The final UK shows of Taylor Swift‘s ‘Eras Tour’ are expected to boost the London economy by £300million.
The ‘Anti-Hero’ singer will perform three sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium starting tonight (June 21) before returning for a five-night stretch in August – with experts forecasting her career-spanning tour will be one of the most lucrative of all time.
These shows are expected to be attended by nearly 640,000 fans, with many already camping outside the stadium ahead of tonight’s edition, despite warnings from the venue’s organisers.
The Greater London Authority (GLA) has estimated these keen fans will spend an average of £471 per show, providing a massive boost to London’s economy, with many travelling from further afield to see Swift.
After debuting the ‘Taylor’s Version’ of the London Tube map ahead of the shows this week, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said he is “delighted” London is hosting the ‘Eras Tour’ more than any other city.
This Taylor Swift Tube map has polished up real nice 💎
Whether you are a Londoner or visiting London to see Taylor’s The Eras Tour this weekend, explore London (Taylor’s Version) and visit all the places that inspired her music. #LDNTaylorsVersion pic.twitter.com/T8Q6F67iDT
— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) June 21, 2024
“London is the greatest city in the world to watch live music,” Khan wrote in a post on X/Twitter. “Just ask the nearly 700,000 Taylor Swift fans who are coming to the capital to enjoy eight nights of ‘The Eras Tour’.”
Previous speculation from Barclays claimed fans would spend almost £1billion across her 15 UK shows, with studies of the pop star’s economic pull being dubbed “Swiftonomics”, and accounting for purchases including hotels, tickets and friendship bracelets.
Earlier this month, NME gave the Edinburgh edition of the ‘Eras Tour’ a five-star review, writing: “At the centre of it all is Swift herself, guiding the audience through the hit-stacked show era to era.
“The ringleader of the entire ‘Eras Tour’ shepherds us through with razor precision, an utter pro who’s energy doesn’t waiver throughout. And even among the meticulously rehearsed and choreographed performance which runs like clockwork, she finds pockets of humour and moments to connect with the crowd.”
Swift – who recently shared that the extensive tour had “taken over everything” in her life – confirmed in Liverpool that the ‘Eras Tour’ would end in December.
While performing her 100th show of the tour at Anfield, she said: “This has definitely been the most exhausting, all-encompassing but most joyful, most rewarding, most wonderful thing that has ever wondered in my life, this tour.
“This is the very first time I’ve ever acknowledged to myself and admitted that this tour is going to end in December. Like, that’s it. That feels so far from now, but then again, it feels like we’ve just played our first show on this tour.”
Visit here for the stage times and more details about the London shows.