A white SUV cautiously peers around the bend of Chartres Street in the French Quarter on a Wednesday (October 23) evening in New Orleans. Even though the song playing via the window is Taylor Swift's "Fearless," the driver is clearly uncomfortable as he leads his family past drunken partygoers who are staggering in the direction of Bourbon Street.
But by Friday, October 25, Swift's arrival in the city had completely changed the tide. As tens of thousands of visitors swarm the city for the first of three sold-out performances at Caesars Superdome, SUVs with Taylor's face stickers and song names written in marker ("Getaway Car" is a popular option) clog the streets.
From Frenchman Street to the Instagram-friendly Skeleton House by Audubon Park, which this year is themed “Terror Swift: The ScEras Tour” (sample offering: a skeleton in a yellow evermore dress clutches a guitar next to a “No Body, No Crime” sign), fans can be seen everywhere sporting Eras Tour merch (or unofficial t-shirts playing on the tour’s distinctive color palette) and the Bywater (Swift ordered her Lavender Haze birthday cake from Bywater Bakery in 2022).
The Times-Picayune and NOLA.com created a "visitor's guide" booklet titled "Taylor Swift Takes Over New Orleans." Even the notorious Bourbon Street is suitable for families. Almost every bar and restaurant is giving tie-in programming (karaoke, quiz, and look-alike contests with prizes of up to $500) or themed cocktails (Holy Ground hurricane, Lavender Haze fizz, and Taylorita) in addition to the songs "Blank Space," "You Belong With Me," and "Anti-Hero" that are playing nonstop.
The influence of the pop singer is felt even among the city's jazz and blues-heavy music destinations. Swift is encouraging Swifties to explore the Treme neighborhood with Esplanade Studios, where she recorded three songs from The Tortured Poets Department ("Who's Afraid of Little Old Me," "Fresh Out the Slammer," and "Florida!!!"). Meanwhile, over on Frenchman, d.b.a. is hosting a station for making friendship bracelets; at the Mahogany Jazz Hall on Chartres, one of the bartenders is slinging lyrical references along with sazeracs (“I knew you were trouble when you walked in,” he jokes while serving a customer two cocktails).
Back in the French Quarter, Antoine's Restaurant, the city's oldest restaurant and the origin of Rockefeller oysters, is joining in the celebration by giving customers pink take-out cups and writing "Eras Tour 2024" in icing on their famous baked Alaska dish.
Lisa Blount, who manages PR for Antoine's and is married to the CEO of the fifth-generation family-run company, adds, "[Right now is] as big and as busy as Mardi Gras and that's the busiest time of year." "We will host over 3,000 guests in the next three days."
According to Steve Pettus of Dickie Brennan's, a chain of restaurants in New Orleans that includes Tableau, a French-Creole restaurant that had a Swiftie "balcony bash" on Saturday, "New Orleans always enjoys a busy pre-Halloween weekend." "This weekend is more than twice as large as we've seen in the past. Reservation inquiries are still coming in. I have more "friends" than I thought I had, and I've never felt more popular in my life.
Kyle Brechtel, president and CEO of Brechtel Hospitality, which threw a Swift-themed rooftop party on Friday, says, "We knew what was coming when guests started calling over the summer asking when they could book a table." (Thanks to Swifties on staff, "Taylor Tenders & Seemingly Ranch" was served, citing a Swift-related tweet that went viral in September 2023.) "This is a whole different level, even though [Halloween] is always a big weekend in the city."
The witches' luncheon, when residents dress in black robes, wear pointed hats, and have brunch, is becoming a popular Halloween custom in New Orleans. By 5:00 p.m. on Friday, the witching hour had given way to the Swifting hour, despite the fact that the witches were out in force earlier in the day (even belting out "Cruel Summer" in a karaoke bar in the crossover spirit of the weekend). Kansas City Chiefs jerseys and Taylor Swift outfits, such as the purple "Enchanted" gown, the gold-tasseled "Fearless" dress, and versions of the "22" t-shirt ("A Lot of Potholes Going on at the Moment," "A Lot to Vote on at the Moment"), became as ubiquitous as Mardi Gras beaded necklaces.
