Taylor Swift is Coming to Indy: Are We Ready For It?

The Taylor Swift phenomenon is coming to Indianapolis. Friendship bracelets will be exchanged. Store shelves will be emptied of red lipstick. Tickets will be sold and resold for astonishing prices. The earth will shake. And food and beverage will be consumed. Lots of it.

Check Out Our Full List of Taylor Themed Activities in Indy 

A Boost for Local Businesses

Rarely does the Indianapolis restaurant and tavern community enjoy the sort of outsized opportunity the arrival of Swift and her Eras Tour Nov. 1-3 will bring to the city. A packed house will jam Lucas Oil Stadium all three concert nights, and many others – probably thousands – will be in Indy even if they don’t have a golden ticket to the shows. They simply want to be in the Swift vortex – somewhere within the seemingly magnetic pull of one of popular music’s biggest international superstars.

We’ve had huge crowds in town for the Big Ten championship and the NBA All-Star Game and during race weeks, but this one is unique and probably the biggest thing we’ve prepared for,” said Jason Benish, vice president of Huse Culinary, which operates, among others, St. Elmo Steak House and Harry and Izzy’s, two of the city’s most popular eateries.

Employee Benefits

St. Elmo often is filled to capacity, and Benish expects the same numbers during the Swift invasion. With expectations of a crush of people downtown all weekend, St. Elmo will open at 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday (instead of 4 p.m.) and at 3 p.m. Sunday (instead of 4 p.m.). And extra staff people will be called in.

“We’ll offer opportunities for our employees in our more suburban locations to pick up some additional hours downtown,” he said. “Some of our employees really want to be a part of these high-profile events. They create such an energy in town.”

St. Elmo, which has a national reputation, is used to dealing with throngs of diners. “Our process and preparation really doesn’t change; however, I think the magnitude of her momentum in the country right now is putting a significant amount of attention on our team to make sure we’re prepared,” Benish said.

Taylor-Themed Treats

Those seeking liquid refreshment during the Swift weekend at St. Elmo are likely to run into Taylor-themed specials – for example, a vodka concoction named Lavender Haze after a Swift song. Other restaurants will offer similar drinks or food specials.

District Tap, which has locations downtown and Northside, has been planning for the Swift invasion for weeks and plans celebratory Swift-related drinks – alcoholic and non-alcoholic – for the weekend, including Meet Me at Midnight and Heartbreak Prince, both named for Swift songs.

“We’re going to be ready for it,” said District Tap proprietor Michael Cranfill. “Our staff will be in uniforms of their favorite Eras. We’ll be making friendship bracelets to share with patrons. We’ll have a Taylor-themed photo backdrop so patrons can do their own photos. And, after the concerts, we’ll have a DJ playing Taylor theme music to keep the parties going.”

The Economic Impact of the Swift Tour

The Swift weekend is likely to be one of the strongest in history for Indy

accommodations, restaurant and bar owners, Cranfill said. He and his wife attended a Swift concert in England and came away with a clearer understanding of the impact of the Taylor phenomenon, he said.

“I don’t think Indy is going to ever experience fans that are as loyal and diehard as what I experienced at the Wembley [in London] concert,” Cranefill said. “It’s going to be an action-packed, crazy 3-4 days.

“One of the largest days we’ve had is hosting an NCAA football championship or the Big Ten championship. When we hosted the Big Ten game, there were people out all day, before and after the game. I think that’s what we’ll experience with Swift. As many people as there are in the stadium, there will be that many hanging out at restaurants and bars just to experience the energy of Taylor Swift being in town. There could be sales records all around.”

The Swift Experience Beyond the Stadium

Beyond restaurants and bars, other Indy spots will be involved in the Swift tsunami. The Indiana State Museum has scheduled pre-concert events for all three concert days.

“TAY/gate” at the museum will include food, Swift-themed cocktails and mocktails, a bracelet trading area and other Swift-related activities, including a location where fans can have photos taken with an “enchanted dress” gown similar to those worn by Swift.

Tickets have sold quickly.

“We’re hoping to be the next best thing to the concerts,” said Katherine Kite, the museum’s director of corporate relations. “This is unusual for the museum, but when Taylor Swift announced she was coming to town, we assumed people would want to rent space to do something, so we decided to create and curate our own events for this point in time for the city and state. We wanted to be a part of the history, and we’ve been overwhelmed by the response. We sold out the Saturday tickets in two weeks.

“We’ve heard from people all over who just want to be in town for the concerts, even without tickets.”

Indy’s Biggest Event Since the Beatles

All told, the weekend is likely to be the biggest musically in town since September 1964 when four lads from England – the Beatles – played two shows at the Indiana State Fair Coliseum. Tickets were four dollars each.