A city renames itself after Taylor Swift to celebrate her upcoming show

SWIFTKIRCHEN (WKRC) – A German town has renamed itself after global superstar Taylor Swift ahead of her performance at the city’s arena.

The city of Gelsenkirchen was thrilled to learn that Taylor Swift would be playing at their VELTINS Arena from July 17 to 19 as part of her international Eras tour.

In fact, they were so enthusiastic that the mayor took the request seriously when Major “Swiftie” Aleshanee Westhoff started a humorous petition to change the name of the town to “Swiftkirchen” in honor of the artist.

Gelsenkirchen’s mayor, Karin Wedge, said in a statement on the city’s website (which has been translated into English): “It is a great idea to temporarily rename Gelsenkirchen ‘Swiftkirchen’.” She credited Westhoff with the idea.

Westhoff was given the honor of putting up the first “Swiftkirchen” street sign, which is decorated with a picture of the singer and some stickers of her songs. “We will be putting up many more signs in busy places in Gelsenkirchen in the next few days,” said the head of the city’s public relations department, Markus Schwardtmann.

The city has also installed a “Taylor Swift tram” that will travel through the city and “will surely make an attractive selfie subject,” along with other scenic motifs that have been installed around the metropolis. It will also be given a temporary place on the Gelsenkirchen Walk of Fame.

And finally, for the Swifties who cannot attend the concerts, the city is hosting an open-air party for the singer.

The city of Gelsenkirchen is delighted about the public attention that Taylor Swift will bring to their city, especially after the city has already hosted several matches of the 2024 European Championship.