Singapore's exclusivity in Southeast Asia

The Eras Tour caused a diplomatic crisis in Southeast Asia.^[32][33] Singapore was the region's only country included in the tour, receiving six dates, while Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines were not included despite much anticipation.^[34] Media outlets had reported large crowds of fans gathered in various Philippine malls to watch recreations of the tour by Taylor Sheesh, a Filipino drag queen and Swift impersonator.^[34] Quartz reported that the Indonesian minister of tourism and creative economy, Sandiaga Uno, had taken note of the tour skipping Indonesia, Southeast Asia's largest economy, and decided to ease the permit process for international touring acts.^[35] Academics and critics in Indonesia also agreed that the Indonesian government should amend its policies to host musical efforts such as the Eras Tour.^[36][35]

In February 2024, Bangkok Post reported that Srettha Thavisin, the Prime Minister of Thailand since 2023, expressed his disappointment with Singapore exclusively hosting the Eras Tour amongst the member countries of ASEAN, an international union of Southeast Asian countries. He claimed that the Singaporean government offered subsidies of $2 million–$3 million per show in exchange for exclusivity.^[38] Emphasizing her global appeal, Thavisin stated that Thai Swifties "had been eagerly awaiting the chance to experience Swift's musical magic live."^[39] Pita Limjaroenrat, leader of the Move Forward Party, had previously petitioned Swift to bring the Eras Tour to Thailand; he noted that the country had become a democracy in the years following the 2014 Thai coup d'état that led to the cancellation of her show in Bangkok on the Red Tour.^[40]

Joey Salceda, member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, criticized Singapore for the exclusivity deal, not being a "good neighbor", and disregarding the principles of solidarity upon which ASEAN was founded. He demanded that the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs seek an explanation on the deal from the Singaporean embassy to the Philippines.^[41][42] Uno also expressed disappointment, claiming that "Indonesia was eager to replicate the success of Swiftonomics, which has hugely benefited the tourism industry in Singapore and Australia.^[43]

In response, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) published a statement confirming that they did provide a "grant" to bring the tour to the country, and that the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth worked with the tour's promoter, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG).^[44] Minister Edwin Tong refused to disclose any exact figures,^[33] adding that the total sum of the grant is not as high as what is being claimed.^[45] Singaporean diplomat Bilahari Kausikan argued that Singapore, as a small city-state, cannot afford to be "inefficient" like its neighbors due to competition, and asked "are we supposed to hold ourselves back just because some of our neighbours are slow?" He praised the STB for quickly securing the deal with Swift.^[46] Hariz Baharudin of The Straits Times opined that Singapore attracted Swift by offering connectivity, infrastructure and security unlike other Southeast Asian countries.^[36]

On March 5, 2024, Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of Singapore since 2004, was interrogated on the issue in an ASEAN press conference with Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese; Lee confirmed that the grant did contain exclusivity terms but assured that it was not a hostile move towards other Southeast Asian countries.^[47][37] The Straits Times correspondent Anjali Raguraman reported that Tong's team, also consisting of representatives of Sport Singapore and the management of Singapore Sports Hub, flew to Los Angeles to negotiate with Swift's agent before any international tour dates were confirmed and requested for Singapore to be "the host at the end of any particular segment of the tour", facilitating addition of more dates in case of higher demand. The Eras Tour in Singapore was extended to an additional week for six shows in total, after the first three shows quickly sold out.^[45]

Price regulation in the Americas and Europe

In the US, inefficient presale of the Eras Tour tickets by Ticketmaster on November 15, 2022, resulted in a highly publicized controversy.^[48] Before the presale, Ticketmaster reported that it received a record-breaking 3.5 million registrations.^[49] CNN Business stated that the "astronomical" demand indicated Swift's popularity.^[50] On the presale day, Ticketmaster's website crashed and froze due to "historically unprecedented demand".^[51] Greg Maffei, chairman of Live Nation Entertainment, said Ticketmaster prepared for 1.5 million verified fans, but 14 million showed up.^[52] Ticketmaster also cancelled the November 18 sale due to their inability to meet demand.^[53] Swift's fans, upset and enraged with the debacle, accused Ticketmaster of deceit and poor customer service.^[54][55][56] The topic soon became a subject of public criticism and political scrutiny, as consumer groups criticized Ticketmaster for its allegedly flawed and incompetent systems.^[57][58] US lawmakers, including attorneys general and members of the Congress, took notice of the issue,^[59] which became a subject of multiple congressional inquiries.^[60] The US Department of Justice opened an antitrust investigation into Live Nation Entertainment and Ticketmaster.^[61]

