Gelsenkirchen to be temporarily renamed ‘Swiftkirchen’ to celebrate Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour shows in the city

Taylor Swift is set to take her highly successful Eras tour to the German city of Gelsenkirchen in the Ruhr region of Germany for three back-to-back shows from July 17, 2024, to July 19, 2024. Now the city is honoring the singer and celebrating the shows by renaming itself 'Swiftkirchen'.

The sign, showing Taylor Swift, and the name of the city changed to 'Swiftkirchen', was revealed by Aleshanee Westhoff from Emmerich, a Swiftie who had originally started the petition a few weeks ago. The petition was successful, and in a letter to Westoff, the mayor of the city, Karin Welge, responded:

"What a great idea, Gelsenkirchen temporarily renaming itself 'Swiftkirchen'." (translated)

The temporary name change of the city will be followed by the addition of several more street signs at important corners of the city in the coming days. The name change was announced online via the city's official X page on July 2, 2024.

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More on Gelsenkirchen's preparation for Taylor Swift's shows

The city is making other preparations for the upcoming Eras tour shows by Taylor Swift, other than renaming itself temporarily. The city has added a special Taylor Swift tram and there is expected to be a Taylor Swift-themed open-air party with karaoke in the city center. Also expected is that the singer will be given a star on the local Walk of Fame.

Speaking about the preparations, city spokesperson Markus Schwardtmann stated in a general press announcement on July 2, 2024:

"There will be many small and large surprises, so that Swifties in Gelsenkirchen have a lot to discover."

The Gelsenkirchen concerts will be held at the Veltins-Arena of the city. The shows are all mostly sold out, with the expected crowdfall for each evening being around 70,000 people.

After Gelsenkirchen, Taylor Swift will continue on with her Eras tour with shows in cities such as Hamburg and London. The remaining dates and venues for the Eras tour, including the Gelsenkirchen dates, are given below:

• July 4- 6, 2024 – Amsterdam, Netherlands, at Johann Cruijff Arena
• July 9-10, 2024 – Zurich, Switzerland, at Letzigrund Stadion
• July 13-14, 2024 – Milan, Italy, at San Siro Stadium
• July 17-19, 2024 – Gelsenkirchen, Germany, at Veltins Arena
• July 23-24, 2024 – Hamburg, Germany, at Volksparkstadion
• July 27-28, 2024 – Munich, Germany, at Olympiastadion
• August1-3, 2024 – Warsaw, Poland, at PGE Narodowy
• August 8-10, 2024 – Vienna, Austria, at Ernst Happel Stadion
• August 15-20, 2024 – London, UK, at Wembley Stadium
• October 18-20, 2024 – Miami, Florida, at Hard Rock Stadium
• October 25-27, 2024 – New Orleans, Louisiana, at Caesars Superdome
• November 1-3, 2024 - Indianapolis, Indiana, at Lucas Oil Stadium
• November 14-23, 2024 - Toronto, Ontario, at Rogers Centre
• December 6-8, 2024 – Vancouver, British Columbia, at BC Place

Taylor Swift recently confirmed that 2024 will be the end of her Eras tour. The singer stated at her Liverpool Eras tour concert on June 13, 2024, on the occasion of her 100th show:

"This is the very first time I’ve ever acknowledged to myself and admitted that this tour is going to end in December. This tour has really become my entire life, it's taken over everything, like I think I once had hobbies..."

Taylor Swift will end the tour with a total of 152 shows since its start in 2023. The tour has earned more than a billion dollars in gross revenue, with a US travel department estimate suggesting that the tour will likely raise more than $10 billion at its end globally.

The singer released her latest studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, on April 19, 2024, through the Republic label. The album peaked as a chart-topper on several album charts and set multiple records after its release.