P a o l o V ill a n u e v a
THE
NBOX
i
On a breezy, sun-drenched
day last July, I leaned my head
outside a friend's Seattle apart-
ment while my sister sprinkled
pink glitter into my hair.
Below, the street was buzzing
with people—some in pastel
blush and candy- coloured
dresses, some in liquid eye-
liner and knee-high leather
boots. Sidewalk salespeople
hawked sequined cowboy hats
and bottled water. And blasting
from speakers everywhere—
the neighbourhood pubs, the
bicycle "taxis," the loft apart-
ment I dangled my now-itchy
head out of—was the voice of
one artist.
Taylor Swift was in town,
and best believe the city was
bejewelled.
According to a 2023
"Swiftonomics" survey by
software company Question-
Pro, attendees of Swift's Eras
Tour spend about US$93 mil-
lion per show. That's not just
on tickets, of course: hotels,
restaurants, retailers and other
businesses are experiencing
a brief, meaningful economic
boom. Seattle embraced the
Swifties. And in December
2024, Vancouver has the same
opportunity.
WILDEST DREAMS
"It's not quite the Olympics,"
says Morgan Westcott, associ-
ate dean of marketing man-
agement at
BCIT, "but every
chance we get—as an industry
and as a community—to host
something on this level helps
to propel us in an upward
direction." When I was in
Seattle last summer, the entire
city felt enchanted by Taylor
Swift—and that was part of the
fun. It made me want to make
that cross-border drive again,
even if there was no chance
…ARE YOU READY
FOR IT?
Taylor Swift will be entering her Vancouver era
this December, and local businesses should make
the most of it
by Alyssa Hirose
E N T E R TA I N M E N T
CRUEL SUMMER
Despite resale tickets
priced in the thou-
sands, fans flocked to
Seattle last July to see
Swift. This December,
it's Vancouver's turn
"
This is an
opportunity
for brand
recognition
for Vancouver
as a
destination,"
