Taylor Swift's Eras Tour astounding boost to UK economy as Sadiq Khan speaks out

EDITORIAL USE ONLY Taylor Swift performs on stage during her Eras Tour at the Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. Picture date: Friday June 7, 2024.

Taylor Swift fans are expected to boost the London economy by £300 million when they descend on the capital for the US superstar's record-breaking Eras Tour, according to a new report.

The singer-songwriter, 34, will play three sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium from Friday, before she returns to the venue for five nights in August.

London is hosting more Eras Tour shows than any other city in the world, with nearly 640,000 people expected to attend across the eight dates.

To celebrate her arrival in the capital, murals, a special Tube map, a Taylor trail and a series of events have been created to entertain the Swifties.

Wembley Park is hosting two new public artworks including a large mural on the Spanish Steps, which are being temporarily renamed the "Swiftie Steps".

The steps, which connect Wembley Stadium and the OVO Arena Wembley, will feature Auras created by artist Frank Styles which have been compiled digitally from more than 30 separate physical paintings.

Below the steps will be the Ready For It mural painted by MurWalls & HUMOR which features a portrait with lyrics interwoven across the artwork.

A Taylor trail launching on Friday will celebrate places across the capital that are referenced in her music, with venues displaying vinyl stickers in their windows to welcome fans.

Notable locations on the trail include the West End, Soho, Bond Street, Camden Market, Highgate, Hampstead Heath, Vauxhall, Shoreditch, Hackney, Brixton and Kentish Town.

Fans will be able to access the trail through QR codes at participating venues and on the Visit London website, which has created a guide to the many events taking place across the city including brunches, singalongs and quizzes.

Transport For London (TfL) has also reimagined the Tube map in the singer's honour, with each line named after a different album and drawn in colours to match, while stations will be named after songs.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: "The Eras Tour has broken records and created huge excitement so I'm delighted that Taylor Swift has chosen to perform more nights in London than anywhere else in the world."

"Her eight performances will bring nearly 700,000 fans from across the country and beyond to Wembley Stadium, providing a huge boost to our hospitality industry and further proof that London is the greatest city in the world to watch live music."

"As Taylor prepares for Friday's opening performance, we are proud to give her and her fans a big London welcome, with celebrations across the capital including a special Tube map, trail and mural in her honour."

"I encourage Swifties to not only enjoy the fantastic shows, but also make the most of everything London has to offer, and hope that even more people are encouraged to enjoy the incredible live music available in our city."

Swift kicked off the UK leg of her mammoth, billion-dollar Eras Tour earlier this month at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh where she delivered three dazzling shows.

She later took her show on the road to Liverpool, where she played three nights in a row at Anfield Stadium, followed by one date at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

The tour, which takes fans on a journey through the different musical stages of her career, has been a juggernaut.

The 640,000 fans set to attend the Wembley shows are estimated to spend an average of £471 when they come to the capital, according to a report by the Greater London Authority.

The estimated £300 million total boost to London's economy was calculated using data from UKInbound's Tourism Statistics for 2018, which showed that each domestic and international tourist to the UK generated about £396 to the UK economy that year, with the individual spent figure then adjusted to bring it in line with inflation.