Media publications deemed the controversy a testament to Swift's influence and said it could bode well for the music industry by propelling conversations about economic inequality and antitrust laws in the US.^[63][64] Inspired by the fiasco, various US Congress and state legislature members proposed and enacted a string of bills to ban scalping bots and regulate pricing model.^[65][66] The US Federal Trade Commission proposed to outlaw junk fees in the country following the controversy, and the National Economic Council, headed by American President Joe Biden, pressed platforms to abandon junk fees in all prices—not just event tickets but for resort bookings and rental costs as well.^[62] American legal scholar William Kovacic called the move "the Taylor Swift policy adjustment."^[2] According to Carolyn Sloane, assistant professor of economics at the University of California, Riverside, the tour's fiasco spurred mass political action as Swift "has scaled her talent through demographic technology".^[65] Following the bipartisan censure of Ticketmaster at a US Senate hearing, Billboard opined that Ticketmaster had the public's despise and thus made an "easy target for rare bipartisan political action".^[66] The Washington Post stated the tour fiasco "was so bad it united the parties",^[67] whereas CNN, in an article titled "One Nation, Under Swift", said that Swift's fans united the two parties in a way "the Founding Fathers failed to anticipate".^[68]

The tour's difficult ticket sales garnered international political attention as well. Forbes reported widespread scalping of the tickets in the United Kingdom, with immediate re-listing on sites like StubHub and Viagogo for extortionate prices.^[69][70] Viagogo responded that "the European leg of Taylor Swift's Eras tour has been long anticipated. We've not seen anything like this since the Beatles and with tickets having only just gone on sale, demand is at its peak right now".^[71] Reuters reported that the resale prices of Eras Tour tickets were US$1000 more than other touring acts.^[72] Kevin Brennan, a Member of Parliament from Cardiff, demanded a debate in the UK House of Commons on ticket scalpers and the government's plans to tackle them.^[73] In Ireland, politician Thomas Pringle spoke in the Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish Parliament, criticizing the "rampant price gouging" in Dublin during the tour's stop in the city as "disgraceful display of greed" by local hotels.^[74] William Watson, writing for the Financial Post, opined that the lawmakers from the Liberal Party of Canada, including Trudeau, will attempt to "nationalize" the distribution of the tour's tickets in Canada in an attempt to win over Swift's fans for the upcoming elections.^[75] In Brazil, more than 10 scalpers were arrested for trying to resell tickets originally priced at around R$6,000 (US$1,250) at significantly higher prices. Simone Marquetto, a member of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies for São Paulo, proposed increasing the maximum prison sentence for scalping from to four years and fines up to 100 times the price set by scalpers.^[76]

Local business

The Federal Reserve credited Swift with boosting the US economy at large.^[84] In urban areas, the tour boosted the hospitality industry,^[85] including hotels,^[86] local businesses and tourism revenues by millions of dollars.^[87][88][89] The Robb Report, citing analysis by Mastercard, reported an extra $100 million in sales by restaurants in the US in 2023.^[90] Various restaurants, bars, parks and other businesses organized Swift-themed activities and events, as well as special menus.^[91][92] Such Swift-themed eatables and articles quickly ran out of stock in various food outlets and retailers.^[82][93] The economic impact of Swift's Eras tour has been compared to sporting events such as the Olympic Games, Super Bowl, and FIFA World Cup.^[93][78]

In the Western U.S., the first shows in Glendale were more profitable for local businesses than Super Bowl LVII one month earlier.^[78] The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority credited the tour with restoring the economy of Las Vegas to "pre-pandemic levels".^[94] The tour's two nights in Denver were projected to add $140 million into Colorado's economy.^[95] In Seattle, downtown hotels reported a record $7.4 million in revenue, $2 million more than the record set by the Major League Baseball All-Star Game earlier in the same month.^[95] Hotel occupancy rates in Santa Clara were at least 98% weeks before the tour arrived to the city.^[96] The tour's two nights generated an estimated $33.5 million in economic impact to Santa Clara County, comparable to National Football League matches.^[97]

A labor union representing hotel workers from 60 hotels in Los Angeles and Orange counties were at strike since their contracts with the hotels expired on June 30, 2023. One week before the Eras Tour's six Los Angeles concerts, the union protested outside the Hyatt Regency LAX with posters inspired by the Eras Tour aesthetics and an open letter to Swift, which claimed that her concerts make the hotels "a lot of money" and urged her to postpone the concerts in solidarity with the strike.^[98][99] A dozen Californian politicians, including Eleni Kounalakis, the Lieutenant Governor of California, signed a petition asking Swift to postpone the concerts.^[100] The tour in Los Angeles generated a $320 million boost to the county's gross domestic product (GDP).^[101]

In the Southern U.S., the three-day stop in Tampa caused a huge increase in demand for hotel rooms, car-parking services and clothing stores;^[103][104] the concerts generated US$730,000 in taxes for the city.^[105][88] According to the Houston First Corporation, the three-night stop at NRG Stadium resulted in Houston's highest hotel revenue week of 2023.^[106] Nashville, Tennessee reported $28 million in hotel revenue from two nights.^[107]