Back in the French Quarter, Antoine's Restaurant, the city's oldest restaurant and the origin of Rockefeller oysters, is joining in the celebration by giving customers pink take-out cups and writing "Eras Tour 2024" in icing on their famous baked Alaska dish.
Lisa Blount, who manages PR for Antoine's and is married to the CEO of the fifth-generation family-run company, adds, "[Right now is] as big and as busy as Mardi Gras and that's the busiest time of year." "We will host over 3,000 guests in the next three days."
According to Steve Pettus of Dickie Brennan's, a chain of restaurants in New Orleans that includes Tableau, a French-Creole restaurant that had a Swiftie "balcony bash" on Saturday, "New Orleans always enjoys a busy pre-Halloween weekend." "This weekend is more than twice as large as we've seen in the past. Reservation inquiries are still coming in. I have more "friends" than I thought I had, and I've never felt more popular in my life.
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Kyle Brechtel, president and CEO of Brechtel Hospitality, which threw a Swift-themed rooftop party on Friday, says, "We knew what was coming when guests started calling over the summer asking when they could book a table." (Thanks to Swifties on staff, "Taylor Tenders & Seemingly Ranch" was served, citing a Swift-related tweet that went viral in September 2023.) "This is a whole different level, even though [Halloween] is always a big weekend in the city."
The witches' luncheon, when residents dress in black robes, wear pointed hats, and have brunch, is becoming a popular Halloween custom in New Orleans. By 5:00 p.m. on Friday, the witching hour had given way to the Swifting hour, despite the fact that the witches were out in force earlier in the day (even belting out "Cruel Summer" in a karaoke bar in the crossover spirit of the weekend). Kansas City Chiefs jerseys and Taylor Swift outfits, such as the purple "Enchanted" gown, the gold-tasseled "Fearless" dress, and versions of the "22" t-shirt ("A Lot of Potholes Going on at the Moment," "A Lot to Vote on at the Moment"), became as ubiquitous as Mardi Gras beaded necklaces.
To put it more plainly, another resident said, "I'm sick of these motherf—kers and their t-shirts," after finishing her work shift and seeing that she was surrounded by Swifties. (To be honest, you may be annoyed too if your coffee shop suddenly had 150 people queuing around the block to obtain a themed plastic cup.) Sometimes, too, Karen-coded behavior surfaced, such when two Swifties told a local street artist playing blues instrumentals to perform Swift songs instead. For example, a group of people at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop were yelling Taylor's name at the pianist, even though the pianist had kindly stated that requests for songs should be paid for with a few dollars. The adults did not tip, and their shouts were ignored.
However, such fleeting moments of animosity were rare. The majority of residents were more than willing to engage in discussion with Swifties who were visiting, offering suggestions for cuisine or tidbits of the city's history, since the city is more than used to visitors.
"Our city understands that those who spend money and support jobs and infrastructure in our community greatly benefit us," Leger adds. Data indicates that, conservatively, we anticipate spending more than $200 million more on the first leg of the Eras Tour. Most likely, there will be more than that.
However, like the Eras Tour itself, the Taylor Swift conquest of New Orleans is ultimately about more than just money. A young woman taking a smoke break on a Friday strolls along a cobblestone street and asks a first-time visitor to New Orleans, quietly but eagerly, "Are you a Swiftie?" She extinguishes her cigarette and displays a wrist encrusted with friendship bracelets. "Want to exchange?"
Blount claims that everyone is having a terrific time as they stroll around. "It's a really good moment. Is there happiness in this world today? It's really good to see people smiling, especially with the election coming up in two weeks and all the tense situations surrounding it.
