Taylor Swift’s Eras tour inspires German city to change name

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A city in Germany is preparing to say hello to Taylor Swift: Authorities have decided to temporarily rename Gelsenkirchen “Swiftkirchen” in honor of the pop icon’s upcoming three concerts in the city on her Eras tour.

According to an announcement on the city’s website on Tuesday (July 2), Gelsenkirchen is already transforming a full two weeks before Swift’s performances at the Veltins Arena from July 17 to 19. The name change was first suggested by a young local fan named Aleshanee Westhoff – who started a petition and wrote directly to Mayor Karin Welge – so she had the honor of putting up the first “Swiftkirchen” sign on Ebertstrasse, a street in the city.

In the future, the city will put up similar signs in heavily frequented parts of Gelsenkirchen. In addition, a so-called “Taylor Swift tram” already drives through the area, and the “Anti-Hero” singer will receive a colorful stone on Gelsenkirchen’s official Walk of Fame.

“The idea of ​​temporarily renaming Gelsenkirchen to ‘Swiftkirchen’ is a great idea, which is why I am particularly pleased that you can experience the short-term ‘renaming’ of Gelsenkirchen live and up close in Gelsenkirchen today,” said Mayor Welge in a thank-you letter to Westhoff.

Swiftkirchen will also be complete with a series of “Taylor Town” festivities on the days the pop star performs, with karaoke, a DJ set, a tattoo booth, a marketplace, and food and drink stands. “As mayor, I am of course delighted that Taylor Swift, currently the most successful singer in the world, will be performing three times in Gelsenkirchen,” Welge added in a statement.

Gelsenkirchen is not the only city that has stepped up to host Swift’s Eras Tour visits over the past year and more, nor is it the first to temporarily rename itself in her honor. Ahead of the 14-time Grammy winner’s opening performances in 2023, Glendale, Arizona, became “Swift City,” while Minneapolis transformed into “Swiftie-apolis” and Santa Clara, California, was named “Swiftie Clara” over the summer.

Swift has a few more stops to make before she reaches Gelsenkirchen. She starts with three nights in Amsterdam from July 4th to 6th. She will then play two nights in Zurich, followed by two more shows in Milan.

“When I saw the first crowd in Dublin on Friday night, I knew we were in for a wild weekend,” the superstar wrote on Instagram earlier this week after their final performances in Ireland. “The spirit of those three amazing crowds embodied fun, joy and exuberance and we just felt so lucky to be there. The Irish fans made us feel at home, so welcome in every way. When I think about it now, I still smile.”