All hotel rooms, restaurant reservations, and train tickets were sold out in Boston days before the Eras Tour shows in nearby Foxborough, Massachusetts.^[108] Per Booking.com, the average hotel room prices in Pittsburgh, Minneapolis and Kansas City increased three to five folds in anticipation of the tour; the hotel occupancy rate in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania approached 100% and reservation platforms crashed due to web traffic.^[109] In the Great Lakes region, Chicago's Eras Tour dates marked the highest hotel occupancy in the city's history,^[110] contributing to the state of Illinois recording its highest hotel revenue ever in a fiscal year.^[111] Eras Tour-related consumer spending in Cincinnati was estimated to be $48 million.^[82]

In Latin America, Swift's shows in Mexico City generated an estimated Mex$1,000,000,000 (US$59 million) in revenue across the city.^[112] Veja estimated a "tremendous" R$400,000,000 (US$74 million) economic boost for Brazil during the tour.^[113] Whereas in Asia, Mitsumasa Etou, professor from Tokyo City University, projected an economic boost of up to ¥34,100,000,000 (US$229.6 million) in Japan, making the tour "Japan's biggest ever musical event", surpassing the Fuji Rock Festival.^[102] Bloomberg estimated that the tour's six shows in Singapore would increase the country's GDP by 0.2 percentage points (approximately US$200 million).^[114][115] According to Sally Capp, Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Australia, the tour generated an estimated A$1,200,000,000 (US$780 million) in economic value for the city.^[116] Venues NSW chief executive Kerrie Mather said the four shows in Sydney will contribute around A$135,800,000 (US$88.7 million) to the state's economy.^[117]

Cities across Europe, especially those in the vicinity of the Eras Tour, reported a sharp rise in demand for hotel and short-term rental accommodation. Hotel rooms in Edinburgh, Liverpool and Cardiff sold out for the June 2024 dates of the tour as early as August 2023, whereas over 80 percent of the hotel rooms in Paris and Warsaw nearly sold out months before the cities' dates. Vienna experienced a 430 percent increase in rental bookings around its Eras Tour dates in comparison to the previous year.^[118] Evening Standard reported that, according to data from Barclays, presales for the Eras Tour significantly boosted overall consumer spending in the UK in July 2023.^[119] In Ireland, concert-related spending increased by 88 percent as the country's hotel sector recorded an unusual 5 percent increase.^[120] In Sweden, Stockholm's tourism board estimated the concerts will boost spending by €50 million (US$53.4 million) in the capital.^[121]

Civil transport

CNN labeled Swift a "public transit savior", reporting that transit agencies received a "much-needed" post-pandemic boost, thanks to concert-goers commuting via subways, buses, and trains to and from the Eras Tour venues.^[123] The Los Angeles Times reported cities across the US saw "ridership surge" from the Eras Tour attendees who chose to take transit. In Atlanta, around 140,000 fans took transit to reach the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, tripling the usual ridership. In Chicago, the tour generated 43,000 bus and train trips, resulting in the highest weekly ridership for the transit system since 2019.^[124] In cases of inadequacy, special trains were announced for concertgoers with extended service in places such as Minneapolis,^[122] Sacramento,^[125] Greater Los Angeles,^[124] and Mexico City.^[126] In Ireland, Iarnród Éireann announced additional late-night train services from Dublin to the cities of Cork and Limerick.^[121]

Flight bookings to and within Australia peaked around the tour dates, especially arrivals from New Zealand and South Korea.^[127] On February 16, 2024, the day of the first concert in Melbourne, Australia, Melbourne Airport recorded its busiest day since the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of passengers and take-offs and landings.^[128]

A number of airlines facilitated special arrangements for Eras Tour attendees, such as:

• Qantas added 64 more flights between Sydney and Melbourne and Auckland, Brisbane and Perth.^[128] Subsequently, due to multiple weather cancellations, Qantas flew an Airbus A380 from Melbourne to Sydney to transport concertgoers.^[129]
• Air New Zealand experienced what it dubbed the "Swift surge"—people rushing to book flights to Australia, where Swift was announced to perform in February 2023. The airline added 14 more flights from Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch to Sydney and Melbourne.^[130][82]
• Philippine Airlines promoted flights from Manila to Tokyo, Sydney, Melbourne, and Singapore.^[131]
• After Swift postponed her second Buenos Aires show by two days due to inclement weather, LATAM Airlines, Sky Airline and JetSmart Argentina allowed fans to rebook flight tickets at no cost.^[132][133] Industry executives called the move "highly unusual".^[134]
• LATAM would continue with their flexibility policy and waived all the fees or any differences in fare for ticket-holders who would book return flights from Rio de Janeiro following the postponement of the second date from November 18 to November 20 due to extreme heat and the death of a fan, with Gol Linhas Aéreas, and Azul Brazilian Airlines following suit.^[135][136]
• Both of Singapore's major airlines, the flagship carrier Singapore Airlines and budget carrier Scoot, registered surges in demand for flights to Singapore in March 2024, particularly from Southeast Asia. Jetstar Asia confirmed a 20 percent surge for routes connecting destinations such as Bangkok, Manila, and Jakarta to Singapore. Macroeconomist Erica Tay reported that over 70 percent of the tour's attendees in Singapore are flying in from overseas.^[137] Flight bookings to and from Singapore on Traveloka increased sixfold around the Eras Tour dates.^[36]

