for people who are going to a concert,” she said.
“We did it for Eurovision, so why not do it for Taylor?”
The council has been watching the seismic impact of Swift’s global tour as it moves from country to country. And it really is seismic: in Seattle and Los Angeles, the crowds’ reaction to Shake It Off registered on the Richter scale.
Officials in Liverpool said they would be closely monitoring her gigs for any small-scale earthquakes at Anfield, a stadium accustomed to exuberant fans. The cheering this time “will be slightly higher-pitched”, said McColgan.
With Swift only playing 15 nights across four UK cities – Liverpool, Edinburgh, Cardiff and London – tickets are swapping hands online for as much as £3,600 each for a child’s ticket, while a non-VIP seat at one of Swift’s eight Wembley shows ranged from £562 to £4,723.
Research by Barclays earlier this month estimated the 34-year-old singer will bring a £1bn boost to the UK economy, with the average fan expected to splurge £848 on restaurants, hotels, new outfits and merchandise.
For a city where roughly one in five jobs rely on tourism, it’s a no-brainer. But the vision for Liverpool is longer-term too: “These young women will soon be choosing where they want to go to university,” said McColgan.
News
Rihanna llora entre la multitud mientras las lágrimas de Chris Brown fluyen en el escenario con una triste canción de amor
La emotiva Rihaппa fue vista entre los famosos derramando lágrimas después de que su exnovio Chris Brown se derrumbara en el escenario mientras interpretaba Sad Love Soпg Rihapa, la emblemática cantante y magnate de la moda, fue vista recientemente en…
El sexy baile de Cazzu sobre el cuerpo de Christian Nodal volvió a provocar fiebre, provocando que la reputación de Ángela Aguilar y Pepe Aguilar colapsara
La pareja de cantantes se dejó ver en estrecha cercanía mientras descansaban sobre una cama, ambos esperan a su primer bebé Los futuros padre y madre mostraron un momento cercano entre ellos Cazzu publicó un video que sorprendió a sus…
¡Inesperado! Paquita la del Barrio lanza dura advertencia a Cazzu y desata polémica con sus palabras sobre Ángela Aguilar
Paquita la del Barrio, reconocida por sus letras llenas de empoderamiento y crítica social, ha dirigido poderosos consejos hacia la joven artista Cazzu. Destacando su admiración por la valentía y autenticidad que la caracterizan en la industria musical. En sus…
¡Mensaje impactante! Cazzu reveló el nombre del padre de su segundo bebé, no podrás adivinar quién es
¡Cazzu revela quién es el padre de su bebé y no imaginas quién es! En un giro inesperado que ha dejado a todos sus seguidores boquiabiertos, la cantante y rapera argentina Cazzu ha revelado finalmente la identidad del padre…
El público quedó atónito al ver la fuerte reacción de Cazzu al enterarse de la opulenta boda de su exmarido Christian Nodal con Ángela Aguilar
La reciente boda entre Christian Nodal y Ángela Aguilar ha causado un gran revuelo en las redes sociales y entre los fanáticos del cantante. La ceremonia, celebrada en la más estricta privacidad, tuvo lugar en un hotel de lujo, y…
2 millones 400 mil pesos en asignación mensual es el monto que Cazzu le pidió a Christian Nodal que le destine a su hija Inti. Y aquí la reacción de Christian Nodal
La expareja tiene en común una hija que cumplirá en septiembre un año de vida Christian Nodal en Milán y Cazzu en Argentina. Así la expareja sigue su respectiva vida. Cazzu solicitó una millonaria pensión alimenticia a Christian Nodal para Inti, la hija que tienen…
End of content
No more pages to load