German town temporarily renames itself to welcome Taylor Swift
A German city is preparing to celebrate the Eras Tour by temporarily renaming itself after Taylor Swift. Ahead of the singer’s three concerts in July, Gelsenkirchen has adopted the name Swiftkirchen, which translates to “Swift’s Church.”
Swift’s popular world tour will arrive in the city formerly known as Gelsenkirchen on July 17, 18 and 19 at the 70,000-capacity Veltins Arena in Schalke. The idea to rename the city came from local fan Aleshanee Westhoff, who petitioned Mayor Karin Welge a few weeks ago, a source said. AP.
Westhoff was present at the unveiling of a new town sign on Ebertstrasse earlier this week. In a letter to Westhoff, Welge wrote: “The temporary renaming of Gelsenkirchen to ‘Swiftkirchen’ is a great idea and I am particularly pleased that you can be there live today for the temporary ‘renaming’ of Gelsenkirchen.”
In the coming weeks up to the concerts, Gelsenkirchen will continue to push ahead with its transformation. Several more signs will be put up in the next few days “at heavily frequented locations in Gelsenkirchen,” according to city spokesman Markus Schwardtmann. Swift will also receive a stone on the Gelsenkirchen Walk of Fame and the city will hold open-air parties with karaoke performances during her concerts. A Taylor Swift tram, the “Taylor Swift Tram,” will be running.
“There will be many big and small surprises, so that the Swifties in Gelsenkirchen have a lot to discover,” said Schwardtmann via AP.
Swit is currently on the European leg of the Eras Tour, which recently ended in London for a series of celebrity shows. The singer also took the opportunity to bring her boyfriend Travis Kelce on stage during her third and final Eras concert at Wembley Stadium in June. During the intro to “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” Kelce appeared as one of her dancers and carried her to the couch during the vaudeville-style section.
Kelce later revealed that he had jokingly suggested an appearance during the 1989 Part of the show that left the singer confused when she asked him: “Would you seriously be willing to do something like that?”
“I was like, ‘What? I’d love to do that, are you serious? I’ve seen the show enough times – I might as well get in line here,'” Kelce recalled Swift’s statement. At first he imagined himself showing up on a bicycle in 1989but they concluded that it would pose a safety risk to the band and dancers. However, once Swift realized he was serious, “she found the perfect part of the show for me.” He noted that it was an “honor” to stand next to a “true showman” like her.
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