Theory and principle

The economics of the Eras tour, including Swift's overall economic impact, has been termed "Swiftonomics" by economists and journalists.^[74] It was first coined by economic analyst Augusta Saraiva, who stated that the Eras Tour's unprecedented ticket sales represented a "post-COVID demand shock" in the US, with consumers prioritizing entertainment over an imminent recession. Economics academic Melissa Kearney wrote that COVID-19 affected the public's views about "what's really important to them, and what brings them joy." Los Angeles Times defined Swiftonomics as a microeconomic theory that explains Swift's supply and demand, and political impact following the COVID-19 pandemic.^[138][139] The Chair of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, stated "it's good to see" the Eras Tour helping the American economy but cautioned "stronger growth could lead over time to higher inflation and that would require an appropriate response from monetary policy ... So we'll be watching that carefully and seeing how it evolves over time."^[140] As per CNBC, Swiftonomics has impacted every town in the US.^[141]

The demand shock was also further reported in Argentina and Australia.^[144][145] Economists who observed the inflation in Southeast Asia termed it "Swiftflation".^[146] Marketing professor Seshan Ramaswami wrote that the Eras Tour is one of the significant steps in a movement involving the Government of Singapore's conscious attempts to expand the demographic reach of the city-state's cultural tourism "to young music fans ... From all over Asia and perhaps even the Middle East".^[142][147] Following the tour's tie-up with the United Overseas Bank for premium tickets in Singapore, the bank reported a record S$104 million (US$76 million) in income from credit card fees, an 89% increase from the previous year in the quarter.^[148]

According to a survey by online research company QuestionPro, 58% of the Eras Tour attendees were between ages 35 and 64, 37 percent between ages 18 and 34, and less than 5 percent under age 18. The tour's economic valuation was also estimated to be $5 billion, higher than the GDP of 50 countries.^[149] QuestionPro later increased the estimate to $6.3 billion in the US and Canada. Other economic agencies projected an impact as high as $80 billion globally.^[150] According to Insider, one movie studio marketing team found that attendees of the Eras Tour spent an average of $300 per concert.^[151] Business magazine Fortune reported that fans spent an average of $1,300 on tickets, travel, and clothes to attend the tour, implying that the Eras Tour could raise $4.6 billion in consumer spending in the US,^[110] and consequently "save" the US from recession.^[152]

MarketWatch named Swift one of the most influential persons in the stock market, reporting that "vigorous consumer spending epitomized by the Eras Tour helped the U.S. avert a widely predicted summer recession."^[153] Similar sentiments were raised by journalists in other countries. The Guardian business columnist Greg Jericho opined that the Eras Tour could save Australia from recession as well.^[154] Journalist Swati Pandey wrote, "as recession risks in Australia mount, one unexpected factor could deliver a boost to the economy just when it's under maximum pressure from the Reserve Bank's aggressive interest rate increases: Taylor Swift."^[155] The Reserve Bank governor, Michele Bullock, affirmed that "the Taylor Swift inflation effect has forced some spending adjustments" but it would not lead to a detrimental inflation.^[156] The Globe and Mail's Tony Keller claimed Swift is the solution to the issues in the Canadian economy.^[157] Economists in the UK projected a minimal macroeconomic impact in the country from the tour but that Swiftlation will affect the hotel industry.^[158]

Maria Psyllou, economics professor from the University of Birmingham, called the Eras Tour a "complex economic environment". She wrote that the consumers' readiness to spend their money on the tour despite an ongoing global economic deceleration is an example of the trickle-down effect, an economic principle explaining the success of high-income individuals benefitting lower sectors of society, stimulating economic growth and opportunities for a wider spectrum of businesses in turn. Pysllou stated, the Eras Tour shows "the audience's willingness to allocate their resources to experiences they have missed—travel, entertainment, leisure—during the pandemic" and is "a testament to the potent interplay between culture, economics, and human behavior."^[101] Anne Steele and Sarah Krouse from The Wall Street Journal opined that the Eras Tour is an example of "women's multiplier effect", showing how women's entertainment can impact the economy.^[159] Baharudin characterized Swiftonomics as an economic snowball effect.^[36]

Tailgating

Large numbers of fans who did not have tickets to the Eras Tour gathered outside the venues in various cities to listen to Swift performing,^[201][202] a tailgate party phenomenon media outlets and fans termed "Taylor-gating".^[203][204] According to NBC News, such gatherings in open spaces outside the stadium premises have been attributed to a sense or experience of community within Swift's fandom. Thousands gathered in Tampa, Philadelphia and Nashville, among other cities, following which people "shared positive experiences" about Taylor-gating via TikTok, leading to growing crowds at subsequent shows.^[205] The Philadelphia shows attracted around 20,000 ticketless fans every night.^{[206][207][208]} In Chicago, fans occupied the public parks outside Soldier Field, where the concert was "clearly" audible.^[205] Cincinnati allocated adjacent park areas for the 41,000 Taylor-gaters.^[209][82] In Mexico City, stands outside the venue Foro Sol were opened for tailgaters.^[210] Thousands of fans also gathered outside the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Singapore National Stadium.^[211][212]

