How 2 Taylor Swift fans turned tailgate parties into a full-fledged business

Early in the pandemic, Courtney Gibson and Caitie Phillips dreamed of going to the local bar with some girlfriends, putting back a few White Claws and singing Taylor Swift Special (Taylor Swift) song.

Before COVID, it might have been a normal Saturday night for these two millennials. Instead, they’ve been locked indoors for months on end, desperate for a sense of community like so many others.

“What if one day we threw a Taylor Swift-inspired dance party not just for our circle of friends?” they wondered.

Taylor Swift fans – as they affectionately call themselves “Swifties” – are known for their unwavering loyalty and unwavering devotion to the iconic singer-songwriter. The Swifties have developed one of the largest fan bases on social media, attending album listening parties, camping for concerts, and more recently spending thousands of dollars on Times Tour TicketsTime and time again, the Swifties have made it abundantly clear that they’re willing to get away with it and put on Tay’s name.

So when the bar and nightclub reopened in April 2021, Gibson and Phillips decided to make their prom dreams come true. Gibson, 33, is producing boxed event-type affairs for her company in petite girland Phillips, a 31-year-old technical marketing coordinator, scouted for a venue in their hometown of Orlando.

Neon Beach Tiki & Kitchen was the first establishment they approached, agreeing to partner with them on a ticketed event in June. Suddenly, their pop culture fantasy was about to become reality.

“It’s important for women and members of the LGBTQ community to have a safe space where they can not only celebrate but feel celebrated, especially in such a difficult political climate right now,” said Phillips, who also designed Most of their Swift-inspired merchandise. “As women, we had to fight for our place in male-dominated fields like the music and entertainment industry, which not only allowed us to advance in our careers, but also helped mentor other young women who would become women. Also consider entering this industry.”

The first event sold out: They hosted 300 Swifties and even had a waiting list for guests. As die-hard Swifties themselves, the couple knew that the key to planning a successful pop culture dance was to truly embrace them from a fan perspective—and they did.

The party offers everything from a DJ playing a tailor-made Taylor playlist and a big screen playing music videos, to a curated cocktail menu and giveaways of slim jars of Koozies with custom themes. There are Insta-worthy pictures, all inspired by the legend himself.

But what the women didn’t know at the time was that within 18 months of their first meetup, they’d be entertaining more than 60,000 Swifties in more than 40 U.S. cities and dancing all the way to the bank to seven-figure tunes.

Last fall, around the same time their business hit the million-dollar mark, Swift released her “Midnight” album. The pair assumed an imminent announcement of a tour, prompting them to consider how to align their business with the upcoming show.

“Our first thought was how nice it would be to text your group chat, plan your Eras Tour outfits, grab tickets to the ultimate Swiftie prep party, and get together a few hours before the concert, said Gibson.

Phillips, who is also Le Petite Fete’s chief marketing officer, said they focused first on what was most important to Swifties. Answer? Great cocktails and an event right next to a Swift concert.

That’s how Tay-gates were born, a take on the traditional tailgate party. At Tay-gates, Swifties can trade friendship bracelets and create social media content with candy-colored neon signs inspired by song lyrics — all before heading to see Swift in concert. There’s also an Epoch-themed costume contest and lip-syncing contest for the chance to win prizes and bragging rights.

Tay-gates is held in a much larger venue than a ball, and, according to Gibson, has more of a trade show vibe, with attendees coming and going. They also have a calmer personality, she said, as most fans are saving their energy for the concert itself.

Tay-gaters, mostly women, fall into three camps: early-birds who arrive in the afternoon to avoid crowded concert traffic, those who make the event their official party destination to catch up with other concert-goers, and those who The one who rolls up at the last minute and grabs a cocktail or a quick snack before heading to the stadium.

Gibson and Phillips have built a loyal prom fan base in Texas, one of the first stops on the Eras tour, which provides a great starting point for their event.

The duo teamed up with Texas Live, a venue in Arlington about a 20-minute walk from AT&T Stadium. Over three nights, they hosted more than 10,000 Swifties, with tickets ranging from $5 to $15.

“It just exploded from there,” Phillips said. It wasn’t long before venues started contacting them.

Their business now employs five DJs, six event assistants, and multiple brand activation ambassadors in each city where they host events. Since the Texas event, they’ve hosted another 8,500 guests between shows in Tampa, Atlanta and Nashville, with Philadelphia, Chicago and New Jersey coming soon.

Tay-gate tickets range from $5 to $70, depending on the city, venue and product; the warm-up party grossed nearly $150,000, counting ticket sales alone.

Nicole Schwensen, 26, of Peachtree City, Ga., attended the Atlanta celebration at Wild Leap. She says one of the best things about Tay-gates is that you don’t need tickets to the actual concert to go to the party.

“My best friend and I have been looking for a way to hang out with other Taylor fans, dress up and have fun without paying $1,000 a ticket, and this is by far the best thing we’ve done,” Schwensen said.

Schwensen and her friend Abby enjoyed a day of Taylor-themed mud and food trucks, as well as an “All Too Well” song, while periodically refreshing their phones in a last-ditch effort to find affordable tickets for that night’s show. They haven’t had any luck.

But the rock gods must have been looking down on them – they managed to find a grassy spot in the Mercedes stadium parking lot, spread out a blanket there, and were able to watch Swift perform on a big screen facing them .

Michael Slagel, 25, an events director at a retirement community in Tampa, has had better luck with concert tickets. He won two tickets to the radio show on the first night and managed to get tickets to the nosebleed segment on the other two nights with his sister and their friends.

A regular at the ball, Slagel attended the Tampa Tay-gate and even entered a costume contest. He wore an Eras outfit inspired by the Red tour and called the event “a super fun way to hang out with other fans and celebrate Taylor coming to town.”

For the two co-founders, Once just a dream, getting out onto the dance floor has become a community-building and empowering practice.

When it comes to fandom, Gibson said there is often a double standard at play. It’s okay for men to spend ridiculous amounts of money on football and other sports, but the negative side can be seen when women spend a lot of money on Taylor Swift concert tickets and get together for parties.

“The big difference is that in football, there’s always a losing team, but at a concert, especially a Taylor Swift concert, everyone wins,” Gibson said.

Eleven of their 13-person team are women. They also intend to work with female suppliers and small business owners in different cities.

The fact that so many people attend their events alone and make friends says a lot, Gibson said.

“People crave a common ground,” Gibson said. “It means the world to us, being able to create a welcoming environment where fans can come together and be comfortable being themselves.”