Is it over now? When Monday morning came, Indianapolis was cleaning up the remnants of Taylor Swift’s long-awaited stop at Lucas Oil Stadium over the weekend.
Friendship bracelets and Eras Tour sweatshirts galore filled the bustling Indianapolis International Airport on Monday morning as thousands of Swifties flew home after the three-night leg of the Eras Tour.
Nearly 90% of ticketholders reside outside Indiana, Indianapolis tourism officials have said. Many Swifties to whom IndyStar spoke had never stepped foot in Indiana before this weekend.
From San Francisco to Baltimore, thousands of fans flew to the Crossroads of America to see the record-breaking tour. The airport even marked the occasion with a farewell sign outside the terminal that read, “Enchanted to meet you,” referencing Swift’s song “Enchanted” off the “Speak Now” album.
And there was one clear consensus: Fans are down bad for Indianapolis after a bejeweled Eras Tour weekend around town.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Orange County fan says Indy was best to do Eras Tour
Jessica Bennett still had glitter freckles on her face from the concert the night before as she prepared to board her flight home to Orange County, California, on Monday.
Originally from Ohio, Bennett, 42, bought tickets to the Indianapolis show for herself and her 16-year-old niece from Ohio. She said she’s been to Indy many times for Big 10 Football Championships, but the city’s engagement and effort this weekend blew her away.
One for the money, two for the show:Takeaways from Taylor Swift’s final U.S. Eras Tour show in Indianapolis
Sunday marked her fourth time at an Eras Tour show, which has been underway for more than 18 months. Bennett attended concerts in Los Angeles and Scotland, but neither city came at all close to matching Indianapolis’ all-out embrace of the pop star, she said.
“I am beyond impressed by what the city has done,” Bennett said at the airport Monday. “I’ve been taking pictures all around the city.”
Teachers, friends splurge on resale prices to see Indy show
Kelsey Morales and Ellie Borchers, two friends and teachers from Phoenix, missed out on tickets when Swift opened the Eras Tour in Arizona in March 2023. Nor were they able to buy tickets from the original Ticketmaster sale for Indianapolis. Instead, they ended up paying $2,200 for each ticket for Night 3.
As they prepared to leave Indy, they said it was “totally worth it” for the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“We decided on Indy because it was her last stop, and it worked best with our schedules,” said Morales, 29.
While Indianapolis wasn’t their first choice of a place to see the show, they said they enjoyed the cleanliness of downtown and the friendliness of the people. They particularly liked the decorative street signs the city put up to honor more than 30 of Swift’s songs.
“It made us feel like we were really here for the Eras Tour,” said Borchers, 27.
“Even if it made it hard to find our Uber,” she added with a laugh.
The final night:Relive Taylor Swift’s final U.S. Eras Tour show, Indianapolis N3
Family surprises 3 cousins with tickets, first trip to Indy
Sisters Hadley Kirkland, 41, and Caroline Strehle, 45, waited until last month to tell their three daughters they would all be attending Night 3 of the Eras Tour in Indianapolis.
The sisters from North Carolina bought five tickets to see the show with their girls — Sadie, 14, Mary Seaton, 12 and Louise, 8 — and flew to Indianapolis for the first time to watch Swift dazzle on stage.
All of them also enjoyed the massive, 34-story decal of Swift in her classic Lover sequined bodysuit adorned on the JW Marriott hotel downtown.
Wearing a cream tour sweatshirt she bought at Lucas Oil Stadium, Sadie said she loved the touches around downtown that served as a backdrop to a perfect weekend in Indianapolis.
“We traded out bracelets and everybody was so nice, and Indy was pretty,” Sadie said.
Photos:See the Swifties as they flock to the final Taylor Swift show in Indianapolis on Sunday
Gen Con regulars return for Taylor Swift
Lexi Culver knows when some people think of Indianapolis, they don’t think of it as “a big city.”
But the 15-year-old from Denver comes to Gen Con in Indianapolis every year with her mom, Megan. This time she experienced the city for another all-out event when she attended the Eras Tour on Sunday night.
“They say, ‘what is there to do there?’ But there’s a lot and they are very good with decorating,” Lexi said.
She was still carrying a bag full of friendship bracelets from the weekend on Monday as dozens of other Swifties walked around the airport with similar bracelets on her wrist.
“It’s very welcoming and the hotel activations are really cool,” her mother Megan said. “This time, we were also able to show our friends around who had never been to Indy before.”
Alysa Guffey covers business for IndyStar. Contact her at [email protected].
This post was originally published on here