As the practice grew in popularity, some cities and stadium authorities prohibited tailgating due to security reasons. New Jersey State Police issued a warning on May 26, 2023, asking those without tickets not to gather outside the concert venue in East Rutherford.^[213] Levi's Stadium, the venue for the Santa Clara concerts, similarly prohibited tailgating and asked fans not to congregate in the parking lots or nearby streets.^[214] Other cities that banned tailgating include Kansas City, Inglewood, and Sydney.^{[215][216][217]}

Some companies hiring temporary workers or volunteers to work at venues reported a surge in applications from fans who could not get tickets to the Eras Tour, with one company receiving over 1,000 applications for 65 positions.^[218] In Buenos Aires, Argentina, fans with general admission tickets camped outside the concert venue, Estadio River Plate, in tents for five months in order to secure front-row positions on the floor during the shows.^[219] Before the accompanying concert film released in India, a group of Swifties in Bangalore took out a public march to get Swift to tour India. The fanfare was criticized by some Indian internet users, who dubbed the movement "embarrassing". In response, Indian Swifties on social media opined they were being unfairly "targeted for having fun", highlighting fanbases of Indian actors who have not being scrutinized similarly.^[200]

Merchandise

Concert attendees and Taylor-gating fans made friendship bracelets, carrying song titles or references to Swift's music and colloquialisms, to trade with each other or give to celebrity attendees, inspired by lyrics in Swift's 2022 song "You're on Your Own, Kid".^{[220][221][222]} The trend subsequently grew amongst celebrities, such as Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong'o, who made and shared bracelets at the tour,^[223] and amongst attendees of events unrelated to Swift or the Eras Tour.^[224] Swift herself commented on the making and sharing of bracelets,^[225] which The New York Times dubbed the "badge of the Swiftie fandom".^[163]

The bracelets became a significant business for shops online;^[226] The Washington Post reported $3 million of bracelets were sold on e-commerce website Etsy between the months of April and August in 2023.^[95] Some bead shops saw a record-setting surge in sales;^[227][159] arts and crafts supply store Michaels reported a chain-wide increase in sales of more than 40% on their jewelry range, and up to 500% in locations that the tour visited.^[228] Shortages in beads and sequins supply were also reported.^[222] Stores selling bracelet supplies in Australia also reported large increases in sales and shortages.^[229][230]

The Eras Tour merchandise trucks drew uncommonly long queues at all stops of the tour.^{[185][231][232]} The New York Times reported that hundreds of fans waited outside the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, overnight in the rain to purchase the merchandise before it sold out.^[186] In Los Angeles, more than 3,000 fans queued for the merchandise stands outside SoFi Stadium.^[233] The Wall Street Journal estimated that $3 million worth of merchandise is sold at every stop of the tour.^[234] According to Universal Music Group (UMG), the success of tour helped boost merchandising revenue by 12 percent, compensating the decline in touring revenue during the pandemic.^[235] Pollstar estimated the first 60 shows in 2023 collected $200 million in revenue from merchandise sales.^[236]

The Messenger reported that the confetti gathered from the Eras Tour evolved into its own niche market—being sold online at prices ranging from $10 to $200 on eBay and Facebook Marketplace—with some fans recouping full costs of their tickets in the process. Journalist Julia Gray wrote, "Confetti is like an extension of Swift's sought-after, limited-release merch. There's an element of scarcity and exclusivity."^[237]

Fashion

According to fashion critic Vanessa Friedman, Swift's wardrobe for the Eras Tour received wide press coverage.^[238] Tailors reported an increased demand for replicas of Swift's tour outfits.^[239] The tour increased the demand in sales of apparel like metallic boots and sequin dresses. According to CNN, fashion and clothing retailers across the US are "carefully" marketing their products to actively target attendees of the Eras Tour. Companies such as Altar'd State, Bipty, and Hazel & Olive created a separate section of items inspired by Swift and her eras. Sales of rhinestone boots and cowboy hats also spiked, helping Hazel & Olive achieve its "biggest sales year yet."^[240][241] Vogue further noted the tour's impact on social media fashion, which used to only be a phenomenon of music festivals such as Coachella;^[242] many fans wore replicas of Swift's outfits or costumes based on her music to the concert.^[243][244] Shannon Aducci of Footwear News opined that Swifties at the Eras Tour shaped the direction of 2023 summer fashion.^[245]

