Will Taylor Swift fans take over Disneyland on one day next month? Some fans of the pop singer are already talking about the possibility.
Swift's ongoing Eras Tour is playing on the other side of the Pacific Ocean next month, so that's not the issue. This is all about the Super Bowl, which is happening in (relatively) nearby Las Vegas on February 11.
As long-time Disney theme park fans know, the first thing that the Super Bowl MVP typically does after the game concludes is record the iconic I'm going to Disneyland/Disney World! commercial. That's usually followed by the MVP, or a high-profile teammate, showing up at the closer Disney theme park the next day.
Since the Super Bowl is in Vegas this year, that means Disneyland. This year's Super Bowl teams will be the San Francisco 49ers and - relevant to all this - the Kansas City Chiefs.
One of the Chiefs' top players is Travis Kelce, who everyone who follows pop culture probably knows has been dating Taylor Swift for months. When the Chiefs beat Baltimore to clinch their spot in the Super Bowl, social media was filled with people doing the math to figure out if Swift could make it from Tokyo, where she has a concert the night before, to Las Vegas in time for the game. (Short answer: Yes, though she might need a charter flight.)
If the Chiefs win the game, and if Kelce is among the players who end up "going to Disneyland" and if the appearance is scheduled for the next day (February 12), would Swift accompany him? It's all likely a longshot, but that's enough of a chance for many Swift fans to consider buying a ticket to the park for even the slight opportunity to see their favorite singer in person.
Magic Key reservations for February 12 already are booked out, but reservations for daily ticket holders on that date remain available. (Obligatory plug here for discounted tickets on sale now via our partner.)
Theme parks have been riding the Swift bandwagon before. California's Great America shares a parking lot with Levi's Stadium, where Swift played last summer. Since those concert dates fell on days when the park controlled the lot, Swift fans needed to buy theme park tickets to park there.
At least that was a sure thing for fans, however. In Disneyland's case, the park could enjoy a little attendance boost just on the chance that the singer might make an appearance.
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I know Swifties can be a bit obsessive, but booking a visit to Disneyland in the hope of catching a fainting glimpse of the star that is a long shot at best is quite a stretch. It's one thing for fans to buy theme park tickets when that's the only way to get a parking pass for a concert, it's another thing to spend money on park tickets 2 weeks in advance of an appearance that has a less than 10% chance of occurring. Not only does KC need to win the Super Bowl (49ers are favored, though the Chiefs were underdogs against the Ravens), but Kelce needs to be either the MVP or part of the team's contingent sent to the park (Mahomes would almost certainly win MVP if Kelce has a big day since their performances are statistically linked), AND Swift (and Kelce assuming he would accompany her back to Asia) has to figure out a way to fit a stop in Anaheim into her ridiculous schedule before resuming her tour. Again, not impossible, but it's a lot of moving parts that need to fall perfectly, and even then, you're going to spend hours in Disneyland sitting parked on Main Street waiting for them to ride by for a fleeting brush with fame.
I wouldn't call myself a fan, but I have a ton of respect for Swift (saw her once when she was still country and met her during her 1989 tour). However, I just don't understand the level of fanaticism she generates (only Michael Jackson and The Beatles are comparable), and the lengths at which her fans will go just to occupy the same space she's in.
@ The colonel
So I take it you’re not aware that her lastest album she swears like a sailor, like a lot.
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I've always looked down on teenybopper music, and there's lots to dislike about Swift's hopelessly bland, countrified pop. But both of my daughters are into her, and gosh, at least she's upbeat, fun, and keeps it clean (in a world where most other Top 40 women are obsessed with talking about their, uh, WAP's and gag reflexes; etc.). It's something positive for kids to rally around, which can be in short supply these days.
Plus, the fact that she riles up the right-wing crazies (who are now insisting she's part of some "not organic" conspiracy to aid Biden, hahah) only sweetens the deal. Go Taylor, and here's to her legion of happy fans.