Edinburgh is feeling the full “Taylor Swift effect” after the superstar’s weekend of sell-out shows in the city.
Swift brought The Eras Tour to the UK and performed at Murrayfield Stadium in the Scottish capital on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Hundreds of thousands of the singer’s fans – known as Swifties – flocked to the city and have injected an estimated £77m into the local economy.
City of Edinburgh Council leader Cammy Day said Swift’s performances – the largest stadium shows ever seen in Scotland – were a “fantastic start to an incredible summer of culture in the capital”.
Mr Day said: “These sell-out shows brought huge and wide-ranging benefits to the city – reflected both in terms of the estimated up to £77m it contributed to the local economy, but also as a further boost to our global reputation as a great place to live, work and visit.”
The councillor praised all the Swift-themed festivities held throughout Edinburgh, as well as all those who helped to ensure the shows ran smoothly.
He highlighted the “exemplary” behaviour of the Swifties and said work would continue to keep “disruption to a minimum” at future events.
Mr Day said plans are currently under way to introduce a visitor levy from summer 2026, after MSPs last month passed legislation giving local authorities the power to introduce such a charge.
Mr Day added: “Just to give an example of the scale and importance of this opportunity, had a 5% levy been in place over the weekend, we would have had an estimated additional £632,000 to reinvest in our city’s culture, heritage and infrastructure – to the benefit of our visitors and, crucially, to the people who live here all year round.”
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During her stay, Swift made a donation to a local food bank charity.
Edinburgh Food Project, which has not revealed the value of the gift, said it was “thrilled” with the support from the award-winning singer-songwriter.
Fiona Anderson, fundraising lead at the charity, said the Swift effect has led to additional donations from fans.
With Swift’s lucky number being 13, which she often writes on her hand before concerts, fans have been asked to donate £13.
Ms Anderson said: “It’s all gone a little crazy round here.
“We were absolutely thrilled to get the call and we’ve been blown away by how far the good news has spread. We’ve never had a social media post get 400 likes, let alone 4,000.
“We’ve had some lovely donations – in multiples of 13 – from Edinburgh Swifties, a few from other places in the UK, and a couple from further afield. It’s been amazing.”
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The charity runs seven food banks in the city and all donations will go towards helping the 6,000 people it supports each year.
Bethany Biggar, director of the charity, said: “We are thrilled that Taylor has decided to support the food banks and leave a lasting impact on Edinburgh.
“Things are really tough for a lot of people right now, so it is lovely to see someone like Taylor spreading such positivity.”
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A Perthshire fashion label is also no stranger to the Swift effect.
In January, the singer was pictured in an olive-green mini dress by Little Lies while out for dinner in Brooklyn with Blake Lively and Zoe Kravitz.
Jade Robertson, 34, who runs the brand with her husband, told Sky News that the company’s sales skyrocketed with fans aiming to dress like their idol.
Ms Robertson, who held a pop-up store at Laura Bond Jewellery during the Swift festivities in Edinburgh on Friday, said: “Things went mental. People Magazine was calling. In one day we hit our monthly target.”
The firm went on to triple sales that month.
She added: “I thought it would make a good Instagram post. I had no concept how wild it would go.”
Swift will next perform at Anfield Stadium in Liverpool on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, before later UK dates in Cardiff and London.
Source : Sky News
