How Cities Are Celebrating Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’ Coming To Town

Taylor Swift has played 59 shows during her record-breaking The Eras Tour. She has three more this weekend in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the country’s most famous landmark, the Christ the Redeemer statue, will reportedly be projected with a shirt from one of Swift’s music videos.

Rio isn’t the first city to hand the proverbial (or sometimes literal) key to to Swift, and it won’t be the last, not with how much money is pumped into the local economy wherever she goes. Here are 10 of the more memorable city-wide takeovers so far.

Glendale, Arizona Becomes Swift City

The Eras Tour kicked off at the same stadium in Arizona as the Super Bowl. But was the city renamed for Super Bowl MVP (and teammate of future Swift boyfriend, Travis Kelce)? Nope. But it was for Swift. “And now therefore, I, Jerry P. Weiers, mayor of the city of Glendale, on behalf of our city council, do hereby proclaim that on March 17 and 18, 2023, the city of Glendale will be renamed Swift City,” Mayor Jerry Weiers proclaimed.

Las Vegas, Nevada Lights The Gateway Arches

Sin City? More like Swift City. The Gateway Arches were lit to reflect the colors of Swift’s albums.

Arlington, Texas Renames A Road To Taylor Swift Way

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the love for Taylor Swift. Arlington’s Randol Mill Road was ceremoniously renamed to Taylor Swift Way, while city hall was lit red, a reference to her 2012 album.

Houston, Texas Gets A New Stadium Name

NRG Stadium became NRG Stadium (Taylor’s Version) when The Eras Tour came to Space City. “We know all too well that other areas have done huge things,” Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said in a message on then-Twitter. “They’ve lit up the town; they’ve renamed streets, they’ve even made you mayor for a day. But we’re going to something even better. I know if I did any of that, folks would say that I am the man.”

Tampa, Florida Gives The Key To The City To Swift

By the time Swift came to the Sunshine State, it was a competition to see which city would throw themselves at her the most. “We are so excited to welcome you to Tampa. We know Glendale changed its name, Arlington made a street sign, and Vegas illuminated their Gateway Arches, but here in Tampa, we’ve got a reputation to uphold. We want to go bigger. So I want to present you with a key to the city,” Mayor Jane Castor announced. She was also invited to be the city’s honorary mayor for a day.

Nashville, Tennessee Dedicates A Bench

Nashville was a hometown show of sorts for Swift. To celebrate, a bench in Centennial Park (which was name-checked in the folklore track “invisible string”) was dedicated to her. “A bench for you to read on at Centennial Park. Welcome home, Nashville,” the plague reads.

East Rutherford, New Jersey Gets A New State Sandwich

Swift wrote a song about New York, but New Jersey named a sandwich after her. Check and mate. “In New Jersey, we have a reputation for a great war between Taylor ham and pork roll. Usually we let you call it what you want, but since we have a superstar coming to town, we know all too well that we should commemorate the occasion,” governor Phil Murphy said in a video on X. “So today we are declaring the official state sandwich of New Jersey a Taylor Swift Ham Egg and Cheese.” There is no higher distinction in New Jersey.

Minneapolis, Minnesota Is Now Swiftie-apolis

Minneapolis wasn’t the first city to change its name to something Swift-y, but it did have the best rebranding. From Mayor Jacob Frey: “We are renaming Minneapolis to ‘Swiftie-apolis’ – as a singer, songwriter, performer and producer, Taylor is one of the most popular artists, and we’re expecting hundreds of thousands to visit our downtown and experience our city as a result.”

Seattle, Washington Has A New Honorary Geologist

Before her show at Lumen Field literally caused seismic activity, Swift was named an Honorary Geologist by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22 reasons Ms. Swift has been just as influential in shaping our world as the tectonic plates beneath us,” geologist Casey Hanell said. “Her arrival has ushered in one of the most significant eras in Earth’s history, ranking right up there with the breakup of the Pangea supercontinent, which is never ever ever… getting back together.” She even got a cute certification.

Santa Clara, California Transforms Into Swiftie Clara

Swift’s sold-out run at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium was immortalized in the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film, but she played another California city the week prior. Santa Clara, the home of Levi’s Stadium, became Swiftie Clara.

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