Seismic activity

During the tour's stop in Seattle at Lumen Field on July 22 and 23, 2023, fans in the area caused seismic activity equivalent to a 2.3-magnitude earthquake, nicknamed the "Swift Quake". It was mostly attributed to the concert attendees jumping, dancing and cheering, as well as the loud sound system. According to Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a seismologist at Western Washington University, the seismic activity on both nights was more than "twice as hard" as the Beast Quake—when Seattle experienced seismic activity equivalent to a 2.0-magnitude earthquake after the Seattle Seahawks scored a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints during a National Football League (NFL) game—as well as "RaveQuakes" during important Seattle Sounders FC soccer games.^[246][247] Researchers from California Institute of Technology and University of California, Los Angeles, also reported that fans caused "earthquake-like" tremors when the tour visited the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, in a study titled "Shake to the Beat: Exploring the Seismic Signals and Stadium Response of Concerts and Music Fans."^[248]

Governments

• Glendale changed its name from March 17 to 18 as it hosted the first shows of the Eras Tour. Mayor Jerry Weiers announced the "symbolic" name, Swift City, on March 13.^[301] The Westgate Entertainment District, a mixed-use complex in Glendale, put up welcome messages.^{[302][303][304]} The Arizona Department of Transportation also displayed a number of Swift-themed messages along freeways.^[305]
• Las Vegas displayed light shows inspired by the color palettes of the Eras Tour every night through March 25 at the Gateway Arches on Las Vegas Boulevard.^[301]
• Arlington, Texas renamed Randol Mill Road, a street outside AT&T Stadium, to Taylor Swift Way on March 30. Mayor Jim Ross declared March 31 through April 2 "Taylor Swift Weekend", during which the steel sculptures outside the City Hall were lit red in reference to Red; Swift was also presented with a key to the city.^{[306][307][308]}

• Tampa presented Swift with a key to the city; Mayor Jane Castor invited Swift to be the city's honorary mayor for a day. Tampa City Hall, Tampa Riverwalk, and downtown bridges were lit red.^[309][310] Hillsborough County temporarily changed its name to Swiftsborough.^[311][312]
• Houston illuminated its city hall lavender as a nod to "Lavender Haze",^[313] celebrated "The Eras Tour weekend", and renamed NRG Stadium to NRG Stadium (Taylor's Version) from April 21 to 23, per a proclamation by Harris County judge Lina Hidalgo.^[301][314]
• Taylorsville, Georgia declared April 28, 2023 "Taylor Swift Day" and presented Swift with a key to the city following her sold-out shows at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.^[315]
• Nashville mayor John Cooper recognized May 5 to 7 as "Taylor Swift Homecoming Weekend" and placed an "honorary bench" at Centennial Park as a monument dedicated to "Nashville and Swift's long-standing relationship", in reference to lyrics in "Invisible String".^[316][317]
• Philadelphia unveiled a mural on South Street on May 12.^[318]
• Massachusetts governor Maura Healey conferred a "Governor's Citation" upon Swift ahead of the Foxborough shows.^[319]
• New Jersey governor Phil Murphy declared the "Taylor Swift ham, egg, and cheese" as the state's official sandwich on May 25, referencing the cultural debate about Taylor ham and pork roll.^[301]
• Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer welcomed Swift to the state for the Detroit shows by posting a video speech on Twitter referencing several of her songs.^[320]
• Pittsburgh mayor Ed Gainey renamed the city Swiftsburgh for the weekend.^[109] In December 2023, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed a resolution to recognize 2023 as "the Taylor Swift era" in Pennsylvania, her home state.^[321]
• Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey temporarily renamed the city Swiftieapolis. Minnesota governor Tim Walz proclaimed June 23 and 24 as "Taylor Swift Days" in the state.^[301]
• Cincinnati mayor Aftab Pureval proclaimed June 30 as "Taylor Swift Day" in the city.^[322] Hamilton County, Ohio, renamed itself Hamilton County (Taylor's Version).^[323] Bellevue, Kentucky, renamed Taylor Avenue to Taylor Swift Avenue.^[301]
• Downtown Kansas City was lit purple in reference to Speak Now (Taylor's Version).^[324] North Kansas City, Missouri, renamed Swift Street to Swift Street (Taylor's Version);^[325] Ray County, Missouri, installed a crop art.^[326]
• Colorado governor Jared Polis wrote Swift a letter containing references to her songs and lyrics ahead of the Denver shows.^[327]
• The Washington State Department of Natural Resources named Swift an "Honorary Geologist".^[328]
• Santa Clara renamed itself Swiftie Clara and proclaimed Swift as its honorary mayor from July 28 to 29.^[301]
• The Hawthorne/Lennox station and Downtown Inglewood stations, the closest Los Angeles Metro stations to SoFi Stadium, were renamed to Taylor Nation Station and Speak Now/Taylor's Station, respectively during the six shows.^[329]
• In Mexico City, Avenida Presidente Masaryk and Foro Sol were renamed to Avenida Taylor's Version and Foro 1989 Taylor's Version, respectively.^[330]
• The Buenos Aires City Legislature designated Swift a "Guest of Honor".^[331]
• Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes sanctioned an homage to Swift—the phrase "Welcome to Brasil" and the names of all 26 Brazilian states on a t-shirt similar to the one she wore in the music video for "You Belong with Me" (2009)—to be projected on the statue of Christ the Redeemer after fans donated 20,000 units of panettone and water bottles as part of a fundraiser to support local charities.^[332]
• São Paulo illuminated its city hall, Pátio do Colégio, Mário de Andrade Library, Viaduto do Chá, and the Monument to the Bandeiras sculpture with colors inspired by the Eras Tour.^[333]
• The US Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs issued an Eras Tour-themed travel advisory ahead of the first 2024 shows.^[334]
• The Japanese Embassy in Washington, D.C., issued an official statement about the Tokyo shows, referencing several of Swift's albums, to address speculation around her travel plans, as the Tokyo shows, the 66th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, and Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas all fell in the same week.^[335] Swift was ultimately present for all three events.^[336]
• In Melbourne, the state tourism body Visit Victoria commissioned images of Swift to be projected at the Flinders Street railway station.^[337][338]
• Sydney Trains lit the Central Station clock tower and Grand Concourse purple and operated "Tay Tay Express" train services to Olympic Park Station, which played several of Swift's songs onboard.^[339]

