Taylor Swift fans swarm Seattle as the city looks for an economic boost

Hundreds of thousands of Taylor Swift fans converged in Seattle on Saturday for the pop star’s “The Eras Tour,” the latest stop in a series of tourism-boosting concerts across the United States.

Outside Lumen Field, where the mega-star will play on Saturday and Sunday, throngs of fans waited to buy T-shirts and other items.

Ragnhild Read waited to purchase Swift memorabilia after flying from Salt Lake City, Utah. “For Taylor, I would go across the world to see her,” she told Reuters.

The devoted fan had already witnessed Swift’s performance in Salt Lake City in 2013 when she traveled from her home in Seattle. This time, she’s taking the voyage in reverse.

King County Council designated the week running up to the concert as “Taylor Swift Week” in her honor. Woody anticipates 144,000 Swift fans visiting the city during the course of the two-day concert series.

A massive friendship bracelet hangs over the entrance to the renowned Space Needle, an homage to the tour’s practice of fans exchanging braided jewelry, which began with her song “You’re on Your Own, Kid” from her newest album “Midnights”.