Organizations and companies

• In Atlanta, Georgia's Own Credit Union welcomed Swift with a large "Welcome to A-TAY-L" sign displayed atop its skyscraper building.^[340]
• The Arlington Museum of Art announced an exhibit exploring Swift's "evolving, boundary-pushing" artistry, featuring costumes, photographs, and concert videos from her album eras. Titled The Eras Tour Collection, the exhibit will run from June 2 to September 24, 2023.^[341][342]
• Chicago's Willis Tower lit up its antennas in the colors of the Eras Tour.^[301]
• The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum opened an exhibit titled Through Taylor Swift's Eras, displaying original outfits from every album era, throughout May 2023.^[343] Over 114,000 people bought tickets to the exhibit in May alone—the highest monthly attendance in the museum's 65-year history.^[82]
• Radio station 96.5 WTDY-FM temporarily renamed itself to "Ninety-Swift-Five T-A-Y".^[301]
• New York City's Museum of Arts and Design opened the exhibit Taylor Swift: Storyteller, a "career-spanning look at [Swift's] artistic reinventions", from May 20, 2023, to March 24, 2024.^[344][345] Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises offered a Swift-themed dance cruise on Hudson River ahead of the Eras Tour in East Rutherford.^[346]
• Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden hosted a "Swiftie Weekend".^[347]

• In Pittsburgh, the Gateway Clipper Fleet threw Swift-themed parties for passengers.^[109] The Carnegie Science Center organized an Eras Tour-themed scavenger hunt of miniature Swift dolls hidden throughout the Miniature Railroad and Village exhibition on June 16 and 17, and the Buhl Planetarium hosted a Swift-themed laser show.^[348]
• In Los Angeles, the Grammy Museum at L.A. Live opened a pop-up exhibit from August 2 to September 18, featuring 13 costumes and instruments from Swift's original Speak Now era and later seen in the "I Can See You" music video.^[349]
• Spotify launched a feature that uses listener's streaming data to list their "top five Taylor Swift eras".^[350] Recognizing Swift's singular achievements, the Apple Music Awards honored with a special event called Taylor Swift's Eras: The Experience.^[351]
• In honor of the completion of the first US leg of the Eras Tour, Starbucks stores across the US played her music all day during the last day of the leg (August 9, 2023).^[352]
• Air New Zealand added special seats for those attending the tour in Australia, renaming one of the flights "NZ1989" in reference to the album of the same name.^[353] Philippine carrier Cebu Pacific also changed the flight numbers of its Singapore-bound planes to "1989".^[354]
• A Royal Caribbean International cruise trip from Miami to the Bahamas, titled In My Era Cruise, has been scheduled on October 21, a day after the tour's final date in Miami.^[346]
• A number of media publications bestowed Swift with year-end honorifics. Time named Swift their 2023 Person of the Year, an annual title given to a person, group, object, or idea that dominated the year culturally.^[355] Consequence named her their 2023 Artist of the Year,^[356] while The New York Times and The Guardian declared 2023 "the year of Taylor Swift".^[357][358] Billboard placed her atop their list of the greatest pop stars of 2023.^[80]

• In Tokyo, Center Gai, a commercial street in Shibuya, temporarily renamed itself Shibuya Center Gai (Taylor's Version) from February 7 to 20, displaying flags featuring Swift's albums and playing her music.^[359]
• In Sydney, several stadiums were lit purple in reference to "Lavender Haze". Sydney Airport displayed billboards welcoming fans into the city. Numerous businesses in the city hosted Swift-themed events.^[360]
• In Singapore, Jewel Changi Airport organized a Swift-themed sing-along event for fans on March 1, 2024.^[361] Marina Bay Sands staged an immersive experience called The Eras Tour Trail and a tour-themed light-and-water show.^[362]
• Although China was not part of the tour, Chinese video platform Bilibili hosted multiple events in celebration of the Singapore shows, including user-uploaded video themes inspired by Swift and the Eras Tour, the chance to win tickets to and a round-trip flight for the shows, and a livestream of the final two shows.^[363]

Feminist perspectives

A number of culture critics examined the tour's impact in a feminist lens. Tyler Foggatt wrote, the Eras Tour transformed "a football stadium, typically a center of male aggression, into a sanctum of gleeful femininity." She compared it to the 2017 Women's March, though mentioned there were sequins instead of pussyhats, and the tour included "probably the same number of male allies."^[176] In The New York Times, American author Michelle Goldberg compared the cultural impact of the Eras Tour to that of Barbie (2023), a fantasy comedy film, and dubbed them both 2023 summer's biggest entertainment phenomena celebrating mainstream femininity but also "beneath their slick, exuberant pop surfaces, tell female coming-of-age stories marked by existential crises and bitter confrontations with sexism." Goldberg opined that the "gargantuan" success of both the works prove there "is a huge, underserved market for entertainment that takes the feelings of girls and women seriously."^[376]

Talia Lakritz of Insider said both the Eras Tour and Barbie are inspiring a movement among women "to reclaim girlhood without rescinding power." Lakritz added that being at an Eras Tour concert and a movie theater playing Barbie gave her the same feeling—"the collective joy of femininity".^[377] Sisario considered both works as critiques of patriarchy that showed women's control over pop culture.^[184] In a similar view, Willman said that the two works of entertainment use patriarchy as a subject of irony "while being utterly friendly to and welcoming of men as much as anybody" and became billion-dollar-earning phenomena.^[371] Jess Cartner-Morley of The Guardian opined that the Eras Tour and Barbie are "at heart, about celebrating and questioning what it means to be a girl."^[378] Taffy Brodesser-Akner of The New York Times wrote that the tour and its wider phenomenon can be seen as Swift "free[ing] women to celebrate their girlhood, to understand that their womanhood is made up of... microchapters of change... the acknowledgment of girls as people to memorialize, of who we are and who we were, all existing in the same body, on the same timeline."^[379]

Many journalists considered the Eras Tour, Barbie and Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour as triumphant works of women's creativity. Larry Vincent, marketing professor from the USC Marshall School of Business, said the Eras Tour and Barbie were two summer phenomena that showed a "really strong ritual dimension of [women-driven] consumer behavior".^[380][368] According to author Katherine Wintsch, "It's a sense of solidarity that women are willing to pay good money for."^[159] Mary Siroky of Consequence opined that the tour proves "centering women in entertainment isn't just smart, it's necessary."^[356]

Bloomberg News reported that, in China, the themes celebrated in the film "stand in stark contrast to President Xi Jinping's increasingly conservative vision for women, providing a rare outlet for young women rejecting ever-tighter social control and the Chinese Communist Party's rigid expectations."^[381]

Year-end retrospectives

In placing Swift as the first and only entertainer ever in the top five of their annual "World's Most Powerful Women" in 2023, Forbes claimed that "17 years into her remarkable career, Swift has never had more economic, cultural and political clout."^[382] Swift also topped People's "25 Most Intriguing People of the Year" (2023) list; journalist Jeff Nelson opined that Swift, as a 33-year-old female popstar, "has taken a hammer to that glass ceiling, shattering expectations—and blazing a path for the next generation of female artists."^[383] The Eras Tour also lead CNN to name Swift "The businessperson of the year";^[384] Natasha Aaron of The Washington Post listed Swift as one of 2023's trailblazers, for having "shifted the economic plate tectonics of the entertainment industry."^[385]

Many publications considered the Eras Tour the highlight of 2023 and named Swift's 2023 as one of the best years for her career. The Hollywood Reporter opined "Arguably, Taylor Swift had one of the best years for a person working in the entertainment industry ever."^[386] Billboard published, "Swift's 2023 will now be the year that all future pop stars will be measured against."^[80] The A.V. Club opined "Swift was pop culture's undisputed champion of 2023, and no one has ever had a year like hers".^[182] Writing for MSNBC, Michael A. Cohen also remarked that "When the history books are written, 2023 will be remembered as the year of Swift."^[387] Ethan Millman of Rolling Stone said "by any metric, Swift's 2023 was one of the most impressive years of all time for a singular pop star."^[388] Swift was included in CNBC's inaugural "changemakers list", highlighting women who are creating a pattern of what it takes to defy the odds, innovate and thrive in a volatile business landscape.^[389]

Business Insider opined "Swift was easily the most dominant cultural force of 2023, and the Eras Tour was the defining pop culture event of 2023."^[390] Consequence credited the Eras Tour with helping Swift dominate the popular culture of 2023 in a distinct way than she has in the preceding years.^[356] The Independent and Hindustan Times deemed the year "2023 (Taylor's Version)".^[391][392]